Healthcare Ethical Dilemmas

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Recommended: American nurse association code of ethics

Examples of Healthcare Ethics in Medicine

When healthcare administrators evaluate whether to hire job candidates, one important criterion they assess is if the individual has strong ethical values. This is an important responsibility; when patients seek treatment, they assume that hospital leaders have vetted their employees. When patient contract illnesses or suffer injuries, the last thing on their mind is whether the medical professional assisting them possess ethics. In essence, patients unquestioningly put their lives in the hands of the individuals that healthcare administrators have hired. Employees feel more comfortable and confident when surrounded by peers who exhibit personal and work-related ethics.

While these facts are most …show more content…

• Furthermore, if a qualified healthcare professional does not possess a naturally ethical disposition, how does that individual improve their ethical standards to a point where it’s safe to allow them to work in a medical facility?

• Is someone who’s truthful most of the time ethical?

As for the last question, the answer is no; in the healthcare environment, individual who possess exemplary personal integrity tell the truth all the time, because lives depend on the actions of healthcare workers. Regrading honesty, it’s easy to identifying who’s honest by their actions, but identifying good character and honor may prove difficult. While it may initially seem impossible to live up to this standard, it’s not that hard. To clarify this point, American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC) publishes standards that outline workplace conduct, presentation, work ethic and communication. The standards are highlighted in the following 8 summaries of the AAPC’s provisions.

Provision 1 - Dignity, Relationship Building and …show more content…

By way of illustration, nurse practitioners are held to the highest standards of competence via self-evaluation and peer review. Additionally, NPs blend their personally and professional identities in a way the suits their environment appropriately at any given time. However, due to the nature of nursing work, the two identities are never wholly separate. Nurses have an ethical and professional duty to always maintain the integrity of their discipline.

Provision 6 - Moral and Ethical Leadership

Healthcare professionals have an ethical obligation to participate in the improvement and advancement of their fields. This includes developing, nurturing and upholding work environments that support medical professionals in meeting their moral responsibilities. In concert, healthcare administrators have a responsibility to ensure that medical professionals have a say in matters related to safety and working conditions.

Provision 7 - Healthcare Activism Through Advocacy and

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