" (p.1) it is related that no two hospitals have the same ethics and that this is as it should be because "life and death are too complicated for ethical uniformity, let alone universalism." (Leavitt, 2000, p.1) the American Medical Association, Council on Judicial and Ethics Affairs states that the hospital ethics committee should be voluntary, educational and advisory" in nature and that these committees should be used or consideration and resolution in cases that are "unusual, complicated ethical problems involving issues that affect the care and treatment of patients." (1984) the American Nurses' Association Committee on Ethics reports that nursing professionals should be included in the "development, implementation and evaluation of ethical review on ethics committees." (1985) it is the conclusion of this writer that in the absence of an ethical committee review, that no decision on the ethics of this patient being admitted and treated through surgery can be determined in a conclusive manner.
Why the Decision Was the Ethical Decision
Because the ethics issues in this case are complex and because there are multiple ethical issues that have arisen in treating this patient, the only ethical decision that can be made in this instance is that a hospital ethics review committee meet and discuss and debate the issues of this case, research the ethical conflicts, and then collaboratively to consider the issue and render an appropriate decision however, it is certain that at no time should the promise of a donation take precedence over doing what is best for the patient.
Ethical issues relating to treating patients with experimental methods should always be such that undergo the review...
This patient will likely die if they undergo the experimental treatment in this scenario however, the patient will certainly die if they do not receive any kind of treatment or surgery. In this case, only a proper ethics committee review can enable a decision relating to ethics involved in this particular case scenario. Because of this the only proper ethical decision in this scenario is to require a hospital ethics committee review prior to making a decision in this case.
References
American Medical Association, Council on Judicial and Ethical Affairs. Guidelines for Ethics Committees in Health Care Institutions. in: REPORTS, Section 1: 1-4, December 1984.
American Nurses' Association Committee on Ethics. Guidelines for Nurses' Participation and Leadership in Institutional Ethical Review Process. Kansas City, MO: American Nurses' Association, 1985.
Donovan, GK (nd) Role of the Ethics Committee. Retrieved from: http://www.fammed.ouhsc.edu/Palliative-Care/documents/Role%20of%2 0 the%20Ethics%20Committee.pdf
Leavitt, FY (2000) Hospital ethics committees may discourage staff from making own decisions. BMJ. 2000 December 2; 321(7273): 1414.
Murphy, P. (1989) the role of the nurse on hospital ethics committees.
Nelson, WA and Elliott, BA (nd) Critical Access Hospital Ethics Committee Resources Guide. Retrieved from: http://geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/cfm/resources/cahe/cah_guide.pdf
Nurs Clin North Am. 1989 Jun;24(2):551-6.
