- Joined
- Nov 27, 2002
- Messages
- 7,890
- Reaction score
- 752
Interesting situation regarding a medical power of attorney (POA) recently.
60 yo patient came in after having a respiratory arrest and being intubated in the field. Patient is completely unresponsive. Patient is accompanied to the ED by a friend who is travelling with her. The friend provides EMS and then ED staff with a medical POA form which names the patient's daughter back home as the POA. The POA form appears to be in order. The friend provides the daughter's phone number and the daughter is contacted by ED staff for input about the patient's care.
A question was raised by the admitting team. Can the voice on the phone identified by the friend as the patient's daughter and POA be trusted? Are we obligated to try to verify this person's identity? Is a POA from another state valid?
60 yo patient came in after having a respiratory arrest and being intubated in the field. Patient is completely unresponsive. Patient is accompanied to the ED by a friend who is travelling with her. The friend provides EMS and then ED staff with a medical POA form which names the patient's daughter back home as the POA. The POA form appears to be in order. The friend provides the daughter's phone number and the daughter is contacted by ED staff for input about the patient's care.
A question was raised by the admitting team. Can the voice on the phone identified by the friend as the patient's daughter and POA be trusted? Are we obligated to try to verify this person's identity? Is a POA from another state valid?