Health Care Ethical Dilemmas

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?

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

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

Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare Healthcare Values and Ethics Western Governors University Jean Renelien 000809006 January 16, 2018 A1: Potential Ethical Dilemmas As healthcare providers, we are often faced with situations and decisions that require us to make ethical and moral decisions. As a healthcare provider, we take an oath to do no harm and put our patients first. I am a licensed registered respiratory therapist, and in my role, I have a duty to care for my patients and provide adequate treatment and respiratory support that falls within my scope of practice.

I blew the whistle in this situation when the lack of ethical care for residents and work ethics fell short of the normal standards. As a care provider one must always be aware of that the dignity of the client when it comes to their care. I return to my regular position after three months of working graveyards to find that the residents were being brought to the dining room in the hospital gowns. There was no regard for the resident’s dignity. Their backs were exposed and often the gown was exposing their chest. No one took in count how the resident must feel going into the dining room so exposed. The staff could of a least put on clothing over top of the gown or a sweater to hide what they were wearing. And use a lap blanket so they

Our country is at the beginning of a greatly anticipated and much needed health care reform. Such a transition brings to the forefront numerous important ethical issues. Many of us have been privy to the gloomy statistics about the high cost of our health care system and some of its less than stellar outcomes. The purpose of this paper is not to grumble about the current health care system, but instead to concentrate on the existing reform exertions, the ethical justifications for its creation, and the ethical challenges it brings. Adhering to the essential ethical principles during the policy development process safeguards a sensible approach to finding an adaptive combination of health care system components.

What do you think will be the next ethical issues created by healthcare reform? What areas of current healthcare reform have yet to be resolved?

As a health care provider, I believe physicians do have the right to refuse certain procedures do to morals or religious beliefs. I have seen as a physician had stated to me "fire" a patient. The reasons he gave were that the patient never showed up for her prenatal visits. A letter was sent to the patient many times about coming to prenatal visits, but she never showed up. When the patient didn't respond, she was let go from that physicians practice. The physician felt morally that he couldn't provide the optimum care for the patient, and it was in the patients best interest to get her care elsewhere. Another physician suggested the patient go to another hospital for care because she wanted only women caring for her, for religious reasons, and only male physicians were working that day. The patient and her husband talked about it and decided to stay, and they ended up loving the care they received from the male physicians. I have also seen many doctors refer early second trimester abortions to a physician that could accommodate the patient. Most

The healthcare system is faced with many ethical dilemmas on a daily basis. There are basic principles in health care that every health care worker should practice to ensure safety and to protect the rights of others. This begins with confidentiality. Providing patient privacy and confidentiality are essential to promoting a bond between patients and his or her practitioners as well as preserving the patient’s dignity (Edge & Grove, 2007). Under some circumstances, patient’s personal information is retrieved without their consent. While some may view this as not an issue, others lose trust in the people they look toward to care for them in critical times, and this can lead to legality troubles.

Healthcare management usually involves a wide range of activities. It in loves planning, administration, regulations and legislation all aimed at enhancing the quality of the system for the benefit of the patient and the medics. Planning is important as it provides efficient health care to all who are seeking medical intervention. However, planning should not be used as an intimidating tool denying the individual his or healthcare unless such intervention is necessary to the public health interest (Brody 2010). This has been none of the ethical issues surrounding the healthcare system. There has been a debate on what entails patient autonomy and the extent to which the healthcare team should participate in decision

While visiting my mother in the hospital this past weekend, I was a witness to an event that was quite unsettling. A homeless gentleman, who looked to be about 35 years old, was asked to pay $150 upfront for medical services due to his lack of insurance. The man informed the medical assistant that he was homeless and did not have the funds, to which the assistant responded that no services would be rendered without pay and turned the man away. The man stated that he was experiencing continuous chest pains, which could be an early symptom of a more serious condition. However due to his lack of funds and the fact that he was uninsured he was not permitted to be seen by the doctor.

The ethical dilemma I encountered at my placement involves a male in his late-sixties, who has recently suffered a stroke. Mr. A’s situation is unique as he has been unable to speak and his cognitive abilities have declined since. The Fraser Health agency protocol is to contact the patient’s family to determine who would be the temporary substitute decision makers (“Information for temporary substitute,” 2015). The health care consent and care facility admission act describes how decisions are to be made if a patient is determined incapable (Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre, 2012). The next steps required liaising with the home health team in the community to determine if Mr. A had ever listed any family members as his emergency contacts.

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

Staff starts to get really excited to have a new manager, after four months without one. The charge nurses on the unit were excited to have a new manager who will provide feedback and not afraid to discipline staff. According to the new manager’s interview, she has experience firing staff who do not follow her guidelines. The charge nurses had a meeting where the interim manager and new manager where they met up and discussed what needed revamping and what difficulties the staff had providing feedback to our colleagues. The charge nurses previously felt unsupported and didn't know how to hold their colleagues responsible for their actions. It was difficult because they would get push back from their colleagues, with no feedback from their

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.