utilitarianism application to allocation of medical resources with assesment and christian approach

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  • Created by: sarah
  • Created on: 03-01-13 23:03
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  • finite medical resources
    • Teleological
      • treat younger and fitter patients
        • Survival of the fittest = Animal characteristic
        • judge happiness by quantity even if leads to  inority group being treated unfairly?
          • 15% of britain is over 65. elderly could get ignored to achieve greatest happiness for greatest number
            • Christians would find this unacceptable as they are taught to care for vulnerable
      • Impossible to predict conequences
        • treated person could get run over when they leave hospital
          • waste valuable resources
      • not just consequences, what about love, charity and care?
        • however, althogugh that is ideal, not practical as resources are finite
    • Mill appreciates Golden Rule and Love your neighbour
      • Patients treated fair and equal
      • no discrimmination between patients
    • principle of utility; max pleasure and min pain
      • e.g. 10 hip replacements over 1 heart transplant. certainty and richness also increases
    • Bentham, everyone is to count for one
      • Interests/ happiness of everyone taken into account
    • hedonic calculus
      • Duration; life style
      • extent; number of dependants
      • Intensity; severity of pain if untreated
      • Certainty; risk factors, chance of going wrong
      • Purity; how much pain could be experienced
      • Richness; life rich in pleasure
      • Remoteness; closeness to situaion
    • Qualitative
      • intellectual career
      • god loves us impartially irrespective of our faults
    • choices should be made freely
      • wrong if doctor forced to allocate medical resources tp particular patient/department
    • QALY's Quality Adjusted Life Years calculates relative benefits of different treatments
      • how many good quality years patient might have after treatment
      • hedonic calculus is ideal
      • works as its practical and fair. enables tough decisions to be made
    • all humans made in image of god
      • christians concerend patients are thought of as a financial liability
      • Bentham, everyone is to count for one
        • Interests/ happiness of everyone taken into account
      • jesus was healer of all
    • parable of sheep illustares importance of taking in those who are in need
      • showing love for others and god
      • old testament law= defending rights for poor and vulnerable
    • John Wyatt gives modern christian approach
      • fairness and equality
      • realistic and sensible expectations of community
      • "we need a system of healthcare which doesnt have a powerful with an influential voice or economic muscle to slilence needs of vulnerable"
  • treated person could get run over when they leave hospital
    • waste valuable resources

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