Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks had a massive contribution to science. She would never know the extent her cells were used to save millions of other individuals/families/friends the heartache her and her family endured. A lot of the focus of this book was on how uneducated and low income her family was and continues to be. I would have liked to hear more of how science was impacted by the cells from Mrs. Lacks. There was significant mention to the poverty of Mrs. Lacks and her family dating back to when she was a child up to the present time of book.
As I feel there should be more about Mrs. Lacks personally not just about her cells. I do realize that Skloot did the best she could with the little information she was able to gather about Mrs. Lacks. I do not feel Skloot did focus on the poverty of the family, but I feel as though more light should have been put on the way the medical community took advantage of someone, they knew educational level was low. The medical community did not want to release the name of Mrs. Lacks as the person the cells came from, in the book it says this is due to family and patient privacy, but I do perceive this as true I feel the medical community does not want the family to know and have to produce and funds, explanations, or additional paperwork pertaining to the cells (Skloot, 2010).
Who is Henrietta Lacks?
In the book Lengauer said it is important for the world to know who Mrs. Lacks was. I agree with this. Everyone who was asked about her that could remember her said how giving and caring of a person she was. This leads me to believe she would have been ok with her cells being used for the greater good of the world. On the other hand, in that era it was not law to keep Mrs. Lacks information private. The fact the doctors did not want her name published makes me believe they were not very truthful about Mrs. Lacks knowledge of her cells being used for scientific benefit (Skloot, 2010).
To know who she is lets people connect a little deeper and appreciate how and why science was impacted in such a huge way. Most of everyone has been impacted from these cells and it might also inspire others to give permission for their bodies to be used in the name of science as well like the doctor in the book (Skloot, 2010).
Take away
Having to explain things repeatedly can be tasking. What I learned is the importance of ensuring all patients understand their medical path. It should not matter how many times it has to be repeated, what matters most is the information is transported in a way the patient fully understands.
A way to prevent a medical professional taking advantage of their patient is by having them repeat back in their own terms their medical path. Medical professionals should have their patients provide some examples of the impact of each option of care that has been discussed. These answers should be documented and placed in the patients file as proof. There should always be a checks and balance. Someone outside of the doctor should have a follow up conversation with the patient to ensure they fully understand their course of care and have all their questions answered. This conversation should be documented as well.
References
Skloot, R. (2010). The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. New York, NY: Broadway Books
Henrietta Lacks had a massive contribution to science. She would never know the extent her cells were used to save millions of other individuals/families/friends the heartache her and her family endured. A lot of the focus of this book was on how uneducated and low income her family was and continues to be. I would have liked to hear more of how science was impacted by the cells from Mrs. Lacks. There was significant mention to the poverty of Mrs. Lacks and her family dating back to when she was a child up to the present time of book.
As I feel there should be more about Mrs. Lacks personally not just about her cells. I do realize that Skloot did the best she could with the little information she was able to gather about Mrs. Lacks. I do not feel Skloot did focus on the poverty of the family, but I feel as though more light should have been put on the way the medical community took advantage of someone, they knew educational level was low. The medical community did not want to release the name of Mrs. Lacks as the person the cells came from, in the book it says this is due to family and patient privacy, but I do perceive this as true I feel the medical community does not want the family to know and have to produce and funds, explanations, or additional paperwork pertaining to the cells (Skloot, 2010).
Who is Henrietta Lacks?
In the book Lengauer said it is important for the world to know who Mrs. Lacks was. I agree with this. Everyone who was asked about her that could remember her said how giving and caring of a person she was. This leads me to believe she would have been ok with her cells being used for the greater good of the world. On the other hand, in that era it was not law to keep Mrs. Lacks information private. The fact the doctors did not want her name published makes me believe they were not very truthful about Mrs. Lacks knowledge of her cells being used for scientific benefit (Skloot, 2010).
To know who she is lets people connect a little deeper and appreciate how and why science was impacted in such a huge way. Most of everyone has been impacted from these cells and it might also inspire others to give permission for their bodies to be used in the name of science as well like the doctor in the book (Skloot, 2010).
Take away
Having to explain things repeatedly can be tasking. What I learned is the importance of ensuring all patients understand their medical path. It should not matter how many times it has to be repeated, what matters most is the information is transported in a way the patient fully understands.
A way to prevent a medical professional taking advantage of their patient is by having them repeat back in their own terms their medical path. Medical professionals should have their patients provide some examples of the impact of each option of care that has been discussed. These answers should be documented and placed in the patients file as proof. There should always be a checks and balance. Someone outside of the doctor should have a follow up conversation with the patient to ensure they fully understand their course of care and have all their questions answered. This conversation should be documented as well.
References
Skloot, R. (2010). The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. New York, NY: Broadway Books