The use of computer technology has been on the rise since it aids in the decision-making process whereby it helps to know the probability of a patient surviving or dying. If the patient has a higher chance of survival, the treatment is administered s the computer program known as RIP helps to generate information about this particular patient. According to Thompson and Hickey, in their article, “Medical Technology and Ethical Issues”, the use of computer programs in the medical field across the world has caused an ethical and sociological debate. The authors use the RIP machine to highlight this. The authors of the article believe that technology has been advancing in the recent times and it is through it that doctors can make informed decisions especially on the survival rates and the type of medicine to administer to a patient. Assertively, Thompson and Hickey argue that there is not yet a factor which can be used to negotiate the complex relationship between the use of medical technologies while also appreciating and minimizing the potential for ethical issues.
Summary
The article exposes readers to the dilemma involving the use of medical technologies amidst ever-existing ethical concerns. Thompson and Hickey discuss a computer program called Rip which is used in emergency rooms and helps doctors make informed decisions. RIP uses statistical probability to analyze input on a particular patient after which a prognosis is made on the individual’s likelihood of survival. In the event that there is a chance of survival, the machine also recommends treatment procedures most suitable to secure the life of the patient. However, critics, as Thompson and Hickey (2014) cite, have an issue with continued dependence on such a machine. They question its accuracy on ascertaining that an individual with live or die. At issue is whether the machine helps doctors making informed decisions or whether it makes the decision itself and what doctors do is to enforce it. However, supporters of RIP argue that it does not make any decisions but instead provides doctors with data they can use to make-informed decisions. Thompson and Hickey (2014) emphasized that a key issue is not that technology will bring about considerable change in the field of healthcare as that has already taken place. The concern is where the line is drawn when ethical issues are factored. Therefore, the article does not condemn the use of medical technologies, but rather questions the extent to which they should be used to determine doctors’ decisions and consequently, patients’ outcomes.
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Accommodative Tone
Thompson and Hickey (2014) raise a rather important point saying that “The question is not whether technology is going to alter the future course of health and medical care in the United States and around the world but, more important, where we draw the line” (p. 494). The use of such an accommodative tone invites both proponents and critics of the use of medical technologies in healthcare. The question itself is provoking in that a reader is forced to think about a world without technology in medicine and how that could affect the health outcomes in patients. From a personal perspective, the authors are explaining that the role that technology has played and continues to play in the field of medicine cannot be overlooked or understated. Therefore, the issue is not whether medical technologies are effective and reliable but whether human beings are become extremely dependent on them. For instance, considering a machine such as RIP, critics argue that it is not ethical to base a decision off of data and recommendations acquired from such a technology.
Use of Statistics
In order to demonstrate credibility in their article, Thompson and Hickey (2014) use statistics to describe the implication of medical technologies in health care. They consider the views of a medical ethicist, Arthur Caplan, whose message is that computers are wrong in about 5% of all cases. The implication is that a machine such as RIP could give a 95% probability that a patient is going to die while such an assessment could be wrong. Hence, the likely outcome could be doctors refraining from giving treatment based on the recommendation given by the machine. Thompson and Hickey (2014) also explained that doctors have to think about the use and allocation of expensive medical resources in their decision-making. Therefore, it is possible that using RIP to make decisions about whether to give treatment or not is partially based on concerns over the high cost of medical services especially in emergency situations. For instance, a patient could be presenting with comorbid conditions but still has an opportunity to survive. However, after consulting RIP, the result comes out 95% less likely to survive and hence treatment is withdrawn. In such a case, the machine cannot be relied upon as it jeopardizes the patient’s life.
Conclusion
The article in question presents a clear argument for and against the use of medical technologies amidst ethical issues. However, the authors explain that the underlying issue is to what extent a machine such as RIP should be relied upon to inform decision-making in doctors. Therefore, the major point of concern is that supports and critics of the use of medical technologies have not agreed on what criteria should be followed to manage and control the extent of use of technology in medicine. In the field of medicine, technology will continue to evolve and what is needed are effective ways of managing its use such that human intervention is not replaced.
Reference
Thompson, W. & Hickey, J. (2014). Medical technology and ethical issues. In K. McWhorter, Academic Reading: Across the Disciplines (pp. 492-495). New York: Pearson.
