Ethical dilemma: The Therac 25 caused medical accidents and professionals chose to write them off as nothing and continued to use it ion treatments until the claims were taken seriously.
Katie Yarborough, doctors, technical specialist, other previous patients, employees.
Stakeholers
Payton, Kwame, Tim
What could be done differently or should be?
Do not allow one programmer to have full contorl over the program.
Do not rely on software being "Perfect" without proper safeguards in place.
Decision is Alternative two stop use . Clearly the software had problems that killed people. Three sever injuries and three deaths is unacceptable and although treatment might be set back on patients fro some time and hospitals as well as the company that produced the Therac might financially hurt, it is better than causing more deaths and suffering even bigger law suits. Fro ma moral perspective this is also the right decision.
Alternative one : To keep ignoring the medical accidents caused by Therac 25
Alternative two : Unsafe and stop use
Relevant Facts
Reputation of company producing machine at risk
Injuries and deaths occurred from use
Computer software coding responsible for problem
Responsibility for accidents is hard to determine
One programmer responsible for entire program
Hospitals are meant to protect and heal patients not harm them
Reputation of doctors at stake
Pros
Pros
Cons
Doctors will not have to face the facts of their failure.
Cons
Hospitals could be sued
More injuries or deaths could arise
Medical professionals will not be as trusted.
Wasting money keeping the machine as it has critical errors and causes harm.
Blame cannot be set on anyone
Patients will be safer
Future problems like this can be avoided
Reputations could potentially saved and this written off as complete accident.
Next machine could become even safer
Treatment may have to revert back to older machines
Doctors will have to own up to mistakes
Manufacturer will be hit hard with setbacks and lack of trust.
Law suits will become even more credible.
Programmer reputations may be saved
Accidents can be written off continually as flukes.
When an incident arises investigate it immediately and test machine for flaws.
Who could be hurt?
Hospitals financial stability
The programmer could be fired and sued.
Doctors could be sued
Potentially patients as care has to recede back to older machines
Who could benefit?
Patients who need radiation treatment
Other medical programmers will learn from mistakes
Hospitals may receive less law suits since they stop using machine
Who could be hurt?
Patients
Hospital reputation
Who could benefit?
Future medical machines since programming will not be fixed.
Doctors will not be responsible for past incidences
Programmers, are not credited with problem in code
Medical field isn't proven to have made mistakes
Who's rights may have been abridged?
Who's rights have been abridged?
Patients , they have to right not be hurt under medical law
Doctors will be proven to have malpracticed and ignored it.
If everyone took Alternative one and ignored the incidents caused by the Therac 25 then this would be a major ethical dilemma as you are intentionally opening the door for more patients to be injured or killed.
If everyone took Alternative two and stopped the Therac 25 use then you would have a for sure law suit as the problem as now been acknowledged however you would be saving patients from harm and doing the morally right thing.
Future advancements in safety of programming