Medical Ethics And Its Significance In The Professional Industry
Problems Related To Medical Ethics Can Be Complex
The term “medical ethics” may imply basic etiquettes in the field of medicine, but there is a lot more to it than the name suggests. Medical ethics comprises several factors such as examining a particular problem, commonly a clinical case and implementing facts, logic, and values to determine the best approach in treating the patient.
Sometimes, the ethical problems are pretty simple and fundamental such as distinguishing right from wrong. However, it is not always the case. Some cases can be pretty baffling, such as choosing between two values that may seem right but are in conflict with each other. Moreover, in some severe cases, you might even have to choose between two different value systems, such as your opinion versus the patient’s opinion.
Even in some trivial medical practice, doctors might be faced with handling many baffling ethical problems. To identify a few, here is a list of some common problems doctors might face:
- Undertaking money from pharmaceutical companies.
- Developing romantic feelings with a patient or a family member.
- Hiding mistakes.
- Holding back on treatments due to budget constraints or because of insurance policies.
- Extremely picky patients.
- Prescribing a placebo.
- Overlooking doctor-patient confidentiality.
- Conducting unlawful activities to avoid malpractice lawsuits.
Professional standards are set in place to aid in identifying ethical issues. To clarify, these standards can only help identify some issues but not all of them.
Vital Values For Identifying Ethical Issues
Several professional ethicists nominate four fundamental values or principles to identify ethical issues.
- Individualism: patients reserve the right to choose their course of treatment.
- Beneficence: working for the betterment of the patient.
- Justice: Equally allocating the benefits and burdens across the norm.
- Non Malfeasance: Making certain that no patient is being harmed from your actions.
Nevertheless, these four principles do not limit ethical values. There are more important principles to consider regarding ethical values such as being honest, transparent, being respectful towards the patients and their families, and respecting the patients’ values.
Furthermore, medical ethics is not a guide to treat patients. It also includes communication skills, such as researching the facts to make an informed decision and portraying and expressing your decision in such a healthy manner that would please all parties involved.
Practical Implications Of Medical Ethics
A few doctors consider medical ethics as an obscure field that has been detached from the practical considerations of clinical practice. However, it is a universal fact that the fundamental principle of medical ethics is conscience, but it also consists of some efficient applications and implications.
Is Being Ethical A Time Consuming Process?
Knowing all the values and principles of medical ethics gives rise to a common question, does being ethical take time? Making ethical decisions requires a more prominent approach that many medical practitioners are used to, irrespective of the clinical decision-making. Doctors must research and collect additional information, identify the ethical issues, and ask more questions if needed.
To adequately perform these actions, it is crucial that you can not be overwhelmed with your field of practice. As an ethical medical practitioner, you need to create a timetable and schedule your tasks. Doing so will increase your efficiency in procuring medical information and distribute the responsibilities to other professional colleagues.
Conclusive Thoughts
With that being said, if you are a licensed medical practitioner and want to enhance your ethical values, then consider taking a course from us. All of our courses, including ethics courses for dentists, are CPD certified, and all the teachers are professional and highly reputable in their respective fields. Moreover, we have never had the honour to receive any negative remarks from any of our students, so you can rest assured of it. If you require any further information, please feel free to reach out to us.