Question

a reliable blood substitute for use during emergencies or blood shortages could save many lives and create hug revenues for its producers. However, clinical trials have shown that patients receiving artificial blood, thus increasing medical costs. In a brief report analyst the social or economic impact of this new medical device. Be sure to include an introduction, conclusion, and clear body to your report.

Answer 1

Blood, the carrier of life itself is an incredibly important component of the human body. Without blood, a patient could die quickly. Artificial blood is one of the holy grails of science because the quest for it began almost after William Harvey discovered blood circulation in 1616. The discovery of artificial blood will mark the beginning of a new era in medicine.

Society takes time to catch up to science. Some members of the society are still trying to catch up to Vaccination and Chemotherapy which they believe is just a ploy by big pharma to earn money. Artificial blood is definitely going to be something as, if not more controversial than vaccination and abortion. People will have questions about its safety, and purity. Accepting it as a normal part of the medical practice might take at least a whole generation of people. There is a whole movement in society about going all natural and organic. People are more aware and are actively trying to avoid chemicals. It doesn't take a big leap to realize that people will have a problem with artificial blood because it is not "natural" and because it has a lot of chemicals. There are sections of the society that don't even accept natural blood from blood banks; artificial blood won't do them any good.

Considering the impact artificial blood will have on the medical field, the pharmaceutical company that invented it, might decide to keep the rights of production to itself, thus having a monopoly over the artificial blood market. Conspiracy theorists and Quack doctors will have a field day with this, and it will sit right into their theory that Big pharma wants money and doesn't care about the society.

These social barriers are the real barriers that need to be contended with. Although, The economic ones can't be denied. The economic barriers will be more easy to deal with. One major step towards making artificial blood cheaper would be for the government to provide funding for the production, this would ensure the blood reaches the people at a subsidized rate, this will be a great boon for people who lack health insurance. Another solution that is possible, but less likely is for the WHO or another international body to "BUY" the formula for artificial blood and to distribute it worldwide to all pharma companies. This will ensure that there isn't a monopoly, and also the price of the blood will be competitive.

In conclusion, the economic issues seem easier to deal with if people come together. The social issues will be harder to overcome because of people's religious beliefs and general distrust in the medical world. All of that shouldn't stop artificial blood from entering the market, it will be a boon for the people who wouldn't mind using it. It would be a blessing for hospitals in remote areas where there are no blood banks. War doctors would be more at ease and wouldn't have to worry about running out of blood. In short, artificial blood would be a miracle