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There is a theory that organ donors get worse medical attention and have higher mortality rates in hospitals. From what I've seen it doesn't hold up well agains
by Analemma_ 10y ago
There is a theory that organ donors get worse medical attention and have higher mortality rates in hospitals. From what I've seen it doesn't hold up well against the evidence, but it's still within the bounds of what I'd call "reasonable disagreement".
- eridius 10y agoThat doesn't sound reasonable at all. That theory hinges on the idea that doctors would prioritize getting organs over actually saving people's lives, which would be a truly horrific violation of the hippocratic oath.
- frozenport 10y agoI wonder if rendering expensive emergency aid rather than harvesting organs is significantly more profitable in the short term?
- not_ed_snow 10y agoI see it just as an acknowledgement that I might not want there to be any possible cross-purposes of incentives in my own health. Doctor's don't need to consciously change their behavior for there to be a difference in care. It's just that incentives are like really awesomely powerful things.
- prodigal_erik 10y agoI don't actually see anything in the Oath that requires prioritizing your own patient to the detriment of any number of other sick people.
- eridius 10y agoPerhaps a better way to say it is that it would be a very serious ethical violation.
- carbocation 10y agoWe're generally unaware of someone's donor status. I agree that unconscious bias would be a concern (directionality unclear) if that were not true.