Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Ethical dilemmas in health care settings
Ethical issues in healthcare
Ethical dilemmas in health care settings
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Ethical dilemmas in health care settings
Healthcare organizations are trusted with the most private information of their patients and employees, which has become a top priority in today's world. This involves a legal, a moral and an ethical duty to protect all information of this type by having security and privacy safeguards in place.
There are some categories of health information the require special protection under laws and may need a higher degree of security. They are as listed;
• Mental Health Records
• HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases
• Substance abuse and chemical dependency records
• Certain procedures and testing o Certain surgeries o certain tests o abortions o family planning o genetic testing o cosmetic surgery
Some of these listed are controversial due to personal and religious beliefs and also insurance qualifications. Some individuals, especially public figures often show up in the media about certain procedures that are no one's business and their privacy was violated because someone wanted a story and off to print it went, even though lawsuits can and have happened.
…show more content…
But patient's privacy is critical in preventing identify theft, medical identity theft, fraud and abuse. Special circumstances could arise in which patient identification or access to individual patient records may require special precautions, such as a celebrity or a high profile individuals. In case such as these, only certain individuals should be able to access their healthcare information and at all costs, it must stay private.
Electronic systems are set up to identify and manage these types of data appropriately. Confidentiality is an individual's right to control his or her protected health
...). Privacy and Health Information Technology. Journal of Law Medicine, 37(2), 121-149. Retrieved January 28, 2011 from CINAHL database
Today, there are so many legal dilemmas dominating trial for the courts to make a sound legal decision on whose right in a complicated situation. Despite the outcome of the case, the disagreement usually has a profound effect on the healthcare organization, and the industry as a whole. Many cases are arguments centered around if the issue is a legal or moral principle. Regardless what the situation maybe, the final decision is left to the courts to differentiate between the legality issues at hand opposed to justifying a case based on moral rules. According to Pozgar (2012), an ethical dilemma arises in situations where a choice must be made between unpleasant alternative. It can occur whenever a choice involves giving up something good and suffering something bad, no matter what course of action is taken (p. 367). In this paper, I will discuss cases that arose in the healthcare industry that have been tried and brought to justice by the United States court system.
All health care employees will do everything within their power to protect the patient’s right to privacy. This means they will follow the HIPAA law closely. They will disclose information that is relevant to a specialist or treatment. Also, means they will release information that a patient has asked for as promptly as possible.
. HIPAA privacy rules are complicated and extensive, and set forth guidelines to be followed by health care providers and other covered entities such as insurance carriers and by consumers. HIPAA is very specific in its requirements regarding the release of information, but is not as specific when it comes to the manner in which training and policies are developed and delivered within the health care industry. This paper will discuss how HIPAA affects a patient's access to their medical records, how and under what circumstances personal health information can be released to other entities for purposes not related to health care, the requirements regarding written privacy policies for covered entities, the training requirements for medical office employees and the consequences for not following the policy.
The guidance explains and clarifies key provisions of the medical privacy regulation, which was published last December (HIPAA, 1996). Guaranteeing the accuracy, security, and protection of the privacy of all medical information is crucial and an ongoing challenge for many organizations. References American Medical Association (2005). Retrieved December 7, 2008, from http://www.ad http://www.ama-assn.org/.
With today's use of electronic medical records software, information discussed in confidence with your doctor(s) will be recorded into electronic data files. The obvious concern is the potential for your records to be seen by hundreds of strangers who work in health care, the insurance industry, and a host of businesses associated with medical organizations. Fortunately, this catastrophic scenario will likely be avoided. Congress addressed growing public concern about privacy and security of personal health data, and in 1996 passed “The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” (HIPAA). HIPAA sets the national standard for electronic transfers of health data.
The Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, better known as the Privacy Rule, that took effect in April 2003 for large entities and a year later for small ones, was established as the first set of national standards for the protection of health information. This rule was issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to meet the requirement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The Privacy Rule was born out of a need for health information to be appropriately protected yet still allowing the health information to be shared to ensure quality health care and to protect the public’s health and well being. It allows for the protection of the privacy of the patient and yet it also permits vital uses of information.
Introduction: Health information is regarded as one of the most sensitive types of personal information. For this reason, the Privacy Act 1988 provides extra protections around its handling. For example, a counselling organisation generally needs a client’s consent before they can collect their health information. The Privacy Act regulates how organisations collect and handle personal information, including health information. It also includes provisions that generally allow a person to access information held about them.
Protecting the privacy of patients has become a challenge despite the advantages of using information and communication technology in healthcare service since the information on patients are being accessed maliciously through the systems in the healthcare facilities.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA), Confidential Information and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA), and the Freedom of Information Act all provide legal protection under many laws. It also involves ethical protection. The patient must be able to completely trust the healthcare provider by having confidence that their information is kept safe and not disclosed without their consent. Disclosing any information to the public could be humiliating for them. Patient information that is protected includes all medical and personal information related to their medical records, medical treatments, payment records, date of birth, gender, and
After reading the articles "Fundamental ethical principles in healthcare” and "Ethical Principles for Everyone in Health Care consider the contributions made from different professions in developing a universal statement of the ethical principles that can underpin the provision of healthcare globally. In particular, compare what the following quotation from the Hippocratic Oath, adopted in the early 1900s contributed to the development of a global healthcare ethic with a more modern view expressed through the eyes of different professions in the second article. To consider dear to me as my parents him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and if necessary to share my goods with him; to look upon his children as my own brothers,
First of all we have the information Privacy or Data protection, which involves the establishment of rules governing the collection and handling of personal data such as credit information, and medical and government records.
All health care professionals should and shall be concerned with protecting patient health information (PHI). All patients’ that enter a doctor’s office, clinic or hospital is entrusting those health care professionals to keep that data secured and protected at all times. Furthermore, PHI is defined by the Privacy Rule section of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) of 1996 as “individually identifiable health information” and it currently has 18 categories that cover what could be possibly identified as PHI but it’s not all inclusive.
In such a case, an individual would be notified of some request to access their personal health information and in turn would authorize the information to be shared and/or released. Another approach is more of a protective action. This instance would have health professionals or information managers decide what makes for sound access and agree to act in the best interests of patients when access to health information requests are made. A different approach, normally used in the electronic medical record systems, is a general release to personal health information for access on a "need to know basis”. Still another method relies on the development of common, agreed upon rules for protecting confidentiality but still assisting with necessary information sharing. Useful criteria and on-line codes of conduct to help users understand the issue of quality and how personal information can be used by web sites are being developed by a number of groups. The Internet Healthcare Coalition’s e-Health Initiative (e-health Code of Ethics, 2000) announced the release of an international e-Health Code of Ethics. The e-Health Code of Ethics goal is to ensure that individuals can surely and with full comprehension of known risks realize what the impact of the internet would be in managing their own health or the health of persons in their care. “The e-Health Code of Ethics sets forth eight principles: candor, honesty, quality, informed consent, privacy, professionalism in online healthcare,
Ethical Principle and Law Jackson, (2016) states that providers are held to and guided by ethical principles and laws when it comes to their relationships with patients. The provider patient relationship must be one that is firmly based on mutual respect, confidentiality, honesty, responsibility, accountability, and, respect all laws. . In addition the provider must be committed to continuous improvement and excellence in the provision of health care and exercise good judgement and communicate sound clinical advice to their patients. Providers must also not lose sight of listening to their patients and treating them with the dignity they deserve.