Assignment #4 – Using Critical Thinking Skills to Determine Healthcare Resources and Care

The Case Study section, LO 12.3, in Chapter 12, page 354, presents us with a challenge that a hospital allocation committee has regarding which of their seven patients will receive immediate live-saving surgery. All seven patients will die without the surgery and they can only provide live saving surgery for three. Their challenge is to determine which three patients will receive the surgery.

This situation and their decision is further complicated because of conditions not under their control. There is a winter blizzard and weather conditions prevent them from transferring any patients to another hospital. All seven patients are too critically ill to be moved in such weather.

Here is the condition and background of the seven patients; assume that each of these individuals are all critically ill.

• A man brought in by police who is accused of a brutal rape.
• A wealthy widow in her fifties who has donated $3 million to the hospital and has promised more funds to the hospital.
• A widower in his thirties with three small children at home.
• An infant with two loving and anxious parents.
• A pregnant woman in her twenties whose husband is away on a foreign military assignment.
• A pregnant teenager who is the victim of incest.
• A middle-aged, middle-income businessman who is known in the community for his acts of kindness to others.

Your assignment is to:

• Decide what criteria will be used to determine which three patients will be scheduled for the live-saving surgery.

Factors to consider are: age, social standing, benefit to society, degree of physical deterioration, potential prognosis, etc.

• Assume you are member of this committee.

As a member of this committee you are asked to select which three patients should be selected for the life-saving surgery. Members were asked to provide a report with a detailed rational for their selections.

• Your first task is to think about each individual patient.

Take the time to list the advantages and disadvantages to select them. Spend some time thinking about each individual. Identify if you believe there are any legal, ethical, compassionate, prejudicial, biases, issues for either selecting or not selecting that patient. Do you foresee any consequences for not selecting the patient? Do you see any evidence of negligence or a possible legal suit? I want to see that you truly thought through this decision and what things you considered.

• Submit your assignment in this manner.

(a). Create at least a 350 word report and give it a title and under the title, list your name as the author.

(b). Compose an introductory paragraph of at least two sentences describing how this assignment made you think critically and how you approached this assignment.

(c). Compose a separate paragraph which identified patient #1 and the background provided about them. You can give the patient a factious name, if you so desire. Explain and describe your feelings about this patient. Include the advantages and disadvantages for selecting him. What criteria did you consider in making your decision about their fate? Include any legal, ethical, etc. issues as well as any possible liability consequences which the hospital might have as a result of the committee’s decision. Refer to point #3 for other factors which I mentioned there. Continue to compose six other paragraphs for patients two through seven.

(d). Develop a significant concluding paragraph for your report which summarizes this experience and what you gained from it. Include whether or not, you felt comfortable and confident in making this decision about someone’s life. If you were a health professional and asked to be part of the hospital’s resource allocation committee, would be accept this responsibility and accountability? State your reason.

• Since this is a formal report which others will read and you will have to take ownership as the author make sure you use correct grammar, punctuation, and other aspects of college and professional writing such as good organization.

TEXBOOK:

Judson, K., and Harrison, C.

Law & Ethics for the Health Professions