Episode 11: If you pull out all the stops, where do you end? (Part 1)

Resource allocation is a bloodless term of art for a question that's often very bloody. How do we decide which patients deserve the full force of modern medicine, and which do not? It's one of the perennial questions in medicine today, especially in a time and culture that cannot accept the principle of rationed health care.

I don't pretend to know the answer to these questions, but I take a shot at a couple of examples. This is the first part in what I imagine will be a two part series. In this episode: doing everything we can. Plus, a trip to the mailbag!

Look for Part 2, When Enough is Enough, next week (or so).