As the wise American Judge Potter Stewart once said, “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” In dental school, we learn many things: we learn how to cement crowns and set denture teeth; we learn how to schedule patients and write prescriptions. But the most important thing I believe that we have to take away from our four short years as students is how to ethically treat and respect our patients. We stumble upon situations daily at the dental school that require moral judgment and ethical decision making, and we have many avenues of assistance to help us make these decisions. Sometimes, however, those “avenues” are submerged in a sea of (navy blue) scrubs and we have to decide …show more content…
Beneficence is the obligation to benefit others while causing no harm.1 While using a patient on a clinical board exam may allow the patient to receive fee-waived treatment, is the overall process beneficial to the patient? Even if the patient does benefit for the treatment delivered during the exam, the patient’s oral health needs are not the priority at the time. The treatment delivered on the examination is typically not part of a comprehensive plan, which is how we are taught in dental school to provide treatment. A patient may have many more severe lesions that would typically be attended to first, but on this examination a smaller, more manageable lesion is preferred and would like be chosen for treatment by the student, regardless of patient need.2 According to a randomized survey of one thousand general dentists who graduated between 1984 and 1990, approximately 23% said that they did not arrange for follow-up care for their patients, even though they knew it was indicated.4 Additionally, the stressful work environment that is created by the examination can negatively affect not only the student’s performance, but also the patient’s perception of the experience, which could negate the benefits of free …show more content…
Whilst preparing for exams, patients need to be found with “ideal” lesions and “ideal” amounts of calculus. Because of this, patients turn from people to radiographs; human beings to clickable pieces of calculus. They are no longer viewed as a patient with a comprehensive set of needs, they are viewed as a means to pass boards effectively.2 Patient information tends to get passed from student to student until everyone is paired up with a patient that has a specific need that can be utilized on the board exam. Several students often access radiographs and patient charts without authorization from the patient. This completely negates the ideal of patient autonomy, which states that professionals have a duty to treat the patient according to the patient’s desires and to protect that patient’s
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political, and bioethical reasoning. Inside these connections, it is the limit of a sound individual to make an educated, unpressured decision. Patient autonomy can conflict with clinician autonomy and, in such a clash of values, it is not obvious which should prevail. (Lantos, Matlock & Wendler, 2011). In order to gain informed consent, a patient
For anyone who has ever worked in healthcare, or simply for someone who has watched a popular hit television show such as Grey’s Anatomy, General Hospital, House or ER know that there can be times when a doctor or health care provider is placed in extremely difficult situations. Often times, those situations are something that we watch from the sidelines and hope for the best in the patient’s interest. However, what happens when you place yourself inside the doctors, nurses, or any other of the medical provider’s shoes? What if you were placed in charge of a patient who had an ethically challenging situation? What you would you do then? That is precisely what Lisa Belkin accomplishes in her book “First Do No Harm”. Belkin takes the reader on
According to Terrence F. Ackerman, as of the 1980s the American Medical Association had to include the respect for a person’s autonomy as a principle of medical ethics (Ackerman 14, 1982). This includes having the physician provide all the medical information to the patient even if the information could cause negative implication onto the patient. The physician is also expected to withhold all information of the patient from 3rd parties (Ackerman 14, 1982). Although it is seen as standard in today’s world, in
An ethical decision that I was faced with within my professional career was about a month ago. I’m a dental assistant so I work with people every day and I have to deal with people and their personal bias. I had a patient that was underage and she come into the operatory by herself. I asked the patient did she have a guardian with her and she said “yes”, and she started to inform me that her grandfather didn’t like African American people. At that point I was faced with an ethical dilemma to not inform her grandfather about the treatment or to faced her grandfather, that I knew didn’t care for African American people. The problem was very difficult because I didn’t know how her grandfather was going to react toward me as a professional person.
Is there anything else you would like to share with me about the head, neck and oral exam in relation to comprehensive, individualized patient
Case 16 This case presents a very delicate situation that presents many legal and ethical questions. Do you tell your brother or partner he has HIV? I would tell my brother, but the how and when, may vary based on circumstances. From a professional ethical standpoint, it would be unethical to disclose the patient’s HIV status without consent.
Patient autonomy was the predominant concern during the time of publication of both Ezekiel and Linda Emanuel, and Edmund D. Pellegrino and David C. Thomasma's texts. During that time, the paternalistic model, in which a doctor uses their skills to understand the disease and choose a best course of action for the patient to take, had been replaced by the informative model, one which centered around patient autonomy. The latter model featured a relationship where the control over medical decisions was solely given to the patient and the doctor was reduced to a technical expert. Pellegrino and Thomasma and the Emanuel’s found that the shift from one extreme, the paternalistic model, to the other, the informative model, did not adequately move towards an ideal model. The problem with the informative model, according to the Emanuel’s, is that the autonomy described is simple, which means the model “presupposes that p...
Ethics is the moral principle of doing that is right for our patients. However, there are some situations in where doing what is right conflict with other principles. As dental hygienist we have to provide the best care for our patients. The services we offer need to avoid injuring or hurting the patients. Also, they need to be able to remove any existing condition that is affecting patients. However, the first thing we need to have in mind is that patients have the right to accept or refuse treatment. When our duty conflict with the patient’s decision of not receive treatment, this put us in an ethical dilemma.
In the Dental Hygiene field, many challenges come about every day and during different situations. Every day there are new challenges and unusual situations that occur in the dental field, but one challenge that continues to come about and has been a big dispute over the years is the ability to provide beneficial information about oral health care for the underprivileged. For the individuals that are not fortunate enough to pay to have services done in the dental office, lack the knowledge of how important good oral health care is. They do not receive the one on one conversations explaining the significance of taking care of your teeth and gums that the patients who can afford to make appointments and receive essential services do. That
Professionalism in the dental profession refers to our responsibilities and obligations that exists throughout our entire dental career. “Professional competence is the habitual and judicious use of communication, knowledge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, values and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual and community being served (Kirk, 2007).” A health professional must be able to regulate their own behavior and comply with a code of ethics in professional practice. Fundamental principles of professionalism include primacy of patient welfare, social justice and patient autonomy (Kirk, 2007).
As I started my new journey of becoming a dental hygienist, I came into the program with no background of dental. I came into this program with an open mind and willing to embrace new concepts as well as develop new skills. During my time at the Canadian Academy of Dental Hygiene (CADH), I learned that as a dental hygienist that I am committed to promoting and helping each individual achieve their optimal oral health goals. In support of my client’s goals, I may assume any or all of the roles included in the dental hygiene scope of practice. My goal throughout this program was to help my clients achieve their optimal oral health goals through education, health promotion and providing preventive and clinical therapy.
In the profession of Dental Hygiene, ethical dilemmas are nearly impossible to avoid, and most hygienists at some point in their professional life will have to face and answer ethical questions. Some ethical conflicts the dental hygienist may encounter can be quite complex and an obvious answer may not be readily available. In the article Ethical Decision Making, Phyllis Beemsterboer suggests an ethical decision-making model can aide the dental hygienist in making appropriate decisions when confronted with an ethical situation, and that the six-step model can serve dental hygienists in making the most advantageous ethical decision (2010).
Garrett, T. M., Baillie, H. W., & Garrett, R. M. (2010). Health care ethics: Principles and problems (5thed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
A norm in society is when an individual sees danger, they are supposed to report it to the authorities, therefore preventing any further damage. Breach of confidentiality is when a nurse shares information about a patient with others who are not authorized to know about the patient's personal information. Due to this, patients are afraid to be honest with their physicians and nurses that are treating them. In order to assure patients’ confidentiality, health professionals created the patient bill of rights to ensure that patient’s personal information is kept safe from outsiders.
Code of ethics act as a promise to protect and support the safety of individuals in society, supports as a leading light it help the supporters of an occupation, resolve ethical problems and act as a protector the community. A code of ethics discloses and conserves the current viewpoint professionals on in what way to make ethical decisions. It stresses importance on obligation to moral values and vital beliefs. Application of a code of ethics helps us to guarantee that members of the profession will be accountable for their actions. It helps us to learn about the responsibility we have for ourselves, our colleagues and to the social structure of the profession. It is essential that the present and future psychologist should be aware of the formal ethical codes of practices in psychology. The American Psychological Association (APA) developed this formal Ethics Code which demonstrates the approaches to the psychologist about logical, educational, and clinical behaviors to be followed while working as a licensed person. By applying the ethical code a psychologist can identify ethical issues, interrelate with others professionally. This can inhibit and solve ethical dilemmas, and he /she will be able achieve their professional protagonists and responsibilities.