How to Review Additional Information

The chair of the hospital’s Ethics Committee has asked you to develop a policy regarding performing a transplant on a terminal patient. As a second step in that process, she’s asked you to review some articles she sent in her most recent email, and then organize the material for the committee to review.

This step-by-step guide will help you work through the process of reviewing those articles and documenting your ideas using the template Dr. Jones provided.

1. As a team, review the email from Dr. Jones. You may want to print the email and highlight the important points.


2. Each team member should download the Article Review template. This is where you will record your work on this task.


3. Working individually, download and read the articles. Download the articles from Dr. Jones’ email. You may find it helpful to print the article so you can highlight key information as you read. Some of the articles you read may be very persuasive. As you read them, keep in mind that you are still gathering information. It is still too early to formulate a final opinion about Ms. H’s situation.

As you read each article, consider the following:

1. How does the article address problems in this case? You may wish to refer back to your completed Defining the Ethical Principles Template from the previous task. Think about the problems the committee is addressing in Ms. H’s case. How does the resource article address one or more of those problems? What do they say about it?


2. Does the article present an opinion on how to handle the problem or ethical issue? Does the author suggest a solution to any of the problems the committee is considering? Do they defend the solution they propose? If they are in favor of patient autonomy, for example, what evidence do they use to defend their position?


3. Does the article present any new information on the topic? Does the author suggest anything you haven’t thought about before? Do they give information that offers insight into any of the problems or ethical principles the committee is considering? As you capture information on template include your ideas for how the information might influence our ultimate decision in this case.


4. Reconvene with you team and discuss each article. Be sure to review each point listed above.

5. Update your Analysis Template. Based on the discussion with your team, make edits to your template in order to capture the key arguments and supporting points of each article you have read.


6. Submit your work. Review the checklist found on the Submit Your Work tab of this task and submit the assignment to your mentor.

Ask the Expert

During your career, how has the issue of patient autonomy changed?

Why has autonomy changed?

Why won't you operate on a patient who will die otherwise?