Dr. Kim: Electronic fetal monitors, now routinely used in hospital del

Dr. Kim: Electronic fetal monitors, now routinely used in hospital delivery rooms to check fetal heartbeat, are more intrusive than ordinary stethoscopes and do no more to improve the chances that a healthy baby will be born. Therefore, the additional cost of electronic monitoring is unjustified and such monitoring should be discontinued.

Dr. Anders: I disagree. Although you and I know that both methods are capable of providing the same information, electronic monitoring has been well worth the cost. Doctors now know the warning signs they need to listen for with stethoscopes, but only because of what was learned from using electronic monitors.

Which one of the following principles, if accepted, would provide the most support for Dr. Kim’s contention that the use of electronic fetal monitors should be discontinued?


(A) Hospitals should discontinue the routine use of a monitoring method whenever an alternative method that provides more information becomes available.

(B) Monitoring procedures should be routinely used in delivery rooms only if they provide information of a kind that is potentially useful in ensuring that a healthy baby will be born.

(C) When two methods available to hospitals provide the same kind of information, the more intrusive method should not be used.

(D) When the use of a medical device has enabled doctors to learn something that improves the chances that babies will be born healthy, that device is well worth its cost.

(E) Routinely used medical procedures should be reevaluated periodically to be sure that these procedures provide reliable information.