Ethical Decision Making in Healthcare

Running head: Healthcare 1
Healthcare
By:
Student ID:
Course No:
Tutor:
Date:

Healthcare 2
Introduction
Ethics has been defined as the standards of conduct that show the extent to which human
beings are to conduct themselves in different situations (The Markkula Centre for Applied
Ethics, 2015). Ethical decision making is critical in organizations for improved employee
relationship and performance (Elçi & Alpkan, 2009). Ethical standards are especially critical
in healthcare settings because the practitioners in that field continuously interact with patients
and have to win the confidence of the patients for them to offer effective healthcare (Lynch,
Hart, & Costa, 2014). My friend who is a medical doctor is impaired by the use of alcohol
and drugs. This implies that he is likely to make errors during medication thus increasing the
risk of danger for the patients. I have to make the most appropriate decision which will be of
benefit to the doctor, to the organization, and to the patients. As a health service manager
decision-maker, I will use the Markkula Centre for Applied Ethics’ framework to make an
appropriate ethical decision. The Markkula Centre for Applied Ethics’ framework consists of
five sources of ethical standards that will be used as a guide in making the right ethical
decision in the case of my professional doctor friend. These sources included the utilitarian
approach, the rights approach, the fairness or justice approach, the common good approach,
and the virtue approach.
Under the utilitarian approach, I will ensure that my decision generates the best balance of
good over harm to all those who are affected (Edwards, 2009). Impairment due to drug abuse
by a medical doctor will affect the patient’s health and the doctors and the organization’s
reputation (Dumitrascu, Mannes, Gamble, & Selzer, 2014). There are two major options in
deciding on the ethical dilemma; to report the doctor to the regulatory authority or to try to
assist him to seek for counselling services to help him overcome his addiction to drugs. As a
health service manager, I am responsible for the wellbeing of the doctor, that of the
organization and the patient, and therefore I have to make a decision that would produce the

Healthcare 3
most good or the least harm to all the parties. Using the utilitarian approach as a guide, I will
choose to help my friend by advising him to seek for psychiatric services. However, I will
first inform him of the consequences of his behaviour in case the relevant authority are made
aware of it. My decision to go for psychiatric services will benefit the doctor, the patients
under his care and the hospital’s reputation. The decision will not lead to the termination of
the services offered by the doctor, the withdrawal of his practising license, the risk of
misdiagnosis and even in some cases the risk of death on the side of the patients will be
reduced. Moreover, the doctor will provide quality healthcare services which will improve
the organization's reputation. Thus, my decision will have provided the best or the least harm
to all affected parties.
Based on the rights approach, my decision on the ethical dilemma has to be one that best
protects and respects the moral rights of the doctor. Human beings have the right to make
choices on the kind of life they would live (Knapp & VandeCreek, 2012). It is the right of the
doctor to decide to drink or not to, however, he also has the moral obligation of being
mentally stable in order to offer effective healthcare services to patients. But his current state
of addiction to drugs deprives him the qualification to provide quality healthcare to patients.
As a health service manager decision-maker, I am faced with a critical decision to make on
whether to allow the doctor to enjoy his right of decision-making at the expense of the
welfare of patients or to report him to the relevant authorities. According to Knapp and
VandeCreek (2012) rights also imply duties, more specifically, the duty to respect the rights
of others. Patients also have the right to a healthy and safe environment that will cater to their
mental and physical wellbeing or health in addition to protection from all forms of danger
(Joolaee & Hajibabaee, 2012). Therefore, based on the rights approach, I will report the
doctor to the relevant authority so that he can be made aware of his obligation to the patients
even as he exercises his right of decision making or the right to live the life he desires.