In fact, an important ethical point in this case is the need to offer an honest apology. It`s not always easy to say, “We`re sorry.” How parents are informed is a sensitive issue, and there is an urgent need to train health care providers in sensitive interpersonal relationships and related skills to facilitate honest and appropriate communication with the patient`s family (20). Despite the split between religion and national government policy that took place in many Western countries beginning in 1700 AD, the fusion of religion and politics that had existed for thousands of years has had effects that persist in the ethical and legal codes of secularized countries today. Western secularization has led to the replacement of religious concepts (e.g., holiness) with secular terms (e.g., holiness). Inviolability) and the arguments have been replaced. A person`s right to receive property, founded by Jean Jacques Rousseau and defended by John Locke, continues to be used in the secular defense that one person cannot legally destroy the life of another. As for other ethical principles, non-malevolence is most often in conflict with charity. Despite the possible reason why the treatment is beneficial, the therapy can have unintended harm. Examples include procedures that require a surgeon to cut into a patient`s body or certain medications (such as chemotherapy). The body is essentially poisoned so that it has the opportunity to heal later. In all cases, the likelihood and degree of harm must be weighed against the benefit. Doctors cannot control all responses to treatments.
Thus, a physician can still act on the principle of non-malignancy if he takes steps to minimize the likelihood of harm and informs the patient before assuming the risk, so that the patient has the opportunity to accept or reject the risk. Confidentiality results from both the physician-patient fiduciary relationship and autonomy. The patient trusts that the physician will not allow others to know details about the patient`s illness or situation, information that could be used by others to benefit or harm the patient. By maintaining confidentiality, patients are granted autonomy by retaining control over who has access to their health condition. In the United States, the right to privacy is protected by 42 CFR § 482.13. 23% of Sermo physicians surveyed cited informed consent as the #2 ethical concern in healthcare. Ensuring that patients fully understand medical procedures before undergoing them is critical to their health. Patients are likely to be concerned before each procedure, so explaining their options in more than one way (oral and written) will cover your back and ensure complete autonomy. It is the physician`s responsibility to obtain written consent. Healthcare professionals are constantly confronted with ethical and legal issues in the workplace, putting them at risk of burnout. Efforts on collection costs increase the pressure on employees to do more with less.
Limited resources force difficult decisions about quality of care. Patient safety can be compromised, resulting in injuries and lawsuits. Bioethicists suggest that when health professionals practice the ethical principles of autonomy, do justice, do good and do no harm, health professionals can help resolve difficult situations. There is no other solution: ethical questions will arise. Important ethical talking points are rarely simple, and there are no right and wrong answers. It is important that, in a patient-centred system of care, ethics be at the forefront. Whenever a patient is treated, there are always medical-ethical issues to negotiate. Issues related to waiting lists, access to medical resources and decisions about the right treatment pose ethical dilemmas. Note: Ethics is not the same as legality. Something may be unethical, but completely legal. Ethics and law in healthcare are closely linked: what is illegal is largely unethical, but what is unethical is sometimes legal.
It is helpful to discuss these topics directly with peers. Sermo`s physician networking platform makes it easy to get different perspectives on difficult situations like this. Connect, entertain and solve problems on Sermo. Stay informed, get advice, and bring your own experience to help other doctors. Sign up for your free Sermo account today. Despite increased attention to the quality of health services, patient safety in healthcare facilities still faces many threats. As patient safety is multidimensional and based on ethical and legal imperatives, ethical and legal challenges should be considered. Sexual relations between doctors and patients or between medical personnel are strictly prohibited in a health facility. Sexual harassment can be detrimental to all parties involved, including the institution, so the Code of Ethics should be explicit in this regard.
Finding the causes and finding the right solution, i.e. the basic analysis of the incident, is one of the first essential steps to reduce the frequency of patient injuries. It should be noted that the mentioned process must be free of bias and should focus on finding and correcting the root cause rather than identifying the person responsible. One way to prevent such events is to have a special policy to report the event in an appropriate organized ethical atmosphere, without blaming anyone. Indeed, fear of blame, penalties, limited organizational support, insufficient feedback and lack of knowledge of the factors involved are some of the barriers to reporting medical errors in hospitals (12).