3 ms·

As good of an idea as reducing transfusions is, I can't help but think that this is the wrong way to do it. > He said his focus was intensified by the knowledg

As good of an idea as reducing transfusions is, I can't help but think that this is the wrong way to do it. > He said his focus was intensified by the knowledge that if a patient died for lack of blood, a second life might hang in the balance — the wait-listed patient who would otherwise have received the organ. Doctors should not be adrenaline junkies playing with other peoples' lives, especially those who aren't even their patient. This looks like a pretty clear breach of the ethics I expect from doctors.

gojomo 14y ago
And yet, his behavior – whether driven by thrill-seeking or a desire to help an under-served population of Witnesses or some combination of both – is driving innovation that will soon benefit those with conventional appetites for risk and consensus treatments. If your proposed standard of ethics were strongly enforced, such progress would stop. The 'right-thinking' mainstream can easily become inbred and inflexible – especially so in medicine. The occasional surprise successes of nuts and daredevils are a necessary corrective, so their deviations from the norm should be respected (and perhaps even celebrated), not disciplined.
jessriedel 14y ago
There's nothing wrong with acknowledging the base motivations that drive people so long as clear ethical decision procedures are maintained. The typical neurosurgeons relishes pressure much more than the average human, and this is a contributor to them entering the specialty and to them being successful at it. (My father is a neurosurgeon.) Those kind of personality traits should be harnessed for good rather than eliminated. This isn't to say that a doctor's decisions can't be colored. Evidence-backed, community accepted guidelines are very desirable, as are second opinions. But once the decision is made that someone needs surgery, I would want a guy who's excited to operate.

gojomo 14y ago

And yet, his behavior – whether driven by thrill-seeking or a desire to help an under-served population of Witnesses or some combination of both – is driving innovation that will soon benefit those with conventional appetites for risk and consensus treatments. If your proposed standard of ethics were strongly enforced, such progress would stop. The 'right-thinking' mainstream can easily become inbred and inflexible – especially so in medicine. The occasional surprise successes of nuts and daredevils are a necessary corrective, so their deviations from the norm should be respected (and perhaps even celebrated), not disciplined.

jessriedel 14y ago

There's nothing wrong with acknowledging the base motivations that drive people so long as clear ethical decision procedures are maintained. The typical neurosurgeons relishes pressure much more than the average human, and this is a contributor to them entering the specialty and to them being successful at it. (My father is a neurosurgeon.) Those kind of personality traits should be harnessed for good rather than eliminated. This isn't to say that a doctor's decisions can't be colored. Evidence-backed, community accepted guidelines are very desirable, as are second opinions. But once the decision is made that someone needs surgery, I would want a guy who's excited to operate.