The ability to manage ethical issues successfully is an integral component of health care. In ethical thinking, the focus is on a logical development from the truth of the case to a reasonable moral judgment. Health practitioners holding a range of ethical and religious positions on ethics should share a fundamental basis for thinking about and addressing morally questionable situations using the five key steps of the ethics workup. The following are those five principles:
To anchor the decision, it is vitally important to explain the reality of every case. The organizational, medical, and social conditions of the case contribute to these facts. At the bedside, for example, both an estimate of survival rate and an understanding of the wishes of the patient are important to an ethical judgment about what is in the best interest of the patient. At the corporate level, resource distribution may be ethically important but can have a subsidiary impact at the bedside.
It is important to provide transparent and effective contact about the facts. Health professionals can play a role in ensuring that the patient/family and other non-medical health professionals understand the medical details, while also ensuring that the health care team understands the patient and family’s non-medical knowledge. The welfare of the organization and those it represents, as well as that of a particular patient, may concern administrators.
Identify the case’s particular ethics issue, and there could be more than one. Ethical arguments, such as one patient’s health versus that of many when evaluating resource distribution, may differ. The problem may not be ethical at all, but rather a legal problem, a problem of placement, or clear miscommunication of clinical facts.
In the clinical environment, some common ethical issues include:
Some health practitioners can use a moral approach to explore the problem (e.g. personal belief or faith). A selection of techniques can be seen eclectically by some (the good of the patient, good of society, personal belief, etc). However, the ethical question at hand in a particular situation may be presented in terms of many large areas of interest, covering facets of the case that could be an ethical conflict, no matter what one’s fundamental moral inclination is. Therefore, analyzing the case along lines of particular interest is helpful, if somewhat unnecessary.
Each health care provider must decide what they owe the patient, themselves, the health care staff, the health care agency, and all third parties, including the health care executive. Disputes will always occur and need to be resolved. Usually, for each scenario, more than one alternative must be considered.
A choice must necessarily be taken in the area of health ethics, as well as corporate ethics. No simple formula exists. Medical or administrative judgment, strategic wisdom, and moral argument will determine the answer. The health care professional must ask themselves, “What should I do? Where can I get help? How can I best serve the interests of all interested parties?” they need to evaluate the data, morally reflect on it, and draw a conclusion. In order to justify their choice and the philosophical reasoning behind it, they must be prepared.
By considering the key concerns and then either reacting appropriately to them or modifying one’s decision, it is necessary to be able to criticize the decision that was made. When time permits, the health care provider should also request the support of their peers. A historical case review can also be carried out by ethics commissions, and is helpful in planning such a scenario “for the next time”.
The desire to make reasonable ethical decisions, which are in the best interests of patients, is an integral aspect of any health profession. It is recommended to partake in courses to grasp a clear idea about the ethical responsibilities, which can assist you and your patient. Probity and Ethics is a major source in the UK that offers a probity and ethics course for chiropractors and other health professionals.
