I have identified several problems in Ms. H’s case that the ethics committee must resolve. Given the facts of the case, the big questions are:

• Should a patient have the right to overrule the physician?


• Should the physician have to operate because it is what his patient wants?

As you grapple with these questions, consider the following issues:

• Should a physician put a healthy person (the donor) at risk when there is so little chance of success in the patient?


• Should the hospital devote resources to a patient with such a low chance of success?


• Should the patient's insurance company have to pay for such an expensive procedure with such a low possibility of success?


• Does the situation change if the patient offers to pay for the operation herself? The situation is obviously an emotional and complicated one.

Your Task
Please work with your colleagues and determine ethical principles involved in this case. I’ve provided the attachments, Ethical Principles for Consideration and Relevant Ethical Principles, to assist you in this task. (They are the same as those you worked with last time.)

You should complete the template by filling in all the ethical principles you believe are related to each problem. Keep in mind that our ultimate decision in this case will be come the precedent for handling patients in Ms. H’s situation. I look forward to your thoughts.

Sincerely,
Chris Jones, M.D.
Chair, Ethics Committee
Lincoln Regional Medical Center