Ethics

Steven J. Ramsey

University of Minnesota

Introduction

In this paper, I will be applying ethics – principles of right and wrong – from an

administrative perspective to three specific situations. In the first situation I describe the

application of two ethical principles in relation to access to healthcare at a hospital.

The next situation deals with the moral issues raised by mandating the use of ultrasound

technology. Here I explain which ethical principles are used to justify this practice, and

which ones are violated by this practice. In the last situation, I describe an ethical

dilemma I was personally faced with and the ethical principles I used to resolve it.

1. Access to HealthCare The Principle of Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is the moral theory that says the rightness of an action is

determined by its contribution to the greatest good for the greatest number. This theory

argues against specific actions that would benefit an individual in favor of actions that

serve to benefit society overall. Using this theory as a principle for making healthcare decisions, the objective

becomes to maximize the health of the population served, which is in conflict with the

widely held objective to maximize the care to every individual patient. For example,

when having to choose between offering a program that benefits one thousand patients

every year verses a program that benefits only five patients a year, the program that

benefits the thousand patients will be chosen, even if the costs are higher.

Organizational Consequences of Utilitarianism

The principle of Utilitarianism is important to adopt because it allows us to keep

the bigger picture of meeting the needs of the entire community in the forefront and helps

us to prioritize which programs will be offered and