Ethics Case Study 3: Ethical Care For Chronic Illness

One of the main ethical issues that faces health care is the security of patient information. This information is protected by laws and regulations such as HIPPA, but there are still concerns Scott, et al, 2005). Among those concerns is the new concept of electronic patient records and information. These records are designed to help hospitals and doctors get patient information more quickly, so that patients can receive treatment as soon as possible. Unfortunately, anything kept and transmitted on a computer has the potential to be hacked, so that is a serious concern for patients. Not all patients want their medical records to be available electronically, but they may not have too many options (Romano & Stafford, 2010). Opting out may not be an option for them, and if they do have that option it could reduce the speed and quality of treatment that these patients would receive. Do they want to risk that, just so they can feel as though their medical information is better protected?

The first scenario I will like to write about is from the video Advance Care and Planning, the case of Mary, Helen and Steven. According to the notes from PowerPoint slides on “Ethics and Aging,” death is viewed with a negative connotation, even considering it taboo, and some feel speaking about death might trigger a tragic life event (Wong, 5). This might be the reason why Steven, 32, might not have an Advance Care Plan nor a Power of Attorney for Personal Care as indicated by the video. As one of the members of the hospital ethics committee, I would talk to the Helen and Mary first about Steven, and figure out through them what Steven would consider to be a good quality of life. I would then try to convince both women that the quality of

Upon reflection of the ethical principles affiliated with prescribing for family members, there are clinical, ethical, and legal aspects to consider. According to Thomas et al. (2012), ethical solutions should be integrated and evaluated in all clinical decisions. Nurse practitioners (NP) should refrain from prescribing to self, family, or friends because decisions related to care should be unbiased and fair related to allocation of health resources. This may be difficult under circumstances that involve personal connections. Moreover, there are potential legal and ethical principles that govern practice that may be at risk of when prescribing for family members.

Abortion is one of the most polarising moral issues in today’s society. It presents an ethical dilemma for many people and especially all healthcare professionals involved. Firstly, this essay will begin by briefly outlining the highly controversial issue of abortion, discuss why this topic draws fierce debate, for and against, and explain the current legal standing in the UK today. It will then move on to explain how different ethical models can be used in relation to ethical dilemmas, in particular Thiroux’s Five Principles of Ethic’s. Using this model to discuss how each principle individually applies to this contested issue it will then conclude by summarising and highlighting the main conflicts

In regard to this case study, several ethical perspectives by both the patient and the nurse need to be considered. First of all, when it comes to substance abuse the patient would most likely take the perspective that the nurse violated the ethical codes of fidelity, beneficence, and non-malfeasance. The patient has the right to receive proper treatment and when a nurse abuses substances,

According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, the Affordable care Act from President Obama gives consumers more options and benefits when seeking coverage from insurance company. It offers lowering cost as well as gets more access to high quality of care. This law creates Patient’s Bill of Rights that is very effective to protect consumers from any abuses or fraud from insurance company. Some preventive services are available to many Americans especially Medicare recipients at no cost. Not just that, they also receive a special offer of 50 percent discount for any well-known drugs in the market place under Medicare named “donut hole.” The Affordable Care Act helps other organizations and programs to convince healthcare providers

Ethics are a set of moral principles that serve as a guiding philosophy for behavior. Consequently it is not a surprise that ethical dilemmas occur daily in the health care setting. Any nurse who refuses to provide care for a patient faces an ethical dilemma (Kuhn, 2012, pp. 412-418). The reasons given for refusal range anywhere from a conflict of personal values to fear of personal risk of injury. Nurses do have the right, at times, to refuse patient care assignments. The decision to accept or reject an assignment must be based upon a judgment by the nurse of the nurse 's ability to provide competent patient care. This paper aims to show both sides of the argument when it comes to nurses refusing a patient assignment. One side believes that nurses has the right to refuse patient assignment, as they must be true to themselves if they want to perform their best on the job. On the other hand, the other side believes that it is the nurse’s responsibility to care for all patients and, therefore nurses cannot simply refuse a patient.

Nurses are constantly challenged by changes which occur in their practice environment and are under the influence of internal or external factors. Due to the increased complexity of the health system, nowadays nurses are faced with ethical and legal decisions and often come across dilemmas regarding patient care. From this perspective a good question to be raised would be whether or not nurses have the necessary background, knowledge and skills to make appropriate legal and ethical decisions. Even though most nursing programs cover the ethical and moral issues in health care, it is questionable if new nurses have the depth of knowledge and understanding of these issues and apply them in their practice

I talked with a couple of mental health professionals within the local area in which I live, I asked each of them form their perspective weather or not they work with insurance companies, what are the advantages of insurance panels, what are the struggles. One of the mental health care professional stated that some of the disadvantage being involved with insurance panels is the enormous amount of paper work that involved that must be prepared. This was one of her most frustration in work with insurance planes other than waiting to paid especially when it come third party payer. Also, the amount of wages which is non-negotiable, because the insurance company set their own pay rates which is considerably less that

Situational ethics can be described as altering ones moral ethics due to a change in a situation or position that one is put in. There is no set rules to this theory it depends on a person’s viewpoint of right and wrong and it can change even from one situation to another. This theory can play a role in the health care setting when a provider has strong moral issues for/against certain procedures or treatments. An example of this would be abortion verses health of the mother. A provider can have strong moral issues with abortion but the patient is in a life or death position that only termination of the pregnancy will save the mother’s life. The provider will have to change their moral stance due to the situation that they are dealing with

In the ideal world, all long term care setting populations/residents have drawn their advance healthcare directives. Subsequently, when the time comes and he or she is unable to make decision for him/her, the resident has identified an agent to make decision for him/her.

When someone is suffering or living with a chronic illness it can have a huge impact on them psychologically and socially. Chronic Illness is a condition that is prolonged in duration, usually more than 3 months and is rarely cured (DoH, 2012). Having to cope with a chronic condition might lead to life changes, such as dependency on others, loss of income, which can cause feelings of loss and reduced self-esteem. They can also report feelings of social rejection, poor healthcare and workplace termination due to their presenting condition (Earnshaw, Quinn, & Park, 2011).

Professionals in every field are always confronted with some kind of ethical issues. It has however been noted that these ethical issues become high in magnitude and extent when public officials are involved. Due to the involvement of human life, an industry like healthcare holds ethics in highest regard. Even though these healthcare practitioners are highly trained to deal with issues of these kinds, their decisions can sometimes have a lasting impact on their professional and personal lives (Edwards 2009).

Everyday, healthcare professionals are faced with ethical dilemmas in their workplace. These ethical dilemmas need to be addressed in order to provide the best care for the patient. Healthcare professionals have to weigh their own personal beliefs, professional beliefs, ethical understandings, and several other factors to decide what the best care for their patient might be. This is illustrated in Mrs. Smith’s case. Mrs. Smith is an 85 year old who has suffered from a large stroke that extends to both of her brains hemispheres which has left her unconscious. She only has some brain stem reflexes and requires a ventilator for support. She is unable to communicate how she wishes to proceed with her healthcare. Mrs. Smith’s children, Sara and Frank have different views regarding their mother’s plan of care. The decision that needs to be made is whether to prolong Mrs. Smith’s life, as Sara would like to do, or stop all treatments and care, as Frank feels his mother would want. In the healthcare field, there are situations similar to this case that happen daily where moral and ethical judgment is necessary to guide the decision that would be best for the patient. The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss, compare and contrast the personal and professional values, ethical principles, and legal issues regarding Mrs. Smith’s quality of life and further plan of care.

During a disaster, healthcare workers are faced with many ethical dilemmas of different natures. Some will take a very personal resonance especially if they live in the affected area. In regards to problems related to lack of confidentiality and billing compliance during a disaster they face dilemmas and distress.