Homeless, Ill, and Psychiatrically Complex: The Grueling Carousel of Cassandra Lee.

Abstract

Ask any clinical ethics consultant, and they can tell you about their transformative cases. Some stick with us because all roads led nowhere. Cassandra Lee had a history of pulling out lines and tubes and a distaste of warming blankets. Her admission marked her thirtieth over the past year. Many of the challenges facing the hospital caring for her were not unique: significant psychiatric issues, prolonged nonadherence to medical advice, and end-of-life decision-making combined to create an ethically dense and vexing situation. Ms. Lee, like so many patients, was suffering because of system failures.