Case Study Analysis: Ethical Dilemmas
Added on 2020-03-28
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Running head: HEALTH CARE ETHICS 1Health Care EthicsStudent’s NameUniversity Affiliation
HEALTH CARE ETHICS 2Table of ContentsIntroduction......................................................................................................................................2The ethical issues at stake in the chosen case study........................................................................2An ethical perspective on the issues................................................................................................2Discussion of the ethical issues from the perspectives of:..............................................................3The requirement to respect human dignity and human rights;.....................................................3My future profession’s codes of ethics/professional conduct and professional standards;.........3One ethical theory I have studied in the unit...............................................................................4The principles of health care ethics..............................................................................................4Recommendations for professional practice....................................................................................5Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5References........................................................................................................................................6
HEALTH CARE ETHICS 3Health Care EthicsIntroductionThe selected scenario for this paper is case study 1, which describes the incidence of Henry and Jim. Henry is a physiotherapist while Jim is a patient who has undergone bilateral keen replacement. Henry discontinues Jim’s treatment at one point and reports a case of a surgeon who arrives at work smelling alcohol. Firstly, the assignment will identify ethical issues in the case study. Secondly, it will analyse the issues and conflicts. Thirdly, the assignment will present a discussion of professional codes. Fourthly, it will discuss human dignity and human rights. Fifthly, the assignment will present an evaluation of ethical principles. Lastly, it will offerrecommendations for professional practice. The ethical issues at stake in the chosen case studyThere are two main ethical issues in the selected case study. First, one of the surgeons regularly arrives to work smelling alcohol, including in those days on which he performs surgery. When a health care provider loses, through illness or other impairment, the capacity to maintain the baseline manual and intellectual skills needed to accomplish their ethical obligations, they should cease clinical practice to promote and enhance the health-related interests of their patients. All the medical practitioners have a professional duty to be alert to anyimpairment and to limit their practice correspondingly. Specifically, surgeons should understand and promote the delicacy of touch, quickness of eyesight and steadiness of hand, which are important to the successful performance of an operation [ CITATION Jon12 \l 1033 ].
HEALTH CARE ETHICS 4Second, Henry decided to discontinue Jim’s treatment because he had a waiting list of patients who required his assistance. In this case, Henry did not have a genuine reason to discontinue the treatment even if Jim had shown little improvement. Based on professional ethics, a health care provider should strive to do good to promote the well-being of their patients regardless of the ensuing situation. Besides, the society expects care providers to uphold a certain level of ethics when dealing with patients. Conclusively, the act of discontinuing treatment and being drunk at work are critical ethical conditions. The medical profession as a public trust should retain and enhance standards of practice for the benefit of existing and future clients. An ethical perspective on the issuesDeontology is the primary ethical perspective on the ethical issues identified in the case study. Based on the deontology perspective, Henry should not discontinue the treatment while the drunkard surgeon should cease operation. Deontology is ethics of duty where an action is of more importance than the outcome. Harm is completely unacceptable regardless of its implications. The deontology concept was first delineated by Immanuel Kant and thus popularly known as Kantian deontology [ CITATION Mis13 \l 1033 ]. In some instances, the action of a deontologist might be appropriate for a person but may not produce good outcomes for the society. The medical practice cultivates the principle of deontology, and thus the relationship and interaction between a physician and a patient are deontological. A context of medical negligence occurs when deontology is breached [ CITATION Man16 \l 1033 ]. The concept of deontology guides medical practitioners to do good to patients at all times. Henry should thus continue assisting Jim irrespective of the outcome.
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