b.) A linear electron accelerator for the therapeutic use was built as a dual-mo
ID: 3494926 • Letter: B
Question
b.) A linear electron accelerator for the therapeutic use was built as a dual-mode system that could either produce X-rays or electron beams. It had been in successful use for some time, but every now and then some patients receive high overdoses, resulting in painful after-effects and several deaths. One patient on a repeat visit experienced great pain, but the remotely located operator was unaware of any problem because of lack of communication between them: The intercom was broken, and the video monitor had been unplugged. There also was no way for the patient to exit the examination camber without help from the outside, and hence the hospital was partly at fault. On cursory examination of the machine, the manufacturer insisted that the computerized and automatic control system could not possibly have malfunctioned and that no one should spread unproven and potentially libelous information about the design. It was the painstaking, day-and-night effort of the hospital’s physicist that finally traced the problem to a software error introduced by the manufacturer’s efforts to make the machine more user-friendly.
REQUIREMENT:
Identify MORAL VALUES, ISSUES, and DILEMMAS. Explain why you consider them moral values and dilemmas
**USE CASE STUDY FORMAT (background, presentation of facts, statement of the problem, presentation of alternative solution, evaluation of alternative solution, conclusion, and recommendation)
Explanation / Answer
In the given case scenario, a machine built for patient care, has stopped working as effectively and has now resulted in several deaths and bad after effects. One example has been given where a patient has been suffering from great pain but there is no care person or effective communication between the patient and the care person. Also, later it was figured that there was some software issue with the machine as well.
MORAL VALUES
The linear electron accelerator had been successful for some time and later it was causing painful after-effects and several deaths. The hospital has been at fault for neglecting patient care. A machine made for patient care is killing the patients.
ISSUES
Lack of communication between the remotely located operator and the patient, that resulted in great pain to the patient. The intercom was broken, and the video monitor had been unplugged. There also was no way for the patient to exit the examination chamber without help from the outside.
DILEMMAS
The manufacturer claims that there could be no fault with the instrument. The hospital’s physicist that finally traced the problem to a software error introduced by the manufacturer’s efforts to make the machine more user-friendly. On whom the blame has to be shifted? Even after being a software error, there was lack on the front of patient care as well. The culprit in the issue cannot be spotted clearly, as a machine built for patient welfare is at fault along with the care person's fault.
Moral values - moral values pertain to the life and welfare of people.
Issues - identify the problems that might be causing harm to human life.
Dilemma- sorting of the issues and the actual culprit of the issue and ways to solve them.
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