Exploring Bioethics - NIH Office of Science Education - National ...

Below are two examples of conversations between a student andteacher.1Example 1STUDENT: “The liver should go to Mario, since he is likely to live thelongest after a liver transplant.”Thus, the criterion is “will likely live the longest after transplant.” Record thison the left side of the chart.TEACHER: “What facts do you need to know in order to determinewho will likely live the longest?”STUDENT: “How old the person is and the person’s other medicalproblems.”2Write these facts on the right side of the chart.Example 2STUDENT: “The liver should go to Luke, since he will die in two weekswithout it.”TEACHER: “So you think the liver should go to the sickest person (theperson who will die the soonest without a transplant)?”3Thus, the criterion is “sickest” (left side of the chart), and the facts relevant fordetermining who meets the criteria (right side of the chart) are “When patientwill die without a transplant.”At this point, the chart should include the following information:Possible CriteriaWhoever will likely livelongest after transplantWhoever is the sickestRelevant FactsAge of patient, patient’s other medicalproblems, distance from the transplant centerWhen patient will die without transplant5. As students identify each criterion, prompt them to consider whichfacts are relevant for determining whether a patient meets thecriterion. For example, if a student claims, “whoever has waited thelongest should get it,” ask the student, “What facts do you need to knowin order to determine who has waited the longest for the liver?” Thisshould prompt the student to respond with “time on the waiting list.”Your chart should look something like this:Possible CriteriaWhoever will likely livelongest after transplantWhoever is the sickestWhoever has waitedthe longestRelevant FactsAge of patient, patient’s other medicalproblems, distance from the transplant centerWhen patient will die without transplantTime spent on waiting listModule 3 3-17456