...Ethical Issues in Health Care HCS 545 April 25, 2011 Mary Nell Cummings Ethical Issues in Health Care In the United States, government ran systems exist of social support. Such systems are Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. These systems seem to be widely accepted in other countries than in America. Individualism and justice has been included in the United States foundation of welfare. Citizens feel a level of appropriateness allowing the government to spend tax monies to help an unfortunate person who has exhausted all of his or her energy, strength, and abilities to help himself. Americans further feel the efforts to help are satisfactory if an unreasonable amount of money is not used. Bioethics is a prevelent and sensitive topic of debate in health care. A single mother with children who is particially dependent upon welfare takes it upon herself to pay privately for a single treatment of Invitro Fertilization (IVF). This mother is implanted with several embryos and chooses not to reduce the number of fetuses and successfully delivers multiple premature babies. We must take into account the cost of delivery, care in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and future cost to the Welfare system for all of this mother’s children. Reviewing this issue from a health care professional’s point of view, the four basic principles of ethics, beneficence, autonomy, nonmaleficence, and social justice, are part of this issue. The Four Basic Principals Autonomy ...
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...| Ethical health care issue. Being ethical is one thing that is so important to all and sundry. In every manner of life, whether at home, at the work place, or any social place, ethics shape our behavior. The health care field is one sector that has ethics to be part of the practices. Ethical issues continue to be serious issues for discussions in the trends of the health care system. Viewing ethics as the fundamental platform for health care practices, the recognition of rights, an economic issue and shifts in social and family systems throws light on the ethical issues more in the health field (Fernandes & Moreira, 2013). Individual or group ethics of professionals may go a long way to change the organizational values. An organ donation situation occurred in a facility that was of ethical concern, the situation; its ethical implication and evaluation are discussed in this paper. This issue is being evaluated and discussed based on the four ethical principles, autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. The story of a father and daughter wanting to save each other poses an ethical issue of consent. This is a father who is willing and able to donate his only kidney to his needy daughter. The daughter here is in dire need of a kidney transplant. His father in 1996, according to CNN’s Kahn J.F donated one of his kidneys to his daughter while in jail (2000). The response to the transplant thereof has not been positive. Her father is ready to do an exchange and...
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...According to Sundean and McGrath, ethical concerns of care became first prior to interventions while no constant practice on ethics decision-making take place in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Usually, ethical struggles in the NICU are related to implementation and withdrawal of treatment. As a result, differences in ethical decision making involve the interdisciplinary team (IDT) and parents, whether individually or in joining. Nevertheless who will make the decisions, ethical considerations in NICU affect greatly the IDT, families and the society. Thus, contexts for ethical decision making is based on four ethical principles, autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice (2013). Autonomy Sundean and McGrath noted that the ethical principle of autonomy includes the right to self-determination, truth telling, informed consent, privacy and commitment. The application of this principle can be difficult In the NICU for parents are the ones who act on behalf of their babies. Also, the different point of views on how to present medical aspects to the families. Sundean and McGrath emphasized that professionals came to an understanding that communicating evidence-based facts and considering family values are the reasonable approach reflecting on the autonomy principle. Furthermore, the authors stated the importance on clinicians providing parents the best evidence-based practice for their child clinical situations supposing that parents will act in the best interest of...
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...The interactions between science and ethics have long been a source of tension. Potential ethical conflicts have increased over biomedical research on the basis of science-based risk assessment or whether to take ethical values in consideration. Many of the greatest advances in medicine have been achieved by biomedical research. Biomedical researchers have been able to find cures or eliminate diseases, create vaccines, and medicines that heave cure and protected the health of millions of people. The National Institute of Health (NIH) is the federal Government’s primary agency for advancing knowledge in the biomedical and behavior sciences in order to understand and treat human disease. In the past, research process often involved many unethical practices where the research participants lacked adequate protection. To protect human research participants from undo harm, biomedical researchers must follow the four basic ethical principles on which standards of ethical research are based: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. Such ethical requirements on biomedical research are found in documents such as the Declaration of Helsinki or the Belmont Report. The four principles and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) are the principal regulations and ethical protocols when conducted human research. In the United States, the National Institute of Health (NIH) is the primary agency responsible in enforcing ethic in human research but the IRBs falls within the authority...
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...Ethical Healthcare Issues HCS545 May 11th, 2015 Ethical Healthcare Issues Ethical issues arise in all types of industry no matter the magnitude of the issue decisions will have to be made regarding it. The health care industry is no different, some of those ethical issues include patient privacy (or lack of), transplant allocation, refusal of care, patient dumping, access of care, biomedical research and patient noncompliance with treatment. For this paper I will focus on patient privacy, the ethical issue of patient privacy is how patient information is getting leaked unintentionally. An examination of how each of the four major ethical principles can be applied towards this issue will be provided. Patient Privacy The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) original intents were to enable workers to change jobs without fear of losing health care coverage (Liebler & McConnell, 2012), but HIPAA is more commonly known for protecting patient privacy. When organizations had to be HIPAA compliant by April 14, 2003 those organizations were required to train employees in the proper handling of protected health information (PHI), publish policies and procedures addressing the handling of patient medical information (Liebler & McConnell, 2012) . Any release of patient information for purposes other than treatment, payment, or operations requires written authorization (Buppert, 2002). Under the patient privacy rule EVERYTHING is protected, diagnosis...
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...Ethical Health Care Issues Robyn Moses HCS 545 / Health Law and Ethics Professor Laughon March 16, 2015 Health Care Issues One of the current health care issues that I chose to write about is euthanasia. I will examine and evaluate how the four principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice apply to this issue. The most recent person that exercised her autonomy to choose how she died and the time of her death was Brittany Maynard. Brittany died in Oregon, a state which allows physicians to assist terminally ill persons by prescribing life-ending medications (Egan, 2014). Is the right-to-die with dignity by choice ever going to be acceptable in the health care community? Euthanasia is defined as the act of being put to death painlessly by refusing treatment or the withdrawing of life support to avoid suffering the effects of a debilitating illness or incurable disease. According to the legal system, euthanasia is considered murder when assisted and suicide when patients take their lives. In many countries, euthanasia is not allowed and is punishable by law. Oregon became the first state in the United States in 1997 to make physician-assisted suicide legal. Attempts to have the law in Oregon overturned have been unsuccessful (Britannica, 2015). As more consumers become educated on diseases and their debilitating effects, more consumers may choose euthanasia as an alternative to suffering. Autonomy is the act of making one's choices without...
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...processes of these notions are highly controversial in ethical means. All forms of end of life are illegal in Canada, whether it is voluntary/non-voluntary euthanasia, assisted suicide, and some cases of refusal of treatment. These procedures affect someone who is terminally ill, undergoing a disease, experiencing severe,...
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...------------------------------------------------- The Belmont Report Office of the Secretary Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research April 18, 1979 AGENCY: Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. ACTION: Notice of Report for Public Comment. SUMMARY: On July 12, 1974, the National Research Act (Pub. L. 93-348) was signed into law, there-by creating the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. One of the charges to the Commission was to identify the basic ethical principles that should underlie the conduct of biomedical and behavioral research involving human subjects and to develop guidelines which should be followed to assure that such research is conducted in accordance with those principles. In carrying out the above, the Commission was directed to consider: (i) the boundaries between biomedical and behavioral research and the accepted and routine practice of medicine, (ii) the role of assessment of risk-benefit criteria in the determination of the appropriateness of research involving human subjects, (iii) appropriate guidelines for the selection of human subjects for participation in such research and (iv) the nature and definition of informed consent in various research settings. The Belmont Report attempts to summarize the basic ethical principles identified by the Commission in the course of its deliberations...
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...Ethical Principles and Issues within Addiction Counseling Jennifer Spivey Liberty University Abstract Addiction counselors have many ethical and legal considerations in when providing services to substance abusers. There are ethical principles that including justice, autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and fidelity. Along with these principles there are federal and state regulations when providing services. As an addiction counselor there should be ethical guidelines to follow with informed consent, compensation, confidentiality, and collection and protection of data. Furthermore, addiction counselors must avoid coercion, provide alternative treatment options, protect vulnerable clients, and select representative participants for addictions research. The ultimate goal of addictions counseling is to benefit the clients and society as a whole. Keywords: ethical, principles, addiction, counselor Introduction There are many counselors that are faced with ethical issues on a regular basis. These issues are intensified for an addiction counselor. There are a number of reasons for ethical issues for addiction counselors. One is that there is a high correlation between addiction and criminal activity. There is also the concern that ethical issues such as informed consent can be complicated by problems arising out of substance abuse. The counselor’s ability to cope with these and other issues is dependent, to a large degree, on their ability to weigh up the inherent risks...
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...Professional EThics Professional Ethics Legal and ethical issues are frequently encountered in the health care setting and present unique challenges to health care professionals. Practicing nurses need to be knowledgeable with these concepts to ensure patient’s rights. In this paper, the author will describe the relationships between legal and ethical issues. In addition, the author will identify personal values and professional ethics and examine ethical theories and principles. Examples of applications of legal and ethical issues to current practice will also be provided. Relationships Between Legal and Ethical Issues “Ethics is the branch of philosophy concerned with evaluating human action” (Guido, 2010, p. 3). It is based on the principles of right and wrong and provides structure to behaviors and actions. Ethics are closely intertwined with morals and values. Morals are “personal principles that are acquired from life experiences, family and peer relationships, religion, culture, and the law” (Guido, 2010, p. 3). Values are “personal beliefs about the truths and worth of thoughts, objects, or behavior” (Guido, 2010, p. 3). Therefore, ethics are subject to an individual’s personal interpretation. In contrast, laws are rules and regulations established by some authority and enforced by judicial decision (Dictionary.com, 2011). The legal system governs actions and behaviors without regard to personal values, beliefs, and views. Laws are constantly evolving to...
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...Ethical Self-Assessment Darlinda Smith HCS/545 November 19, 2012 Shawna Butler RN JD CPHRM Ethical Self-Assessment The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) is an international professional society of more than 40,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems, and other healthcare organizations. The Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives was established to further advance healthcare management excellence through education and research. ACHE is known for its education programs. ACHE established network of more than 80 chapters provides access to networking, education, and career development at the local level. The goal of the organization is to be the premier professional society for healthcare executives dedicated to improving health care delivery (American College of Health Care Executives, 2012). The ethics self-assessments intended for your personal use to assist you in thinking about your ethics-related leadership and actions. The ethics-self assessment can help you identify those areas in which you are on strong ethical ground; areas that you may wish to examine the basis for your responses, and opportunities for further reflection (American College of Health Care Executives, 2012). After taking the self-assessment, I have identified a few areas of improvement and areas where I was in line with ACHE philosophy. I never took the time to focus on how your individual ethics affect your professional decision...
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...Medical Pluralism Introduction From the complementary medicine context, notes Marian (2007) medical pluralism donates to the recognition and acknowledgment of various healing systems entrenched within their respective culture. Reeser (2014) observes that pluralism is legitimized through chief principles of political and social justice namely the right to free choice and freedom. In this context, pluralism is closely linked to the four biomedical principles of ethics, respect for autonomy in particular. Other biomedical ethics principles include justice, nonmaleficence, and beneficence (Marian, 2007). These biomedical ethics principles define the various duties of health care providers. However, applying or executing such principles in specific cases at the edge of both biomedicine and CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) may prove to be particularly difficult....
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...These abuses led to the creation of codes of research ethics in Europe and the U.S. In the wake of the Second World War, the subsequent Nuremberg Trials on war crimes produced the Nuremberg Code, which outlined ten points for conducting ethical research with human subjects. Nearly two decades later, the World Medical Association (WMA) developed a code of research ethics known as the Declaration of Helsinki, published in 1964 and subsequently revised. This document is built on both the Nuremberg Code and the physician's code of ethics known as the Declaration of Geneva. In the U.S., news that researchers deceived and withheld treatment from subjects who suffered from syphilis in the Tuskegee Study led to the creation of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research (National Commission or "the Commission"). The Commission was charged with establishing a code of research ethics for U.S. research involving human subjects. In 1979, the Commission issued the Belmont Report, the foundational document of the current system of U.S. human subjects protections. The Belmont Report outlines three key ethical principles for conducting research with human subjects: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. The Belmont Report, in turn, informed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Code of Federal Regulations...
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...STUDIES MSC 1 TAKE HOME EXAMINATION TITLED (ETHICAL THEORY CRITICISM) COURSE MAC 851 APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF MASS COMMUNICATION LECTURER MR. JIMMY KAYODE WRITTEN BY AKIYODE ESTHER OLADUNNI MATRIC NO 01/09/AV/4018 TABLE OF CONTENT INTRODUCTION DEFINITION ETHICAL PRINCIPLES • BENEFICENCE • LEAST HARM • RESPECT FOR AUTONOMY • JUSTICE ETHICAL THEORIES • DEONTOLOGY • UTILITARIASM • RIGHTS • CASUIST • VIRTUE VIEW OR NOTABLE SCHOLARS • PLATO ABSOLUTION • ARISOTLE: EUDEMONISM • ST. THOMAS AQUINESS – NATURAL LAW • IMMANUEL KANT: DEONTOLOGY • JOHN STUART MILL – UTILITARISM • JOHN RAWLS – CONGRATURIANISM • TOM REGAN: RIGHTS THEORY (BONUS THEORY ) • TENTATIVE COMPARISON (TABLE & GRAPH) • CRITICISM AGAINST DEONTOLOGY: “ “ UTILITARIANISM “ “ RIGHTS “ “ CASUIST “ “ VIRTUE • CONCLUSION • REFERENCES CRITICISMS OF ETHICAL THEORIES INTRODUCTION The art of critiquing is basically to appraise a work i.e articles, write-ups, novels etc. Critiquing does not aim to condemn or castigate a paper but to seek the flaws, identify the various meanings, put up better explanations on the subject, seek the weaknesses and strengths and give opinions to enhance the quality of the discourse. The topic of this discourse is ETHICAL THEORIES CRITICISM. We shall examine the definition...
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...OF ETHICS PAPER Code of Ethics Paper Kimberly Anderson University of Phoenix Code of Ethics Paper The Code of Ethics is intended to be principles to guide organization’s beliefs. These basic principles are established on matters of the organization’s mission statement, quality, and social issues. This paper will review the code of ethics for nursing. This paper will include clarity of goals, identified ethical principles, and grievance procedures. The feasibility of enforcing either part of the code or the entire code will be discussed in this paper. There may be recommendations for strengthening potential weak areas of the codes as written. The code of ethics is a guide to follow in decision-making process when it pertains to ethical issues. According to the American Nurses Association, “The Code of Ethics for Nurses was developed as a guide for carrying out nursing responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality in nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession (American Nurses Association, 2010).” The code has evolved over the years because of the hard work by the nurses in the past. The code of ethics provides a tool to the nursing profession. Clarity of Goals Many ethical challenges present to nurses daily. The goals of the nurses code of ethics establishes all nurses are following the basic standard of care for patients. There are nine major provisions in the code of ethics for nurses. All parts of the nursing profession will practice...
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