Articles

Ethical concerns in early 21st century organ transplantation

Abstract

Medical ethics is an indispensible and challenging aspect of clinical practice. This is particularly prominent in the field of organ transplantation. In this paper, initially, a clinical case with brain death that ended up as an organ donor will be presented. Following the presentation, important moral challenges which initially formed medical ethics and some highlights of it in organ transplantation will be discussed in detail. The impact of complex modern influential factors that might interfere with the practice of medical ethics in this field such as patients' vulnerability, financial temptations, and legal regulations will be also dealt with. Finally, we shall propose practical guidelines aiming at improving the practice of medical ethics in the emerging issue of organ transplantation.

Anonymous. British Medical Association. http://www.bma.org.uk/healthcare_policy/professional_values/DoctorsPublicPU.jsp (accessed in 2011)

Noble Quran. http://muttaqun.com/quran/e/index.html (accessed in 2010)

Anonymous. Catholicity. http://www.catholicity.com/catechism/respecting_human_life.html (accessed in 2010)

Anonymous. Encyclopedia. http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/ahimsa (accessed in 2010)

Yapijakis C. Hippocrates of Kos, the father of clinical medicine, and Asclepiades of Bithynia, the father of molecular medicine. In Vivo 2009; 23(4): 507-14.

Al-Ghazal SK. Medical ethics in Islamic history at a glance. JISHIM 2004; 3:12-13.

Kara MA, Aksoy S. On the Ottoman consent documents for medical interventions and the modern concept of informed consent. Saudi Med J 2006; 27: 1306-10.

Heubel F, Biller-Andorno N. The contribution of Kantian moral theory to contemporary medical ethics: a critical analysis. Med Health Care Philos 2005; 8: 5–18.

Freckelton I. Bioethics, biopolitics and medical regulation: learning from the Nazi doctor experience. J Law Med 2009;16: 555-67.

White RM. Misinformation and misbeliefs in the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis fuel mistrust in the healthcare system. J Natl Med Assoc 2005; 97: 1566-73.

Anonymous. Unos. http://www.unos.org/donation/index.php?topic=history (accessed in 2011)

Anonymous. Law. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode42/usc_sec_42_00000274---e000-.html (accessed in 2011).

Kapiszewski A. United Nations Expert Group Meeting on International Migration and Development in the Arab Region. 2006. http://www0.un.org/esa/population/meetings/EGM_Ittmig_Arab/P02_Kapiszewski.pdf (accessed in 2010)

Anonymous. Transparency. http://www.transparency.org/publications/gcr/gcr_2009 (accessed in 2010)

Bell L, Osborne R, Gregg P. "To protect or not to protect?" Complaining vulnerable adults? That is the challenge. Int J Health Care Qual Assur Inc Leadersh Health Serv 2005; 18: 385-94.

Jafar TH. Organ trafficking: global solutions for a global problem. Am J Kidney Dis 2009; 54: 1145-57.

Sharma R, Kostis WJ, Wilson AC, et al. Questionable hospital chart documentation practices by physicians. J Gen Intern Med 2008; 23: 1865-70.

Kranenburg L, Schram A, Zuidema W, et al. Public survey of financial incentives for kidney donation. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2008; 23: 1039-42.

Saleh Y. Egypt debates transplant law, hopes to cut organ trade. http://www.reuters.com. (accessed in 2010)

Tompa E, Trevithick S, McLeod C. Systematic review of the prevention incentives of insurance and regulatory mechanisms for occupational health and safety. Scand J Work Environ Health 2007; 33: 85-95.

Corrigan MA, Shields CJ, Redmond HP. Factors influencing surgical career choices and advancement in Ireland and Britain. World J Surg 2007; 3: 1921-9.

Schinco MA, Tepas JJ 3rd, Johnson K, Griffen MM, Veldenz HC. Two careers in one: an analysis of the earning power of certification in surgical critical care. J Trauma 2002; 52: 1087-90.

Emery SE, Gregory C. Physician incentives for academic productivity. An analysis of orthopaedic department compensation strategies.J Bone Joint Surg Am 2006; 88: 2049-56.

Abouna GM. Organ shortage crisis: problems and possible solutions. Transplant Proc 2008; 40(1): 34-8.

Helft PR, Eckles RE, Torbeck L. Ethics education in surgical residency programs: a review of the literature. J Surg Educ 2009; 66: 35-42.

Ramsey KM, Weijer C. Ethics of surgical training in developing countries. World J Surg 2007; 31: 2067-9.

Wiecha JM. Ethics in medicine: are we blind? In support of teaching medical ethics at the bedside. J Med Human 1991; 12: 111-7.

Wallace K. Can Spiritual Beliefs Help Patients Heal Faster? http://psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/religion_and_medicine_working_together (accessed in 2010)

Anonymous. Clickrally. http://www.clickrally.com/india-introduces-new-law-to-stem-organ-tourist-trafficking/ (accessed in 2011)

Shimazono Y. The state of the international organ trade: a provisional picture based on integration of available information. http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/12/06-039370/en/ (accessed in 2011)

Files
IssueVol 4 (2011) QRcode
SectionArticles
Keywords
Organ donation, Informed consent, Population vulnerability.

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
1.
Waness A. Ethical concerns in early 21st century organ transplantation. J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2011;4.