Arguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)

Arguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) Free Online Research Papers Many arguments are put forward by Leon R. Kass to continue criminalizing physician assisted-suicide, stating that it is wrong for a doctor to ever harm a patient, yet is the terminally ill patient quality of life worthwhile when they are is reduced by being feeble and in pain? Two ethical principles support ending prohibition: The right to control ones own body and the physicians duty to relieve suffering. A lot of weight is placed on the Hippocratic Oath which states not to do harm. Kass asserts that allowing physicians to help with suicide would overstep their limitations and literally have a license to kill. This is both illogical and inciting. The author and bioethicist Dieterle argues that discontinuing life-sustaining systems is considered acceptable by society, yet this is a more definitive act by a physician than prescribing a medication that a patient has requested who can decide whether to take it or not, as he or she sees fit (Dieterle 129). Rather than characterizing physician-assisted suicide as murder, people should see it as bringing the dying process to a merciful end, or as Oregon calls it, â€Å"death with dignity.† Bioethicist and journalist, Boer, agrees that a physician who complies with a plea for final release from a patient facing death under unbearably painful conditions is doing the patient good, not harm, and â€Å"his or her actions are entirely consonant with the Hippocratic tradition† (Boer 530). There is an argument made by Kass that that permitting physician-assisted suicide would undermine the patient-doctor relationship. This is flawed reasoning because patients are not lying in bed wondering if their physicians are going to kill them. â€Å"The lethal dosage is only prescribed on request of the patient and on no other terms† (Manning 5). Rather than undermining a patients trust, it should be expected that the legalization of physician-assisted suicide would enhance that trust. Many people feel that they would have a greater sense of security knowing they are able to trust their physicians to provide such help in the event of unbearable suffering. It is also argued by Kass that it cannot be regulated in the sense that people with mental illness, comatose, or with depression will be able to get the prescription through proxy or when they are incompetent, but it is reported by Iwasaki that in every state which has legalized it, there have been strict regulations which requires at least a month and a competency hearing. Washington and Oregon have specified that assistance be given only to a patient who is competent and who requests it (Iwasaki 2). Therefore it has been shown that it can be regulated and it is not understandable that new states would not follow these standards. A study carried out a few years ago by the University Of Washington School Of Medicine queried 828 physicians (a 25 percent sample of primary care physicians and all physicians in selected medical subspecialties) with a response rate of 57 percent. Of these respondents, 12 percent reported receiving one or more explicit requests for assisted suicide, and one-fourth of the patients requesting such assistance received prescriptions (Rogatz 12). A survey of physicians in San Francisco treating AIDS patients brought responses from half, and 53 percent of those respondents reported helping patients take their own lives by prescribing lethal doses of narcotics (Rogatz 13). Every state also does terminal sedation. Clearly, requests for assisted suicide cant be dismissed as rare occurrences. There is no perfect solution to this problem. However, there are reasonable protections which can minimize the risk of abuse and help the greater good of people. All physicians are bound by the oath not to do any harm, but we must recognize that it isn’t harmful only to hurt them, but to refuse an act of mercy. Thus, helping out people should be recognized as a humanitarian act, and not be considered criminal. Boer, T A. â€Å"Recurring Themes in the Debate about Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide.† Journal of Religious Ethics 35.3 (2007): 529-555. Dieterle, J M. â€Å"Physician Assisted Suicide: A New Look at the Arguments.† Bioethics 21.3 (2007): 127-139. Georges, J, B. D. â€Å"Relatives’ Perspective on the Terminally Ill Patients who Died After Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Interview Study in the Netherlands.† Death Studies 31.1-15 (2007). Iwasaki, J. â€Å"Oregon Assisted Suicide at Record High: Washington Discussing Rules for its New Law.† Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Jan. 2009). 13 Jan. 2009 . Manning, M. â€Å"Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Killing or Caring?† Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press. Rogatz, Peter. The Virtues of Physician-Assisted Suicide. Humanist (Nov.-Dec. 2001). 22 Jan. 2009 . Research Papers on Arguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)The Fifth HorsemanCapital PunishmentComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesGenetic EngineeringThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UsePersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XThree Concepts of PsychodynamicRiordan Manufacturing Production Plan

Shouldice Hospital Case Essays

Shouldice Hospital Case Essays Shouldice Hospital Case Paper Shouldice Hospital Case Paper 1. ) How well is the hospital currently utilizing its bed? 90 beds x 7 days/ week = 630 beds available in a week 30 patients x 3 days x 5 days per week = 450 beds utilized 450 beds utilized / 630 availble beds = 71. 43% The hospital is currently utilizing 71. 43% of their beds, this is actually an ideal operating point. To increase its rate of utilization might decrease the service quality. 2. ) Develop a similar table to show the effects of adding operations on Saturday. (Assume that 30 operations would still be performed each day. ) Check-in DayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday Monday303030. Tuesday303030 Wednesday303030 Thursday303030 Friday303030 Saturday Sunday303030 Total60909090906060 How would this affect the utilization of the bed capacity? Is this capacity sufficient for the additonal patients? 90 beds x 7 days/ week = 630 beds available in a week 30 patients x 3 days x 6 days per week = 540 beds utilized 540 beds utilized / 630 beds available = 85. 71% Adding operations on Saturday will improved the utilization rate of beds from 71. 43% to 85. 71%. It is still sufficient; however, we might risk the service quality. 3. ) Now look at the effect of increasing the number of beds by 50%. How many operations could the hospital perform per day before running out of bed capacity? (Assume operations are performed five days per week, with the same number performed on each day). 90 beds x 1. 50 = 135 beds 135 beds x 7 days = 945 beds available in a week 945 beds / 3 days x 5 days in a week = 63 operations per day The hospital could perform a maximum of 63 operations per day if the beds are increase by 50%. How well would the new resources be utilized relative to the current operation? 30 patients x 3 days x 5 days per week = 450 beds utilized 135 beds x 7 days = 945 beds available in a week 450 beds utilized / 945 beds available = 47. 62% With the current operation, the utilization rate would only be 47. 62% if the beds would be increased by 50%. If we would add additional beds, we also need to accept more patients to fully utilize the investment. Could the hospital really perform this many operations? Why? (Hint: Look at the capacity of the 12 surgeons and the five operating rooms. ) Operating room maximum capacity: 8 operations (7:30- 4:00) (one operation per hour) x 5 operating rooms = 40 operations 12 surgeons x 4 operations per surgeon = 48 operations 7 assitant surgeons x 4 operations per surgeon = 28 operations. The case states that surgeons operate on 4 patients per. If surgeons means all the full time surgeons only, we have a maximum of 40 possible operations; thus the 30 operations per day is feasible. However, if we would include the part-time surgeons as surgeons that operates 4 patients per day, only 28 operations is feasible. 4. ) Although financial data are sketchy, an estimate from a construction company indicates that adding bed capacity would cost about $100,000 per bed. In addition, the rate charged for the hernia surgery varies between about $900 and $2,000, with an average rate of $1,300 per operation. Due to all uncertainties in government health care legislation, Shouldice would like to justify an expansion within a five-year time period. Option 1 Add 50% more beds Investment cost in adding 50% more beds : 45 beds x $100,000 = $4,500,000 Revenue: Maximum of 40 operations per days (maximum capacity for 5 operating rooms) x 5 days per week x 52 weeks per year = maximum 10,400 operations per year 10,400 operations x $1,300 = $13,520,000 Surgeon cost: (Assuming $600 for the full-time surgeon, payment for assistant surgeon is not given /included. ) 10,400 operations x $600 = $ 6,240,000 Maximum Annual Profit = $7,280,000 For five years = $36,400,000 Five years profit less the 45 beds investment = $31,900,000 Option 2 Add 1 more operating day (Saturday) Revenue: Maximum of 40 operations per days (maximum capacity for 5 operating rooms) x 6 days per week x 52 weeks per year = maximum 12,480 operations per year 12,480 operations x $1,300 = $16,224,000. Surgeon cost: (Assuming $600 for the full-time surgeon, payment for assistant surgeon is not given /included. ) 12,480 operations x $600 = $ 7,488,000 Annual Profit = $8,736,000 Five years profit = $43,680,000 Recommendation: With 90 beds and the current operation, the hospital is doing well. Their existing system and reputation have already set them apart as a market leader and has proven to be a profitable setup. However, there is still an unmet demand. Option 1 to add 50% more beds may not be beneficial if we dont also increase operation. Increasing the number of bed by 50% would not be advisable unless they would add more surgeons and operating rooms because the existing operating rooms capacity and number of surgeons could not fill an addition of 45 beds. They would be operating the surgery rooms at over capacity. Option 2 that involves adding one more day of operation is also valid as it would utilize resource capacity. However, adding a Saturday can also have a negative impact on the work force that drive down the service quality that gives the hospital a competitive advantage. This could be offset by hiring addition staff and consequently adding operating rooms. Adding more surgeons only and thinking they could extend operating hours beyond 4:00pm to fully utilized operating rooms is not a good option as this may disturb the scheduled dinner at 6:00pm. This get-together by patients is a major factor that contributes to the hospitals success. Between the two options given, option 2 to add one more operating day is more profitable. I would recommend combining the two options plus hiring more staffs and adding more operating rooms. However, due to limited information given by the case. We cant compute if this option is indeed more profitable than the rest.