How to Determine Alternative Solutions

In your continuing effort to develop a policy regarding transplants for terminal patients, the chair of the hospital’s Ethics Committee has now asked you to propose at least three alternative solutions to Ms. H’s case. Additionally, she would like you to analyze the consequences of each solution and determine which people may be affected. Finally, she has asked you to determine how each solution will address the ethical principles this case presents.

Remember this task should be completed as a team. This step-by-step guide will you do your work.

1. Review the email from Dr. Jones. You may want to print the email and highlight the important points.


2. Download the Proposed Solutions template. This is the template you will use to do your work


3. Determine the alternative solutions. List all the alternatives you can think of and insert them in the first column of the Proposed Solutions template. Remember you have been asked to come up with at least three alternatives—one extreme, the other extreme, and then at least one conditional compromise, however feel free to include as many alternatives as you can think of.

Keep in mind that during this step you are simply identifying possibilities. You may have some preliminary opinions about Ms. H ’s case, but you should set those aside for now. Even if you think you may be opposed to one of the alternatives, you should still list it. During this step, you are not making any ethical or moral judgments about the possibilities.

4. Note related open questions. In the process of considering alternatives, questions may arise for you about details related to specific issues within this case or the options you are considering. There is space in the template for you to list any questions you might have. You don’t HAVE to have questions, but if you do, note them.

You may seek out answers to any questions on the Internet if time allows. Keep notes on any such findings if you think you may use them in defending any options or conditions, and make sure to cite your sources. If there isn’t enough time to find answers to all of your questions, list the questions in the appropriate column, and write down how the answers to the questions would impact the ethical principles involved with the related solution.

Keep in mind that even if you have time to do Internet research you may not be able to answer every question you have on a case.

5. Who will be affected by this alternative? In column three of the Proposed Solutions template, list all those people who will be affected by this decision.


6. Determine the consequences of each solution. Consider the positive and negative consequences associated with each alternative. What good results from this decision? What bad results from this decision? How will it affect each of the people you listed?

Remember that this decision may have far-reaching effects. There will certainly be consequences for all the people involved in the issue, but there may also be broader ramifications for your colleagues, for the hospital, in the community and in the world at large. You should also think about what precedent your decision will set and how the decision will affect similar cases in the future.

7. How does the solution address the ethical principles of the issue? As you weigh each alternative, you should also consider how it relates to the ethical principles you identified in the ethics task 2.1. Capture these ideas on the Proposed Solutions template.


8. Complete the table by repeating these steps for each alternative you identify.


9. Check your work. Before submitting your assignment, take a moment to review your work.
   
   
   1. Did you propose at least three possible alternatives?
   
   
   2. For each alternative did you:
      
      
      1. List relevant open questions?
      
      
      2. Determine those potentially affected?
      
      
      3. Consider both the positive and negative consequences?
      
      
      4. Determine how it addresses the ethical principles of the case?
      
      
   3. Did you capture your ideas on the Proposed Solutions template?
   
   
   4. Did your team create one document that represents the ideas and effort of each team member?
   
   
10. Submit the assignment to your mentor. Review the Checklist on the Submit Your Work tab of this task and submit the assignment to your mentor.