The Center for Ethical Solutions has several project categories, through which it is attempting to reach conclusions about the best means to help solve current problems with and about the medical system. While each category has enumerated research ideals, there can be, and in the case of the Solving the Organ Shortage section, are, several sub-projects occurring concurrently. If you are interested in assisting the center with any of the following projects/categories, please visit our “How Can I Help?” page for information on volunteering or donating resources to the Center.
Solving the Organ Shortage
Across the United States and around the world, the organ donor / recipient gap is wide – and growing. In 1993, an estimated 7 individuals died each day in the United States waiting for an organ or tissue transplant that never arrived. As of March 2008, the death rate increased to 18 individuals who died each day waiting for a transplantable organ or tissue. According to the Organ Procurement and Trasnplantation network, as of September 2011, over 110,000 individuals were on the waiting list whereas only 6,925 donors were recorded from January-June of 2011 (Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, available at http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/. Last accessed 6 September 2011.)
Our currently proposed projects include:
- A fact sheet for a quick overview of kidney disease, dialysis and efforts being made to solve the organ shortage.
- A book on the Iranian Organ Procurement System entitled “The Iranian Solution: A Critical Look at Kidney Procurement in Iran,” expected out early 2011.
- A report on Documenting Organ Procurement Around the World – due out Fall 2011. We are still looking for native speakers to help with gathering information for Africa and parts of Asia.
- A documentary film, “As Time Runs Out,” about the struggle of an American on dialysis waiting for a kidney. The project is ready for post-production and we are currently seeking funding for the costs associated with post-production.
- We have developed a research proposal for studying U.S. attitudes towards compensation for living-kidney donation (compensation consisting of anything from monetary reimbursement for expenses, to health benefits or financial rewards). The Center is pursuing potential grant opportunities to help fund this study.
Legal Trends in Bioethics
Legal Trends was a legal column started in 1990 by Sigrid Fry-Revere for the Journal of Clinical Ethics. Dr. Fry-Revere stopped publishing it for the Journal because she felt the lag time between when events were reported and published (about 4 months) made the information less useful. She resumed publication in 2007, at the point when articles began to appear more readily on the Internet. Internet publication has the advantage over traditional methods that scholars and researchers can disseminate thoughts and fidings immediately on the Internet, making the information more pertinent and useful.
Currently, the column is published solely through this website.
View the page for links to all “Legal Trends in Bioethics” columns published by Sigrid Fry-Revere. Click here for the current issue.
Veterans’ Health
The Center for Ethical Solutions is working on analyzing the special medical needs of America’s veterans. Dr. Kara Forest is a scholar at the Center working on issue of PTSD and TBI. Her next project will be writing a Fact Sheet on veterans and suicide.
Your Death, Your Choice
Patient advocacy increasingly involves end of life decision-making. Unfortunately, in addition to having to deal with emotionally trying decisions, clients and their families also have to deal with an ever more confusing plethora of laws and regulations concerning what decisions are permitted and how to document them. The Center is pleased to announce that we have received funding to begin our first planned project in creating a report on “Documenting End-of-Life Decisions,” due out the Fall of 2011.
View the page for information on the Center’s projects on educating about issues of patient advocacy. The Center is interested in finding scholars and funding sources for further analysis of other aspects of the patient advocacy issue.
Pain Management
The use of addictive substances within the medical profession has long triggered controversy and legal limitations on use. In response to understanding more about the effects of addictive substances within a medical context, our society has redefined the legal and social standards for permitted use. Society’s ethical balancing involves the considerations of alleviating an individual’s experience of pain while minimizing chemical dependency such that one’s quality of life suffers due to addiction.
The Center does not have any current projects in this area but is interested in finding scholars and funding sources to analyze pain management issues.
Ethical Hot Topics Blog
The vast field of study encompassed under ‘bioethics’ affords a vast milieu of discussion topics. The newly-created Hot Topics blog is aimed at offering a springboard for discussion on topics currently in the news. The Center aims for 2-3 posts a week about a wide variety of topics.
