Problems+and+Solutions+D

//** Identified Problems and Solutions **//

** Problem 1: Ultrasound Misuse in China **[[image:China_population_pyramid_2010.png align="right"]]
There is an average of 120 boys born for every 100 girls, the greatest imbalance in the world.The root of the problem is a traditional preference for sons. In China, as in other Asian countries, it is sons, not daughters, who usually take care of their parents in old age.To deal with its population explosion, China imposed its strict and harshly enforced one-child policy in the 1980s. Couples faced with having only one child, went to great lengths to ensure it was a boy (Schorn, 2009).

"The gender imbalance grew out of communist China's draconian social engineering policies, where a woman, after having one child, was forced to make a choice: sterilization or insertion of an IUD (intrauterine device)" (Schorn, 2009). To make sure the women kept their birth control devices in, the government starting in 1982 sent portable ultrasound machines all over the country. They are compact and lightweight and even some small villages got as many as two or three. Pregnant women realized that the machines could also identify whether they were having a boy or a girl. As a result, by conservative estimates, more than 8 million girls were aborted in the first 20 years of the one-child policy (Schorn, 2009).

It is now illegal to get an ultrasound in order to identify the sex of a baby. A pregnant woman can still get an ultrasound, but only if it's medically necessary. If a doctor told an expectant mother the sex of her baby, the physician wouldn't be able to continue his or her job and would be fired.

Nonetheless, Chinese couples determined to have a boy can get around the restrictions on ultrasounds by going underground, in back alleys, where illegal storefronts have sprung up to meet the demand. Ultrasound machines are inexpensive in China; they cost about $360, and they are small enough to be hidden in a closet or even in the trunk of a car to do scans on the run (Schorn, 2009). This has made it difficult to crack down.

The Chinese government realizes that there is a problem but abortions are still free and legal right up to the ninth month!

Solution

 * China is working on changing the idea of just having a son i.e. having a daughter is not a bad thing.
 * Campaigns have been launched to improve attitudes towards girl children.
 * Small allowences are given to some parents who have girls.
 * Cracking down on underground ultrasound procedures.
 * School fees for girls have been reduced, and laws have also been changed so that daughters can inherit land.
 * There is still no evidence that shows China will be amending the law that allows abortions up to the ninth month any time soon.

The demand for 3D and 4D ultrasound imaging has increased which has resulted in an increased purchasing price and financial burdens. This leads to the problem of what should be done in order to maximize the investments of the devices as well as ensuring that they run effciently and smoothly with a minimum of service interruptions. There are many things that a hospitals look at before they make decisions about purchasing an ultrasound device such as parts, service, and license fees. It is important to minimize service costs because the cost of the service is passed on to the patients. The cost of a ultrasound machine can be anywhere around $60,000 and with high ends machines costing at $250,000. They don't always choose to have the service contract for the machines which sometimes does not turn out so good. Ultrasound machines will last 5 to 7 years before any problems start to set in. Also, the computer is obsolete within the first 3 years and then will need to be updated. The longetivity of a ultrasound equipment may vary depending on the original equipment manufacturer (Tufel, 2010, pg.26).

"Troubleshooting is a process of elimination" (Tufel, 2010, pg.29). In order to figure out where the troubleshooting is of the machine the system must be broken down into the major subassemblies to see which assembly is the one faulting and it will make the trouble shooting process much easier. The following a few of the assemblies that may cause the trouble shooting (Tufel, 2010, pg.29):
 * Front end components that transmit and receive ultrasound frequencies.
 * Back end components which enhances the images.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The power supply
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The hard drive
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The monitor

<span style="color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">xxxxx

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Solution

 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Hospitals should not buy the service contracts from OEMs but from third party vendors to save money.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Careful research and attention to the needs of the hospital will make sure to meet demand at the lower cost of ownership.

Problem 3: The Process
The fact that some states have bills, which require women to have an ultrasound examination before their first-trimester abortion is creating a chaos among society. Even though "Anti-abortion organizations have used ultrasound (US) pictures and videos, such as //The Silent Scream// in their campaigns to reduce access to abortion" (Wiebe & Adams, 2009, p.97). Some have stated that about 90% of the women who have in mind an abortion, change their mind about it after viewing the images. However, the main problem here is the fact that the government is vetoing bills which "require" women to get an ultrasound. The word "require" is what many do not like. Individuals in general do not like to be told what to do, specially when it is something that is so personal, and that at the end of the rode, is their decision to make. It is not a matter of whether or not a women will change her mind after an ultrasound, the main problem is the government forcing a women to take a test that is irrelevant to them and the baby's health during the first stage of pregnancy.

I will like to take a moment to share some of the women's thoughts about the "mandatory" ultrasound before having an abortion:


 * "Politicians should not require a doctor to perform a medically unnecessary ultrasound, nor should they force ﻿ a woman to view an ﻿ ultrasound against her will" (Parker, 2007).


 * x "This is just trying to bring politics between a women and her doctor; it is nothing more than a barrier to health care, and it is ﻿ completely not medical necessary in any way" (Parker, 2007)

There are women that feel offended when they walk into their doctor's office to get an abortion for various reasons, and the doctor tells them that they must get an ultrasound before they proceed to the abortion process. The problem that in my opinion, many are not seeing, is the fact that there are women that want to get an abortion because they were rape, others because they just don't have the ability and financial support to raise their child, others could have been victim of trafficking, or any other terrible situation, which led them to make this decision.

Solution

 * Doctors can have private conversation with women about all the information they need to know before having an abortion. Not only the about the process of abortion, but also about what will happen after the abortion, physically and mentally.
 * Give women the option of going through this process before having an abortion.
 * Have women explain the reason why they want to have an abortion, and help her make conclusions based on her response.
 * Making women aware of the different options they have before they have an abortion.
 * Giving the child up for adoption once is born, if the women does not have the financial support to raise the child.



Transition Statement: Now that we understand some of the problems associated with Ultrasound technology we can move on to ethics.


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