Summary Organ Transplant Ethical Debate Exemplar Question
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Course
Medicine MMI and Panel Interviews
Institution
Medicine MMI And Panel Interviews
This exemplar covers a scenario regarding the ethical debates surrounding Organ Transplants, a hot topic that could be asked about in your upcoming Medical School Interview!
Is there any point in giving a
liver transplant to a drug and
alcohol addict?
Intro- ethical difficulty, as on one hand, you have a patient of whom you must
not refuse healthcare from, however, you also have to think about the chances
of liver failure after surgery, and if the patient will relapse, as a result, doing the
surgery and giving the patient the lung, could be argued as a waste of
resources and an injustice to the general public.
Yes- moral duty of the doctor to look out for patient safety, regardless of the
patients lifestyle, and if the patient isn’t given a liver transplant, this could affect
their chance of survival. Also, as liver failure occurs, there is an increased risk
of developing further problems, such as Type 2 diabetes mellitus. This would
not only deteriorate the patient’s health further, regardless of the drugs and
alcohol, but it would also cause increased cost of healthcare for the patient,
putting further strain on the NHS.
Yes- by denying the patient of a liver transplant due to lifestyle choices, the
doctor is ignoring the socio economic impacts that is causing the patient to
drink and take drugs. Within the GMP document, it states within domain 4 that
you must not discriminate against a patient based on factors such as lifestyle
choices, as outlined within the Equality Act 2010. By ignoring this, you are not
treating the patient holistically, and neglecting the patients general well being.
You should instead support the patient to the best of your ability through
signposting to other services. Mention Be Well, a company I work alongside
which is a social prescribing service and helps people with factors outside of
physical health.
No- decisions must be based on clinical factors, there may be the chance that
the liver fails quickly after the surgery, due to the patient relapsing. This could
greatly affect the mental health of the patient and there is the risk of their
general wellbeing deteriorating. This situation balances the issues of both
beneficence and non-maleficence. As a doctor, if you are giving the patient the
liver transplant, then you acting within the pillar of beneficence, and helping the
patient positively. However, if the liver fails due to not counselling the patient
Is there any point in giving a liver transplant to a drug and alcohol addict? 1
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