Hot Ethical Issues in Med

[fever5]

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I did a limited search of current ethical issues in med and didn't really find anything on SDN. I am trying to think of a topic or at least a few ideas which may help me find a topic for a bioethics essay.

Does anyone know of or experienced an ethical issue which they feel is relevant and or emerging in todays medical care apart from 1) assisted sucidie/euthanasia, 2) unequal access to health care 3) fertility issues (including abortion)

Thanks in advance for any ideas. I just can't think of any refreshing topics at the moment.

 

[rbfiji13]

I did a limited search of current ethical issues in med and didn't really find anything on SDN. I am trying to think of a topic or at least a few ideas which may help me find a topic for a bioethics essay.

Does anyone know of or experienced an ethical issue which they feel is relevant and or emerging in todays medical care apart from 1) assisted sucidie/euthanasia, 2) unequal access to health care 3) fertility issues (including abortion)

Thanks in advance for any ideas. I just can't think of any refreshing topics at the moment.

Some good ideas:
1) Transplants: who gets 'em and who doesn't
2) Animal Research
3) Human Studies (do a search for somehting like the Tuskegee Experiment)

these were all discussed in my ethics class. they are actually pretty interesting subjects, especially the idea about tranplants. PM me if you need any more.

 

[jonb12997]

my opinion... end of life issues (think Terri Schiavo)

 

[Psycho Doctor]

a very common one today is stem cell research

how about saving one life if it means losing another: cojoined twins, pregnant mom and child

doctor-patient relationships

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Some good ideas:
1) Transplants: who gets 'em and who doesn't
2) Animal Research
3) Human Studies (do a search for somehting like the Tuskegee Experiment)

these were all discussed in my ethics class. they are actually pretty interesting subjects, especially the idea about tranplants. PM me if you need any more.

yea the transplants is a serious ethical issue

 

[aparecida]

-insurance companies denying coverage
-pediatric involvement in research studies
-informed consent issues

 

[trudub]

Preimplantation genetic testing/selection/alteration is a good issue I think. It is an interesting topic and one that is going to have to be addressed in the coming days.

 

[fever5]

much delayed i know. thank you all for your posts. as of yet I am still somewhat undecided. all the above were excellent suggestions. i am narrowing towards 3 possible choices: stem cell/save vs "sacrifice"/and transplant issues.

Thanks again

 

[the_one_smiley]

Sorry this is late, but I think the interaction between pharmaceutical companies and physicians/hospitals should be on any short list.

 

[fever5]

Sorry this is late, but I think the interaction between pharmaceutical companies and physicians/hospitals should be on any short list.

absolutely fascinating topic, very relevant to almost all fields. For the purposes of this essay, to run the topic by my ethics tutor is probably too late, but I may pursue this topic in what my unversity hosts as "hot topics"; a series of semi formal lectures put on by medical students on interesting ethical case scenarios.

Thanks for your thought.

 

[deuist]

View bioethics.net for some ideas from the The Journal of Bioethics. Or, you can check NetLibrary for some books. I found one that dealt with case studies.

 

[RobbingReality]

absolutely fascinating topic, very relevant to almost all fields. For the purposes of this essay, to run the topic by my ethics tutor is probably too late, but I may pursue this topic in what my unversity hosts as "hot topics"; a series of semi formal lectures put on by medical students on interesting ethical case scenarios.

Thanks for your thought.

Within the past two months JAMA printed an article detailing this very topic. The studied concluded that emerging physicians tend to be more persuaded by pharmaceutical perks, and more education is needed for young physicians to handle pharmaceutical companies. Recently a movement among physicians has taken place called "No Free Lunches", a program in which physicians refuse any perks from pharmaceutical companies in order to give unbias care to patients in the way of drugs.

 

[Napoleon1801]

How is transplantation a hot issue? I know I've heard it been called that before, but isn't it simply based on a cross reference of histocompatibility markers between donors and receptors? 😕

 

[Nittany Lion]

How is transplantation a hot issue? I know I've heard it been called that before, but isn't it simply based on a cross reference of histocompatibility markers between donors and receptors? 😕

If only it could simply be based on that.... but we all know the biggest problem in medicine - resources not matching the need. Organ transplantation falls under that broad category of "limited resources" - when the demand exceeds the supply, who gets it and who doesn't? Only people with insurance? An even more interesting topic - what about people who some have been deemed to be "less functional" in society - those with psychiatric illness or developmental disabilities? Or even physical disabilities? Or should incarcerated individuals (convicted criminals) be able to get a new organ over a model citizen? How about the issue of should an elderly person get a new organ over a young person? There are so many issues at play here...I wish I would have done my bioethics term paper on this one back in college!

 

[2009md2b]

Also for transplant issues, when is a person dead enough to remove the organs and non-beating donors. Interesting issues abound in transplants!

 

[fever5]

Also for transplant issues, when is a person dead enough to remove the organs and non-beating donors. Interesting issues abound in transplants!

Well I can't answer the specifics, but to my knowledge: in the case of a brain dead victim (several tests performed depending on critera) patient is kept alive via artifical respiration. Family is consulted as to their wishes and decisiion is made either from that patient's advance directive or a family member/friend acting as a proxy gives the go ahead. Generally there is is more flexibility when dealing with a brain dead patient on respiration than a deceased individual where organs must be removed quickly in order to increase effectivness of transplant.