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Medical ethics and recent news and breakthroughs (medicine applicants)

So i've decided to create this thread to discuss any ethical issues in the news, we're all applying for medical schools in which we'll likely come across some medical scenario or another! Interactive discussion is the best way to prepare for an interview

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Subbing for the potential usefulness.

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Reply 4
I've subbed too! :smile::smile:

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Original post by sheriff246
So i've decided to create this thread to discuss any ethical issues in the news, we're all applying for medical schools in which we'll likely come across some medical scenario or another! Interactive discussion is the best way to prepare for an interview


EBOLA and ZMapp?


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Reply 7
The ebola crisis is obviously a big one at the moment, the difficulty in detecting it during it's incubation period is a very serious issue that means it is more easily spread. It originated from Liberia and sierra leone and is currently predicted to reach an incidence of 10000 by the end of this year! What do we think of the response from WHO? A lot of people believe that they've been extremely slow to respond to this one, the initial out break of the virus was in the 1976 and this isn't the first time it has resurfaced! http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ebola-outbreak-could-be-definitive-humanitarian-disaster-of-our-generation-9803822.html any websites to back up claims would be good guys! Also where do we see the future of medicine going in terms of vaccination and the arms race, we're running out of natural antibiotics and the constant mutation of bacterial genome is a real threat as evident in the outbreak we face today.
Just went to interview practice and ebola sounds like a definite topic. Plus things like deciding who gets a lung etc. Jeez its tough not to doubt yourself with ethics!

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Reply 9
Lets play a little game :colone: I state an interview question and give one point. You guys can answer the question too but you can only give one point. As soon as we create a good answer (with everybody's points put together), I'll post another question.

Lets begin:

Question: Do you think doctors and the NHS get a bad press, and if so, why?

My point: Yes, but only to an extent. The NHS is a public health service that most people use nationwide; it is inevitable that it'll come under great scrutiny and any issues with the service will be exposed.
Reply 10
Original post by sheriff246
Also where do we see the future of medicine going in terms of vaccination and the arms race, we're running out of natural antibiotics and the constant mutation of bacterial genome is a real threat as evident in the outbreak we face today.


TBH, if less antibiotics were pumped into factory-farmed meat, the issue of constantly mutating pathogens wouldn't be as big of a problem as it is now.
Reply 11
Original post by Mehhhh
Lets play a little game :colone: I state an interview question and give one point. You guys can answer the question too but you can only give one point. As soon as we create a good answer (with everybody's points put together), I'll post another question.

Lets begin:

Question: Do you think doctors and the NHS get a bad press, and if so, why?

My point: Yes, but only to an extent. The NHS is a public health service that most people use nationwide; it is inevitable that it'll come under great scrutiny and any issues with the service will be exposed.
Having an organisation that is in charge of sharing medical resources and funding treatment is bound to attract scrutiny, with increasing knowledge and breakthroughs we are at a scientific peak however new drugs have to be funded and are extremely expensive. There are so many different specialties now that funds are being spread thin. From an individual point of view however, each person has a right to the best health care; we can not prioritize one condition/speciality over another therefore it's unlikely that everyone will be satisfied.
Original post by Mehhhh
Lets play a little game :colone: I state an interview question and give one point. You guys can answer the question too but you can only give one point. As soon as we create a good answer (with everybody's points put together), I'll post another question.

Lets begin:

Question: Do you think doctors and the NHS get a bad press, and if so, why?

My point: Yes, but only to an extent. The NHS is a public health service that most people use nationwide; it is inevitable that it'll come under great scrutiny and any issues with the service will be exposed.


yes as at the end of the day, the media wants to make money and the way it does this is by attracting customers. As a result of this, they will choose headlines and stories that will attract customers and these tend to be the ones that criticize large organizations like the NHS.

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I like that idea... :biggrin:
So in my opinion, I think there is a definite disparity between the views of individuals and the general consensus.
For example in my experiences of talking to people about health care, very few had any complaints at all; but if we are to look at national polls (I think there was one asking if people in certain areas were satisfied with the service, ie waiting times, quality of stay, and time till seen by a specialist) where there was a significant percentage saying the were not. What my ramblings boil down to (I think) is that there is a sense of complacency with any free service. It is fairly well established that people are more likely to accept not having something at all, than having it initially, and it then being taken away from them. This is what I think the quality of the free health care is analogous to in most people's eyes (and it is what the media might be picking up on)
Good question - another point to add is that NHS gets bad press because let's be honest its not a perfect system and so it does make miscalculations or cause disagreement but that can bottle down to personal opinions on priorities. E.g. some may think a certain area in medicine requires more funding than another whilst others may disagree... Also NHS is dealing with people's health ( a pretty important matter) and so people are going to have strong opinions and any mistakes or disagreements are only magnified by press as it may have potential big effects on everyone...
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 15
This thread is a great idea!
Although the NHS is a nationwide service and the bad stories and issues are bound to be exposed, the successful situations will most definitely outweigh the negative, however this is not portrayed by the media.
Reply 16
Original post by sheriff246
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Original post by clever1diot
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Original post by Pumuki63
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Great responses so far :smile: To conclude:
- Unequal distribution of funding means that the quality of care for different conditions will vary - some patients will be unsatisfied as a result.
- The media feeds on the fact that the NHS is a major organisation - stories on it will undoubtedly attract a lot of attention.
- Changes within the NHS in terms of funding/quality of care is likely to lead to disagreements.
- The NHS is not a perfect system

Question: Do you think doctors should ever strike?

My point: Doctors play, arguably, the most important role in the multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals. Their absence will undoubtedly cause disturbances and affect the running of health services. The public trust in the profession will deteriorate, worsening the way in which doctors are viewed in today's society.

BTW, I'm not on TSR 24/7. Feel free to take my place when I'm absent. Make sure that you conclude answers and propose a new question as I have above.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Mehhhh


Question: Do you think doctors should ever strike?

My point: Doctors play, arguably, the most important role in the multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals. Their absence will undoubtedly cause disturbances and affect the running of health services. The public trust in the profession will deteriorate, worsening the way in which doctors are viewed in today's society.



My point: Doctors have some of the longest hours with one of the most demanding and stressful careers; as society could not function without doctors, surely they should be entitled to better working conditions and rewards/pensions? If we deny doctors the right to fight for a better quality of working life then how can we expect them to keep giving 100% all of the time?

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Original post by boods8897
My point: Doctors have some of the longest hours with one of the most demanding and stressful careers; as society could not function without doctors, surely they should be entitled to better working conditions and rewards/pensions? If we deny doctors the right to fight for a better quality of working life then how can we expect them to keep giving 100% all of the time?

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Doctors have a right to strike, a right to earn a decent pay. We have to remember they may have family + friends to look out for. A doctor unsatisfied with his pay may give a lower level of performance than one who is satisfied, for various factors (less worry to meet bills, personal relief, etc.)

However a mass-scale strike like that done by teachers unions wouldn't be practical or feasible. Perhaps a department specific strike (e.g cardiology) would be fine, and there will be a few cardiologists who'll not agree with it. But certaintly uneededly putting multiple lives are risk due to striking isnt acceptable.

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Reply 19

My point: It is unlikely that all doctor's will strike, therefore those who put a huge burden on the few that don't, which shouldn't be as all doctors are part of a larger community under the GMC. They therefore have a duty to put their patients first; one of the four ethical pillars is beneficence. As a doctor, one could argue that the very nature of the job involves making sacrifices for the greater good of the society. This however doesn't mean that Doctor's shouldn't get breaks, and be given their dues, the public should also realize how stressful and demanding the job is and while doctor's are incredibly resilient individuals, they are far from gods.
(edited 9 years ago)

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