The medical profession in the delivery of service to their patients is compounded with a number of factors in the treatment of their patients. According to the medical profession, they are mandated with the responsibility of delivering the best possible treatment to their patients. The aim of the paper is to perform an overall look at some of the features that are enshrined in the course of the delivery of service such as the ethical requirements and how they conflict in certain situations as well as how they can be resolved. By using the ethical consideration of confidentiality this paper will attempt to highlight those factors that are important in the delivery of service to the patients.
B. Importance of ethical theory
In the healthcare environment, healthcare practitioners are everyday faced with the responsibility of ensuring that they deliver the best form of care for their patients (Beech, 2007). Some of the decisions that the practitioners require to undertake are at times engrained with ethical dilemmas posing a challenge for the practitioners to choose what is best for their patients. By virtue of all patients being different individuals, there is the likelihood of the value systems of these individuals to differ in certain instances and some of these values are radically different (Cerit, 2012). Therefore, ethics are considered by this practitioners as the ideal tool that they can depend on when faced with ethical dilemmas in the course of delivering appropriate healthcare (Butts J. B., 2009).
Different ethical theories exist and are applicable to different scenarios and are all intended to improve the levels of thinking of the professionals as well as support in appropriate decision-making. The existent theories inclu...
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...tate this kind of situation could be when:
I) When ordered by the court
II) When determined by the ethical committee or board
III) In those situations that call for the exercising of utmost confidentiality iii) Rationale for breaking confidentiality
Many situations can arise that necessitate the breaking of confidentiality between the patient and the medical team in nursing. Situations that may arise may include instances in which the courts may require that particular information be made available to the justice system especially in criminal cases. Confidentiality may also be broken when the patient themselves is suddenly in a position or state to make informed decisions such as when they are brain dead and therefore the staff have to relay information to the guardian or family members to ensure that the best decisions for the patient are achieved and worked on.
In the increasingly complex world of health care, health care professionals make life-changing decisions for their patients and clients. The decisions can range from life to death and long care term for patients with mental disabilities. Not only do the decisions impact the patients or clients life but it also affects the patient’s family, caregivers and even the person making the decisions. Hence, healthcare professionals are advised to develop a moral reasoning and ethical decision-making process. The model used by most healthcare professionals is the six-step process developed by Purtilo and Doherty.
The four major ethical principles in health care are: Autonomy – to honor the patient’s right to make their own decision (the opposite is paternalism - the health care provider knows best for the patient), Beneficence – to help the patient advance his/her own good, Nonmaleficence – to do no harm (many bioethical controversies involves this principle), and Justice – to be fair and treat like cases alike. All 4 principles are considered to be in effect at all times. In theory, each is of equal weight or importance. Ethical responsibilities in a given situation depend in part on the nature of the decision and in part on the roles everyone involved play.
This paper will examine This paper will examine the Confidentiality and Doctor Patient Relationship .In the rules of law and ethics that information between the doctor and patient should stray confidential the physician should not leak confidential information that the patient did not want this information revealed to others, confidential between the patient and the doctor is very important. It is based on trust and if these are the information were not protected will cease to trust in the doctor-patient relationship would be diminished. Patients should be informed about the information being held about to them, why and how they may be shared, and who may be shared with
Providing the steps to ethically sound excellent care, healthcare providers must acknowledge first the legal and ethical matters involved with proper investigation and then devise a plan for best possible action recognizing the rights of the patient and its benefits followed by the application of the chosen intervention with positive outcome in mind (Wells, 2007). Delivery of excellent and quality of care at a constant level (NMC, 2008) must be marked in any responsibilities and duties of the care provider to promote exceptional nursing practice. Codes of nursing ethics and legal legislation have addressed almost all the necessary actions in making decisions in consideration to the best interest of the patient. Nurses must make sure that they are all guided by the set standard to lead their action and produce desirable and ethically sound outcomes.
A confidentiality breach posts ethical applications and global crisis. A breach of confidentiality is enclosure of information to a third class without attaining a formal request of court order. The disclosing matter can be electronics, telephone, and fax information, written or orally preoccupied. If this group of disclosure of the sick forum is given to unauthorized people, there is given laws and state guard the sick’s alienable rights, and in the healthcare side all have certain values of morals. For example, the integrity of a nurse is to bridge the care and imply the protection that a patient receives to confiscate morals and proper behavior.
An ethical dilemma is defined as a mental state when the nurse has to make a choice between the options and choices that he or she has at her disposal. The choice is a crucial task as the opting of the step will subsequently determine the health status of the concerned patient, hence it requires a great deal of wisdom along with proper medical and health training before any such step is opted as it is a matter of life and death. Strong emphasis should therefore be on the acquisition of proper knowledge and skills so that nurses do posses the autonomy to interact with patients regarding ethical issues involved in health care affairs and address them efficiently. It is normally argued that nurses are not provided sufficient authority to consult and address their patients on a more communicative or interactive level as a result of which they are often trapped in predicaments where their treatments of action and their personal beliefs create a conflict with the health interests of the patient. (Timby, 2008)
The internal validity is, that because nurse know they are being observed they will be more cautious on how they perform all types of procedures and not just hand washing. If the nurses are more cautious than this can have an effect on the results. Because nurses are being more cautious that might be another factor on why the numbers of hospital acquired infections are reducing. The external validity in this study is the population’s age group. This study will focus on patients ages 40-60. Because a specific age group is being studied it is not known whether this method will have the same effect on the other different age groups.
“It is helpful to use a decision-making model for ethical dilemmas in order to guide one’s decision making from an objective, cognitive perspective, rather than a purely affective or emotional perspective” (GCU, 2011). Hospital staffs are regularly confronted with circumstances which require sound ethical decision making capacity. While investigating an ethical dilemma, we have to look at the circumstance and perceive how each of the values may relate with that specific case. On occasion this alone will clear up the issues enough that the methods for resolving the dilemma will get to be evident to you. In more convoluted cases it is helpful to have the capacity to work through the steps of an ethical decision making model, and to evaluate which
In this diverse society we are confronted everyday with so many ethical choices in provision of healthcare for individuals. It becomes very difficult to find a guideline that would include a border perspective which might include individual’s beliefs and preference across the world. Due to these controversies, the four principles in biomedical ethic which includes autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice help us understand and explain which medical practices are ethical and acceptable. These principles are not only used to protect the rights of a patient but also the physician from being violated.
Ethics refers to the values and customs of a community at a particular point in time. At present, the term ethics is guided by the moral principles that guide our everyday actions. These moral principles guide the researcher into deciding what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. The foundation of medical ethics is governed by two philosophical frameworks that are deontology, and utilitarianism. However ultimately the ethics committees need to balance the risks, and benefits for the participants and the community associated with the particular research proposal. This balance is quite important as the well being of participants is at risk.7
Patient confidentiality is one of the foundations to the medical practice. Patients arrive at hospitals seeking treatment believing that all personal information will remain between themselves and the medical staff. In order to assure patients privacy, confidentiality policies were established. However, a confidentiality policy may be broken only in the case the medical staff believes that the patient is a danger to themselves or to others in society. Thesis Statement: The ethics underlying patient confidentiality is periodically questioned in our society due to circumstances that abruptly occur leaving health professionals to decide between right and wrong.
9. Swisher LL, Arslanian LE, Davis CM. The realm-individual process-situation (RIPS) model of ethical decision making. Published by: APTA Section on Health Policy & Administration. Vol. 5 No. 3. October 2005. Available at: http://www.apta.org/uploadedFiles/APTAorg/Practice_and_Patient_Care/Ethics/Tools/RIPS_DecisionMaking.pdf. Accessed on: March 22, 2014.
In healthcare ethical theories on the issue look at how we interpret harm in a clinical setting. Doctors are expected to improve and promote the health of patients using their skills and knowledge. Patients in turn put their trust in doctors and make decisions based on that trust. Doctors, nursing personnel and allied healthcare have a duty to the patients which is guided by the mission and vision of the organization. For example, under the patient’s rights to access, no patient shall be refused treatment.
Over the years journalists have been jailed for failing to reveal confidential sources to the court despite being guided by code of ethics. Journalist should only reveal their confidential sources to the court if the information may harm national security or disclose is necessary to show the innocence of an accused. If a journalist reveals confidential sources without reason the result will be breach of confidentiality and limited flow of information to journalist. In this essay will discuss the definition of confidentiality and its ethical considerations. Will also address several reason for contempt of court for confidential. Lastly will examine the reform strategies over the years. These will be supported with relevant cases.
In every health care position keeping a clients’ personal information confidential is important in all areas. All health care providers are required to sign forms in an agreement and understanding of the rules and procedures on how to protect against disclosing a client’s health information. While dealing with confidential health informational employers are required to make sure is provide education on the laws and understanding of confidentiality, because the health care environment is always changing. To better prepare all staff for the risk of exposing a client’s confidential information without consent. Even though a client’s privacy is protected by law, the confidentiality agreement can be breached, that is why it is important