Biomedical Ethics: Assignment Week 6
Biomedical Ethics: Assignment We
Chapter 21
Ethics Issues in Disaster Relief
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Definitions
• A disaster is an unexpected claustrophobic event or situation that depletes the survival resources and supplies in a relatively short timeframe.
• Disasters are generally divided into two categories: natural and anthropogenic.
• Disasters not only influence the environment, and society but also the human experience.
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Government Disaster Planning and Response
• September 11, 2001 created a movement to upgrade America’s ability to plan for all future disasters that continues to this day.
• When there is a disaster, programs require the partnership of government (regional, state, and local), voluntary organizations, health care systems including first responders, and individual citizens to work as a massive team.
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Government Disaster Planning and Response
• One response was the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
• DHS is responsible for security at airports, protecting cargo, and sharing information.
• The DHS now includes several emergency management agencies.
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Government Disaster Planning and Response
• FEMA responds to both local and national disasters.
• It coordinates resources for disaster responses.
• It is also involved in helping people be prepared for disasters.
• FEMA provides direct assistance to qualified disaster survivors.
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Government Disaster Planning and Response
• The CDC tracks natural and human-made disasters and conducts research on ways to respond to the aftermath of these events.
• It provides information on a wide variety of topics to help businesses, hospitals, communities, and individuals prepare for disasters.
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Government Disaster Planning and Response
• The CDC is also involved in researching the aftermath of disasters to improve response times.
• It has also developed an national stockpile of pharmaceuticals to respond to needs in a disaster.
• The CDC also provides education on disaster preparedness.
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Government Disaster Planning and Response
• The American Red Cross (ARC) responds to immediate needs and relieves suffering particularly when disaster strikes on a local, regional, and national basis.
• Volunteers are trained by the ARC to provide services in a variety of disaster situations.
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Other Voices on Government Response
• Redlener suggests that governments have much more to do.
• A plan is needed to set benchmarks, correct methods of overseeing disaster planning, create accountability standards, and make the reduction of threats a priority among its features.
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Ethics Issues and Government Disaster Planning and Response
• Ethical responsibility begins with the plan itself.
• Conflicts of interest must be addressed. • The plan must balance utilitarian ideas with
the deontology of protecting individual rights.
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Ethics Issues and Government Disaster Planning and Response
• Triage is an example of an utilitarian ethics application to a disaster situation.
• Categorization of injuries is needed. • Even when triage is needed, the community’s
view must be considered. • Humanitarianism does not allow some to be
left behind without treatment.
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Ethics Issues and Government Disaster Planning and Response
• Autonomy is another ethical issue for disaster planning.
• How far do the rights of the individual go when they can negatively affect the community?
• Balance between utility and autonomy needs to be a part of the plan.
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Ethics Issues and Government Disaster Planning and Response
• Social justice is also an ethics issue. • For when large amounts of capital (in the
billions of dollars) are involved, the potential for fraud, abuse, and corruption exists.
• Communities do not find it just if individuals profit unethically from disasters.
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Health Care Organizations and Disaster Planning
• Hospitals and health care systems respond when disasters occur.
• The Joint Commission mandates a disaster management plan with standards and requirements.
• Plans are developed using a hazard analysis and are based on six capability areas.
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Health Care Organizations and Disaster Planning
• The ASPR provides guidance for implementing the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP).
• The ASPR identified eight areas that are needed for disaster preparation.
• Guides are provided for assessing and creating preparedness plans for all eight areas.
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Ethics Issues for Organization Disaster Planning and Response
• Concepts of utilitarianism and deontology must be balanced when dealing with the use of scarce resources.
• Using the “greatest good for the greatest number” alone can lead to severe ethical problems for organizations and first responders.
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Ethics Issues for Organization Disaster Planning and Response
• Conflicts of duty can exist for those who respond to disasters?
• To whom do they owe a primary duty: the community or their own families?
• Planning needs to consider the families of staff so that the conflict can be reduced.
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Ethics Issues for Organization Disaster Planning and Response
• Social justice is also an ethical issue. • The community’s values and concept of
fairness must be considered in disaster planning and response.
• Plans must also address autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice.
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Individual Response to Disasters
• Despite news coverage of disasters, the American public continues to be unprepared.
• It seems to be part of human nature to think about worst-case situations.
• Vulnerable populations such as low income families are often the least prepared for dealing with emergencies.
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Individual Response to Disasters
• American should be “Red Cross Ready’ in the event of an emergency.
• The Red Cross gives guidelines on what an individual or family needs to be prepared.
• Preparedness also requires that individuals develop a plan in the event of an emergency.
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Individual Response to Disasters
• The CDC suggests that individuals may have to shelter-in-place when a disaster occurs.
• Choose a room in the home or business as a prepared shelter.
• The room should be equipped to be “Red Cross Ready” for emergencies.
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Individual Response to Disasters
• Citizens be physically prepared and also mentally ready for disasters and for survival.
• They need to be physically fit to survive and be CPR and first aid trained
• They also need to be aware of their situation at work, home, and the community.
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Individual Response to Disasters
• There also needs to be a family plan for dealing with emergencies.
• The plan should address how to care for the elderly or disabled.
• Families should be prepared for evacuation or sheltering in place.
• Communication issues should also be addressed.
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Ethics Implications for Individual Response to Disasters
• Disasters can cause a retreat to survival mode where dignity and rights of others are ignored.
• People also tend to expect their governments to respond in whenever any type of emergency occurs.
• People may have to handle emergencies on their own because help may not be eminent.
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Ethics Implications for Individual Response to Disasters
• Autonomy is another ethical issue for individuals.
• Government and organizations use higher and higher levels of technology as prevention for potential disasters.
• How much privacy and autonomy is lost versus the benefits gained?
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Ethics Implications for Individual Response to Disasters
• Beneficence is also an issue for individuals. • Without the acts of beneficence, many will
not survive. • However, an ethics issue exists concerning the
boundaries of beneficence.
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In Summary…
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- Slide Number 1
- Chapter 21
- Slide Number 3
- Definitions
- Government Disaster Planning and Response
- Government Disaster Planning and Response
- Government Disaster Planning and Response
- Government Disaster Planning and Response
- Government Disaster Planning and Response
- Government Disaster Planning and Response
- Other Voices on Government Response
- Ethics Issues and Government Disaster Planning and Response
- Ethics Issues and Government Disaster Planning and Response
- Ethics Issues and Government Disaster Planning and Response
- Ethics Issues and Government Disaster Planning and Response
- Health Care Organizations and Disaster Planning
- Health Care Organizations and Disaster Planning
- Ethics Issues for Organization Disaster Planning and Response
- Ethics Issues for Organization Disaster Planning and Response
- Ethics Issues for Organization Disaster Planning and Response
- Individual Response to Disasters
- Individual Response to Disasters
- Individual Response to Disasters
- Individual Response to Disasters
- Individual Response to Disasters
- Ethics Implications for Individual Response to Disasters
- Ethics Implications for Individual Response to Disasters
- Ethics Implications for Individual Response to Disasters
- In Summary…
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Objective: The students will complete a Virtual Classroom Discussion Exercise that will Extend your knowledge beyond the core required materials for this class, Engage in collaborative learning with other students to improve the quality of the learning experience for all students and Apply the higher cognitive skills associated with critical thinking to your academic and professional work.
ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES (10%):
Students will judgmentally amount the readings from Chapters 21, 22, 23 on your textbook. This assignment is prearranged to help you to learning in all disciplines because it helps student’s process information rather than simply receive it.
You need to read the PowerPoint Presentation assigned for week 6 and develop a 2-3 page paper replicating your appreciative and competence to apply the readings to your ethics knowledge. Each paper must be typewritten with 12-point font and double-spaced with standard margins. Follow APA format when referring to the selected articles and include a reference page.
EACH PAPER SHOULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
1. Introduction (25%) Provide a brief synopsis of the meaning (not a description) of each Chapter and articles you read, in your own words that will apply to the case study presented.
2. Discussion Challenge (65%)
Imagine an event of catastrophic proportion involving mass casualties, disrupted or non-existent services (power, transportation, and communications), scarce food and water, limited emergency personnel and medical supplies, overwhelmed hospitals, perhaps contamination from biohazard materials or nuclear fallout, etc.
Now imagine that a new set of rules has been established to guide first responders in the field whenever a “catastrophe” occurs. A system of “response triage” is required, whereby precious and limited resources will be directed to those who could most probably contribute to continued survival and eventual recovery of the community. Those who would require a disproportionate share of resources to live, and those who will most likely not survive the event, are given lower priority for distribution of assistance, including food supplies and medical treatment.
Without any formal discussion of what ethics are and how ethical decisions might be made in the field, we can see that the ethical problems are endless, but are basically summed up by asking:
1. IS EVERY HUMAN LIFE OF THE SAME VALUE AS OTHERS?
IS EVERY HUMAN LIFE OF THE SAME VALUE AS OTHERS?
· If decision-makers were to set criteria for determining the “fittest” for survival, upon what criteria would those decisions be based?
o The richest and most powerful men?
o Young men and women with the highest sperm and ova counts?
o Mature thinkers who might carry forward lessons that are likely to help humans survive in changing circumstances?
· How would these criteria be measured?
o How would we “value” people who work in health care, education and food production, as opposed to sanitation workers, truck drivers and musicians?
o How would we account for discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc.?
o How would we deal with the sick, aged, institutionalized, and immobilized? The poor? Illegal immigrants? Orphans? AIDS patients? Others?
Would we leave these more vulnerable segments of society behind, so to speak, instead of giving them preferential treatment? Is this approach “ethical”? Is this approach “moral”? Is this approach legal?
ASSIGNMENT DUE DATE:
The assignment is to be electronically posted no later than noon on Sunday, August 4, 2019.