Legal and Ethical Frameworks for Complementary Healthcare Services

Running head: CASE STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE
ESTABLISH AND MANAGE A PRACTICE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1CASE STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE
Answer 1
The complementary healthcare service is the approach in healthcare that revolves around
holistic service, traditional and natural therapies, and homeopathy remedies and does not
involves processes of allopathic medicine. There is a different set of ethical laws however, the
code of conduct while serving for patients is similar in each case. The fundamental principles or
ethical principles are beneficence, non-maleficence and autonomy that allows a relation of trust
and belief to grow between healthcare professional and the patient (Ross & Stevens, 2013. To
develop similar relationship between patient and complementary healthcare practice, the
Australian healthcare ministry and the National Health and Medical Research Council
(NHMRC) developed several regulations that helps to regulate the complementary healthcare
service and controls unintended adverse conditions that arises due to the emergence of health
issues in complementary healthcare practice. This body determines that complementary
healthcare practice should be based on evidence based practices and all the serious healthcare
conditions such as cancer, tuberculosis and osteoporosis related complementary healthcare
service will be under legislative rules, so that the right of the patients can be protected (Dignam
et al., 2012). Further according to Australian government, there are categories, falling under
which, any service will be name d as contemporary healthcare service. These are: medical
products having herbs, vitamins and minerals, supplements, homeopathic medicines,
aromatherapies, further traditional Chinese and Indian ayurvedic therapies will be considered as
the contemporary healthcare service. Although the maximum of such services are self-regulated,
the police media and healthcare ministry observes each healthcare service so that any misconduct
towards the patients or the healthcare professionals can be observed and resolved. According to
the ethical principles, there are several risk of complementary therapies that affect the healthcare

2CASE STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE
process and the mental state of the patient as well as the healthcare professionals associated with
it. Poor standard of care, drug related interaction, financial harm are few of the issues that the
patents suffer from while going through the complementary healthcare practices. Further,
according to Brock, Hinings & Powell (2012), there is huge amount of fake healthcare centers
have been created that promises to provide quality complementary healthcare problems but und
up destroying the faith and trust of patient on the healthcare system. Therefore, it is important for
the patients to understand the type of contemporary healthcare service they will consider to
receive. Hence these are the legal and regulatory frame works that is related to the protection of
the clients, practitioners and the overall contemporary healthcare service (Waters, Rochester &
Mcmillan, 2012).
Answer 2
In this case study, there are several instances that indicates towards the breaching of
legal, ethical, and regulatory norms of the contemporary and regular healthcare services. Further
it also breaches the code of conduct which is similar for all the services within Australia. The
client first visited the social media page of “Heal U Natureally Clinik” as she was suffering from
chronic back pain and used to depend on crutches. The advertisement stated that it uses healthy
and natural remedies to treat severe back pain. Further it also stated that the cost of the treatment
will be bear by a private healthcare firm. The advertisement also stated that all the ethical
principles will be taken care of while providing care to the Patient. However, circumstances
disclosed each action of the contemporary healthcare service that violated ethical, regulation, and
legal norms of such service. The healthcare center was situated on the first floor of a residential
apartment having disrepair staircase. The clinic was meant for patients having chronic pain,
however, the clinic was located on a height with no comfortable mean for escalation. This was a