Ethical issues in health communication

We live in a time when medical technology is advancing at a rapid pace. Many familiar medical procedures are actually relatively new. For instance, did you know that the first surgery to transplant an organ took place just 60 years ago? Now over 25, 000 organs are transplanted every year (United Network for Organ Sharing, 2013). Recent technological advances in medicine, such as vaccinations, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), chemotherapy, and genetic testing, have allowed healthcare providers to prolong many people’s lives by many years, but using these kinds of technologies raises complex ethical questions. When should an unconscious patient be put on life support? Can an adolescent refuse to receive a vaccine against her parents’ wishes? If an organ donor’s liver becomes available, who should get the liver transplant?.