Ethical Dilemma in Healthcare

This assignment delves into the ethical dilemmas encountered by medical practitioners when balancing patient confidentiality with the need to inform other parties. It examines concepts like confidentiality, ethics, and security within the healthcare context. The paper analyzes situations where disclosing patient information might be deemed ethically necessary, considering factors such as patient consent, legal obligations, and potential harm. Ultimately, it stresses the importance of ethical education and adherence to regulations in navigating these complex scenarios.

Running head: ETHICAL DILEMMA 1
Ethical Dilemma
Institutional affiliation
Date

ETHICAL DILEMMA 2
Ethical Dilemma
Ethics are moral principles or systematic concepts governing right or wrong conduct.
These principles govern how a person behaves when conducting certain activities. The definition
of ethics is wide depending on the particular field of interest, it could also mean moral codes or
moral values, thus, distinguishing between good and evil, virtuous and non-virtuous. In a
hospital context, ethical problems always arise making it difficult to distinguish if a decision is
ethically right or not which most of the time is informed by someone’s religious and social
cultural background (Kälvemark et al., 2004). In this paper, we will be focusing on the dilemma
that medical practitioners face when providing information to carers bearing in mind the
patient/client confidentiality concerns and ethical implications.
There are three concepts that have been used interchangeably in the medical fraternity,
these are, confidentiality, ethics and security. Although, they all have different meanings entirely
but they are linked together with the same goal. Confidentiality is the most commonly used
concept and it refers to the obligations that medical practitioners who access patient’s records to
hold this information in confidence. This obligation is supported by the code of ethics, principle
I, which stipulates that individual right to privacy and confidentiality must be upheld and
defended at all times.
The dilemma that medical practitioners face when they feel that they ought to inform
other affected parties about their patients’ medical records are dire both to the practitioner and
the hospital. Even though it might feel like it’s the ethical thing to do, other factors have to be
considered before breaking the patient/client confidentiality obligation (Seitz & O'neill, 1996).
Whether an issue is right or wrong, medical practitioners must always endeavor to honor the
confidential relationship they have with their patients.

ETHICAL DILEMMA 3
Ethical dilemmas arises when an individual’s moral principles overrides patients right to
privacy and the patient/client confidentiality. Information in medical records is considered to be
highly sensitive and private, thus, it should never be disclosed unless the patient consents
(Smythe & Murray, 2000). Several circumstances however, will allow the doctor to share
personal medical records without express permission from the patient. This could only occur if
the patients is in need of help, if the government requires the information and also, if the patient
makes his/her health an issue in court (Lo, 2012).
In conclusion, extensive ethical education is a good starting point to avoid ethical
dilemma cases in hospitals. It is also imperative to sanction unethical behaviors in hospitals so as
to reduce ethical dilemmas. Although it is a contentious issue, with a good ethical education
background and strict adherence to ethical requirements in hospitals it will cease to be a problem
to many medical practitioners.

ETHICAL DILEMMA 4
References
Kälvemark, S., Höglund, A. T., Hansson, M. G., Westerholm, P., & Arnetz, B. (2004). Living
with conflicts-ethical dilemmas and moral distress in the health care system. Social
science & medicine, 58(6), 1075-1084.
Lo, B. (2012). Resolving ethical dilemmas: a guide for clinicians. Lippincott Williams &
Wilkins.
Seitz, J., & O'neill, P. (1996). Ethical decision-making and the code of ethics of the Canadian
Psychological Association. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 37(1), 23.
Smythe, W. E., & Murray, M. J. (2000). Owning the story: Ethical considerations in narrative
research. Ethics & Behavior, 10(4), 311-336.