Applying Medical Ethics in Sonography Medicine, as a fundamental part of the human life, has existed and has been practiced for many decades. Throughout the centuries, it has dramatically changed and evolved in order to benefit, relieve, and comfort the physical and emotional state of being of the general public. One of these significant changes has been the introduction of ethics in the field of medicine. By definition, ethics refers to "the branch of philosophy that deals with the distinction between right and wrong, with the moral consequences of human actions" (Dirckx, 304). Today, ethics is a large system that is primarily classified into two major parts: professional and personal. Professional ethics divide into few sections, including …show more content…
This negligence is due to the examiner's prejudiced and biased attitude, and misunderstanding of the code of ethics. For instance, there was a clinical rotation case, in which the medical specialist had pretended to be busy with paperwork only to avoid taking a patient into the examination room, because the patient was handicapped. As soon as the person entered the room, the sonographer did not make eye contact with the patient. Even though it was her turn to complete an echo, she did not approach the patient and thus he naturally felt uncomfortable. Instead, she deliberately decided to disregard his presence and engage in administrative activities. This is not a morally valid excuse, by which this particular patient can be delayed any type of healthcare, service, or assistance. In this situation, the caregiver believed that she will have to provide extra care, more attention, and dedicate additional time for performing the echocardiogram. The sonographer's choice to avoid the patient due to physical appearance and immobily, lacked any professional integrity and was …show more content…
Ethical dilemmas, such as the "injustice example" mentioned earlier, are prone to arise constantly. As soon as the supervisor on duty notices any unethical policies are being violated, he or she should proceed with the appropriate steps. In this particular situation, the supervisor should collect all the necessary information that pertains to the case and present it directly to the ethics committee. If the ethics committee is unable to reach a compromise, Human Recourses should be informed. Furthermore, aside from taking legal action, it is up to the chief echo tech to decide whether the sonographer at fault should be suspended or not. On the other hand, a more general approach to handle ethical issues, is to create and follow a simple but effective plan. First, medical employees should be obligated to participate in mandatory ethical training annually. During this training, role -playing is an excellent idea that can be utilized by the staff, so that everyone can strive to perfect their "ethical language"(Pathways to molar courage). At the end of the course, healthcare specialists need to comprehend and further interpret the official code of ethics for the medical facility where they practice. Following these simple steps will help reduce many unprofessional ethical situations, and is more likely to create a better working
Section 5.4, which is the preservation of integrity, suggests that nurses will inevitably have to deal with threats to their moral or professional integrity at some point in their careers. Nurses should do their best to maintain professional integrity when met with adversity, weather it be from uncooperative issuance companies, an unsound work environment, or from the patients themselves. When working in an unsound or unsafe work environment that violates law or the ANA code of ethics nurses must go through the proper channels to fix the problem. If a nurse feels that a procedure or treatment their patient is having conflicts with his or her own moral integrity and they cannot participate, the nurse must report they unwilling to tr...
Healthcare creates unique dilemmas that must consider the common good of every patient. Medical professionals, on a frequent basis, face situations that require complicated, and at times, difficult decision-making. The medical matters they decide on are often sensitive and critical in regards to patient needs and care. In the Case of Marguerite M and the Angiogram, the medical team in both cases were faced with the critical question of which patient gets the necessary medical care when resources are limited. In like manner, when one patient receives the appropriate care at the expense of another, medical professionals face the possibility of liability and litigation. These medical circumstances place a burden on the healthcare professionals to think and act in the best interest of the patient while still considering the ethical and legal issues they may confront as a result of their choices and actions. Medical ethics and law are always evolving as rapid advances in all areas of healthcare take place.
Siegler, M., and W. Winslade. "Ethics in Medicine." Clinical Ethics. By A. R. Jonsen. 7th ed. N.p.:
Denise Dudzinski, PhD, MTS, Helene Starks, PhD, MPH, Nicole White, MD, MA (2009) ETHICS IN MEDICINE. Retrieved from: http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/pad.html
Slosar, J. P. (2004). Ethical decisions in health care. Health Progress. pp. 38-43. Retrieved from http://www.chausa.org/publications/health-progress/article/january-february-2004/ethical-decisions-in-health-care
My initial response to the issues was only based on the hospital policies regarding the care of the patients within the hospital. However, when I was guided down the different paths and made to look through the different ethical lens, I found it tough to do so and seem to resort to my core values of autonomy and rationality. By putting the patients’ first, hospital policies, and then their loved ones in the first scenario, I determined that a compromise was necessary. Whereas in the second scenario, I feel as no agreement was needed just staff education (EthicsGame Simulation, 2016). In this particular case, Carlotta, the RN shift supervisor, needed further training to understand the hospital policy on who is or is not considered to be family (EthicsGame Simulation,
The ethical dilemma in this case study is the scope of practice of Barbara Dean with her role as a medical assistant and the unfamiliarity of her scope of practice by Dr. Granger. According to the American Association of Medical Assistants and their ethical guidelines, we as medical assistants must follow strict guidelines and adhere to establish boundaries in all medical aspects of our careers. For instance, scope of practice adheres to certain regulations, followed by actions, and procedures that are specific to each profession. However, the scope of practice may vary from state to state and is the responsibility of the medical assistant to verify their duties (Lewis, Tamparo, & Tatro, 2012). These regulations pertain to training, education, and demonstrated competency by following the scope of practice of each profession. However, nurses, physicians, and medical assistants all adhere to different codes of conduct pertaining to their duties in their scope of practice. For example, medical assistants are not allowed to triage clients independently, perform minor surgeries, suc...
Physician-assisted suicide refers to the physician acting indirectly in the death of the patient -- providing the means for death. The ethics of PAS is a continually debated topic. The range of arguments in support and opposition of PAS are vast. Justice, compassion, the moral irrelevance of the difference between killing and letting die, individual liberty are many arguments for PAS. The distinction between killing and letting die, sanctity of life, "do no harm" principle of medicine, and the potential for abuse are some of the arguments in favor of making PAS illegal. However, self-determination, and ultimately respect for autonomy are relied on heavily as principle arguments in the PAS issue.
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.
Steinbock, Bonnie, Alex J. London, and John D. Arras. "The Principles Approach." Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine. Contemporary Readings in Bioethics. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 36-37. Print.
There are weaknesses in professional guidelines and rules because they are unable to provide the directives for moral reasoning and action is health care situations. Many people state that biomedical ethics provides a framework and emphasis on the person rather than the professional code and legal policy (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). On the other hand they serve a purpose to provide some direction for professionals however codes of practise do not dismiss.
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: 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.
Tarzian, A. J., & Force, A. C. C. U. T. (2013). Health care ethics consultation: An update on core competencies and emerging standards from the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities’ Core Competencies Update Task Force. The American Journal of Bioethics, 13(2),
The codes of ethics are established to help, protect, and provide guidance to each individual professional on how to act in their respective profession and create an environment where ethical behavior is practiced and observed by everyone in the profession. By observing the code of ethics every member ensures that they are held to a higher standard when it comes to quality patient care and at the same time help eliminate bad actors in the profession. For example, every physician is held to a code of “do no harm” when it comes to patient care and every physician or medical student are required to follow this
McGee, Glenn and Arthur L. Caplan. "Medical Ethics." Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1997: Microsoft Corporation. CD-ROM.