«Ethical Dilemma» - Great Essay Sample

Wayne Hills Hospital’s Dilemma

The core of the problem relates to the desire to cut expenses of the hospital and, at the same time, meet the contingencies. The blood is vital for the human body. It is expensive, perishable, and mandatory to stock it for our lives’ sake. The main issue of small hospitals is how to stock the blood. Wayne Hills Hospital’s decision to set an 85% service level is based on demand over the past decade. It is clear from this observation that Wayne Hills Hospital and its health care environment tend to be an appropriative arena for application of the value marketing chain concept.

The decision to keep the blood stocks as low as possible is like a coin with two sides. On the one hand, it is not beneficial from the financial point of view. On the other hand, the dearth of blood in the stock can cause a patient’s death. 

Past disasters demonstrated that the blood limit is a great risk for the medicine practice. It is obvious, when not enough blood is available to handle massive needs, a lot of lives might be lost. The Wayne Hills Hospital is responsible for its patients and their lives. In the case of need, if there is not enough blood in the stock, the hospital would not be able to help all patients. In spite of the fact that the blood is expensive and perishable, the hospital must have enough amount of blood available. It does not matter where the blood is, in the hospital’s stock or in the blood bank. The decision of Wayne Hills Hospital’s administration is quite reasonable. They bother about quality and safety of the blood and blood products they possess. In addition, they try to save money at the same time. However, doing so, the hospital takes responsibility for blood transfer as there are a lot of risks, which are able to spoil the blood. The transfusion-transmissible infections control, a donor selection, a donated blood screening, the quality of blood grouping, compatibility testing, component preparation, and transportation of blood products are duties and responsibilities of the hospital.

Trying to do their best, administrators do not consider the blood cross matching process. The blood cross matching is the process of matching the patients’ and donors’ blood groups and RH factors. Moreover, cross matching includes checking blood for no untoward reactions. Only blood banks might do perfect blood matching. Therefore, Wayne Hills Hospital should not stock blood itself. It is better for the hospital to take blood from the blood banks. The hospital must have tie-ups with blood bank based on capacity, location, and distance. The blood bank’s information system includes donor lists. The donor lists include all information about donor, blood group and RH factor, data, and time of donation. Moreover, blood banks are able to transfer the blood by rail or air with proper care ensures and temperature conditions, as well. In case of profuse bleeding, the medics in small hospitals can use Intravenous Fluids, Haemaecal, for immediate treatment and prevention of hypovolemic shock. As the matter of fact, it is more effective to deal with blood banks for small hospitals than to stock the blood itself. If the clinic deals with blood bank, the quality of the blood would be better, and it would match patients the best.

The hospital has a great responsibility for stocking the lifesaving medicines with short shelf lives. It is significant for purchasing department to have tie-up with the companies-suppliers. It must be able to return unused medicines and ask for a new one when they are needed.

To sum up, the best solution for Wayne Hills Hospital’s dilemma is to stock the blood only of the patients being treated in the hospital and the rest of blood transfer from the blood banks.