Essay about Ethical Issues in Medical Technology - 1213 Words

Advancements in medical technology are made every day. Diseases are being cured, and better treatments are becoming available for the diseases that are not. As a result, people are living longer, and some medical problems that once killed, now do not. Almost anyone would agree that living longer would be great, but for patients’ suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s, or any other debilitating disease, a longer life is just more time to suffer. Prolonged life has become a topic of ethical debate, and there are many things to be considered when discussing it. When asked to choose between quality of life and length of life, most people would probably choose quality over length. In an article by Katy Butler she found that, â€Å"30 percent of†¦show more content†¦Some may argue that doctors purposely provide a lack of information in order to receive the financial incentives associated with performing the aggressive treatments. With many doctors operating in the fee-for-service medical economy, aggressive treatment makes them more money than discussing the outcomes and alternatives in detail. Researchers have estimated that about Medicare spends close to 150 billion dollars of its budget in unnecessary tests and treatments (Butler). Incentives for pursuing aggressive treatment should be eliminated, and doctors should be rewarded for giving their patients the best options. The only way to solve this problem is to intervene on medical market systems, and create a new plan of action. The medical industry should not have such high prof it margins. That only proves that patients are being overcharged for medical services. Getting rid of incentives, could help to solve the problem of uninformed patients. In turn, these patients and their loved ones will be able to make the right decisions. Another big issue in the debate of ethical issues in these life-extending technologies is the lives of the caregivers. Caregivers are most often loved ones: spouses, children etc. In many cases the patients need round the clock care, causing the caregiver to sacrifice his or her time, and life. This issue argues the quality of life question discussed earlier. In a study by E. Ann Mohide and her colleagues, she found that most of theShow MoreRelatedTelemedicine : The Greatest Concerns Facing The Telemedicine Community1186 Words   |  5 PagesIt is no doubt that technology has grown in imaginable ways for the better. An interesting example of this is telemedicine. With the help of video chats, telecommunication has evolved in the health community. People can now get a real time consultation and diagnosis from the comfort of their home or from their primary physicians office. 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