Law and Ethics Healthcare Case Study: Introduction How would you feel if you went to the hospital and the staff treated you differently because of the way you looked or your social status? The phrase "everyone should be treated equally" is often easier said than done. Especially in the healthcare field, this is often a topic of interest. Healthcare providers are suppose to treat every patient that enters the hospital the same no matter the patient 's race, religion, social class, and ethnical background. However, there are often many variables that hinder physicians from treating every patient the same such as legal factors and sometimes personal biases.
Background
It is not atypical for patients with no insurance or poor insurance to
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His brother took him to the emergency department of a rural community hospital. After a chest x-ray, His doctor, Dr. Graham, diagnosed him with moderate congestive heart failure and cardiomegaly. Several tests later, the results showed that he also had mild aortic insufficiency, severe mitral stenosis, severe mitral regurgitation, severe pulmonary hypertension, and severe tricuspid regurgitation. After Dr. Graham stabilized him using a beta-blocker, furosemide, and warfarin, he was instructed to not return to work until he had seen a doctor at the migrant health center (Coyle, 2003). Mr. Villalobos went to the migrant health center a week later. There Dr Greene discovered that he was in mild congestive heart failure and needed a valve replacement. However, the resources at the clinic were not sufficient for his needs and since he was an undocumented immigrant, he had little hope of accessing the local health care system. After reading the case, it showed that Dr. Graham had downplayed how serious Mr. Villalobos condition was. Rather than explaining to the patient what all his options were, it seemed that Dr. Graham simply wanted to get him discharged as quickly as possible (Coyle, 2003).
Principles and Theories In Mr. Villalobos ' case, there are many instances where the quality of care he received could have been improved ethically. There are four principles that are considered by many as the standard
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
This essay is about a dilemma of a nurse and a patient in relation to family issues and beliefs that reflects code of conduct, care values and anti - discriminatory practices, including Deontologist’s and Utilitarian’s view.
Disparity in health care is found to be both bad and deadly. Disparity and discrimination in American health care has been going on for many years. This disparity is caused by race, culture, sex, and mental ability. Many disabled individuals also face difficulties as well. Discrimination in American health care results in poor health and death.
As an employee in the healthcare industry, you may be faced with legal and ethical dilemmas. Sometimes laws may put the healthcare worker in a position that may be unethical to perform, in their eyes. There are certain laws that are passed to protect the health care worker as well as the patients. Each healthcare worker must know their rights and responsibilities to the patient and patients must know their rights in accessing the appropriate treatment. I will discuss a few legal and ethical issues regarding the laws concerning conscience clause, respondeat superior, and scope of practice.
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.
Identify and explain two ethical issues/dilemmas in healthcare as identified and discussed in the scholarly literature (ProQuest, EBSCO,
What defines "unethical" or even "criminal" when speaking of healthcare issues as it relates to privacy, best practices, keeping costs down and instilling accountability with everyone involved (including patients)?
Medical ethics and legal issues have been a key topic in medical field for many years now. It is important for medical professionals to understand the importance of the way we care for patients, it is therefore important to be knowledgeable and aware of the medical ethics and legal issues that govern good patient care. Health care professionals must make decisions based on ethical and legal issues to performance their regular duties. However, Medical ethics is not only about avoiding harm to patients. It is rather a norms, values and principles (Ethical theories 2015). Therefore norms, values and principles are intended to govern medical ethical conduct. Ethics is defined as “a standard of behaviour and a concept of right and wrong beyond what the legal consideration is in any given situation”. In another words medical ethics is a discipline that used to handle moral problems coming out the care of patients. Law is another important discipline that often comes together with medical ethics. Law defined as a “rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority”. Government imply law to keep the society running smoothly and to control behaviour that could threaten public safety. Medical professionals have to often prioritise these terms before making any clinical decision. The following findings will constructively emphasise on medical ethics, its
Given that there are five professionals, eight paraprofessionals, and a host of patients that utilize the health care services, it is necessary to address this ethical problem with the utmost care. Austin, Schirick, and Jones (2013) cautions that using assistive staff in the health care setting is an area that warrants ongoing monitoring. This manner must be addressed reasons. Firstly, the other professionals in the office could be victims of this type of behavior in the future. For this reason, it is necessary to address this concern immediately. Secondly, there is the possibility that this has happened before this particular incidence. It was by chance that this incident was recognized by the nurse practitioner (ANP) as the patient brought the bottle into the office. Thirdly, Stephanie could give the other paraprofessionals the idea that this is acceptable behavior.
It is important that we act in a way that is ethical, legal, and commendable. Medical professionals struggle with healthcare dilemmas that are not experienced by the general public. Medical-ethical decisions have become increasingly complicated with the advancement of medical science and technology. (Fremgen) Just like the government has laws for citizens, not having laws in healthcare would allow people to do anything they want. It is important that we study the ethics and laws of healthcare, because if we were put in a situation it is essential that we know the difference between right and wrong. In the article I found, it talks about a nurse who refuses to give CPR to an older woman who collapsed in a senior residence where she works. This article has many more ethical issues than legal issues.
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.
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).
The health care industry continually deals with the lives of individuals and is bound by the ethical and legal aspects that influence decisions of health care professionals in their clinical practice. This essay aims to discuss the various issues and ethical dilemmas that arise with regards to the consent of consumers. In the attempt to explore these points, different literatures are used to shed light on this topic. This paper begins by defining what consent is and the role of nurses or the health care team in being an advocate of the patient when requiring consent. It moves on with the discussion of ethical frameworks, which are recognized nationally and internationally, as these carry significant influences in health care decision-making. The essay also brings out the essence of ethical theories and its relevance to consent giving. It then tackles the similarities and differences of the Code of Ethics and ethical guidelines relevant to both nursing and midwives as both professions work closely in the care of mothers, children and families. Issues and views from experienced professionals in these fields are presented and critically compared. It then considers both ethical and legal aspects, which seeks arguments and rational implications. The last topic points to the social and spiritual factors pertinent to consent that impact the society particularly on the care of patients and concludes by summarising discussed points and arguments about consent.
The essay will discuss the ETHICS IN MEDICINE : The Relationship Between Law and Medical Ethics: