The Ethical Issues of Healthcare Industry

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?

A philosophy of an organization helps differentiate themselves from their competitors and set a foundation for future success. It also helps shape an organization by presenting the goals they want to accomplish with specific activities. To improve this, many organizations understand the important of sharing values and goals and realize employee recognition. This helps staff from moving forward toward success of the organizations. Chapter 4 introduces “Codes of Ethics in Health Services.” Code of ethics is a guideline for healthcare professionals to accomplish and serve as a member of a society. Similar to other professions, managers have their own code of ethics in maintaining their duties and responsibilities. They also use the codes for ethical decision-making in dealing with ethical issues. Chapter 5 deals with “Organizational Responses to Ethical Issues.” It provides assistance for managers and organizations in their decision making. It is manager’s duty to figure out the problem and resolve it (Darr, 2011,

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.

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

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

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.

Healthcare professionals will be faced with ethical dilemmas throughout their career, particularly in the hospital environment. Having an education regarding professional healthcare ethics will provide some direction in how to best address these dilemmas at a time when either the patient or their family is in need of making decisions for themselves or their family member. It can be difficult for healthcare professionals to weigh professional protocol against their own personal beliefs and ethical understandings when determining critical care for their patient.

The following ethics program will highlight some key ethical issues facing the healthcare industry as a whole, as well as hospice agencies specifically. In this program, I will reference ethical principles used today as well as reference historical ethicists and philosophers that backup the items outlined in this ethics program. There are two major topics to be discussed. The first will be how to treat patients that are at the end of their life, which includes their loved ones as well. A specific issue to be addressed in terms of patient care will be the option of doctor-assisted suicide, often called euthanasia, and why hospice should not support this. The other issue is that of data security and privacy, and how all patient information should be handled in the healthcare environment.

There is three possible solutions for this dilemma that are all viable. All are ethical and are ways to solve the dilemma, but they all result in different outcomes that would completely change the case. This creates a dilemma for the doctor "When a patient, or surrogate(s) acting on behalf of a patient, refuses recommended treatment, a dilemma can be created for health care professionals" (Policy, n.d.). Each case regarding patient refusal should be treated according to the case "Each instance of treatment refusal should be considered individually to determine the response of health care professionals" (Policy, n.d.) The first solution would go against the patients wishes to inject him with the serum but would agree with the principles of

Last week I had the opportunity to talk to Mr. R who was brought in to the hospital due to a workplace injury. The referral was put through by the attending physician indicating that there was concerns of substance use. I started the conversation by introducing my role as a hospital social worker and tried to build report by asking Mr. R how he was managing at the hospital. Being transparent is important and explaining the reason for the visit helps in creating trust for the therapeutic intervention. I probed Mr. R about his alcohol use and if he identified that as being an issue for him. Mr. R indicated that he has been using alcohol for over a long period and reports this as a part of his daily social life, which makes it hard for abstinence.

Ethical issues are “moral challenges” facing the health care profession (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012, p. 127). Ethical issues are major concern in the healthcare field because healthcare providers observe ethical issues every day and have to make ethical decisions. A great example in the medical field is advance directives these documents are written to address individual’s medical preferences. These documents usually take effect when patients are no longer able to make informed health care decisions for them. These documents are helpful to everyone and health care providers, there are ethical considerations that can make the use of advance directives difficult (Llama, 2014). This author is a geriatric nurse that recently observed an advance directive ethical issue in the clinical setting. The purpose of this paper is to outline the steps of ethical decision-making within the seven steps for the framework. This paper will also identify the facts of the case from the perspective of each person impacted by the situation and identify which ethical principles were involved in the situation.

Genetic research is imperative to the field of healthcare. Genetic research enables healthcare providers to have a better understanding of many genetic diseases and the components of those diseases. This research aids in early detection, prevention, treatments, and sometimes cures. Without the use of genetic research, healthcare would be at a standstill. Genetic and genome healthcare is a powerful tool. As with anything powerful, it often puts the people involved with it into delicate situations. Nurses are on the frontline of patient care, collecting personal and family history, as well as consents for treatments and testing. With this responsibility, nurses can often be put into situation that involve ethical dilemmas. Nurses’ are supposed to advocate for their patients, as well as protect their privacy and confidentiality. When a patient put’s the nurse in a situation that could potentially affect other people, what should she do? The nurse must be familiar with genetic testing, the impact it can have on the patient and society, the ANA Code of Ethics, privacy and confidentiality, and the implications to breach confidentiality agreements.

The moment I walked through the automatic double doors, the smell of anesthetics hit me, I could hear the faint beeping of machines in the background. I look up at my mother and clutch her hand firmly as the nurse leads us to a room at the end of the hall. The person laying in the bed was unrecognizable: she was a mere shadow of how Maribel used to look. She was about half the size of maribel, she had a paler, ghostly appearance: her gown seemed to merge with the bed itself giving the illusion that Maribel was not fully there. Her body was beaming with wires that connected her to a monitor. Maribel rose her hand slowly to shake mine: that was the only side of her body she could move since she was paralyzed on the left side of her body. Her weak, frail voice called my mother's name and I saw my mother for the first time burst into

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.

It has been noted that an insured patient is good for business, whereas a non-insured patient is bad for business. By selecting an area of a community that has a high percentage of insured patients is where a for-profit organization can seek to be a successful organization, and be able to provide profits on return on investments to its owners (Andre, C., & Velasquez, M., n.d.).