Report on Ethical and Legal Challenges in Health Services Management

This report delves into the ethical and legal challenges inherent in health services management. It explores the complexities of ethical dilemmas arising from differing perspectives of patients and healthcare providers, emphasizing the critical role of health service managers in making decisions that consider both staff and patient interests. The report references the Markkula Centre for Applied Ethics and discusses the difficulties in establishing and applying ethical standards. Key legal concepts, such as vicarious liability and the importance of patient confidentiality according to federal and state laws, are also addressed. Furthermore, the report examines the responsibilities of health service managers in ensuring proper patient care, coordinating services, and staying informed about technological advances and regulatory changes. The report also highlights the significance of human resources practices, such as fair compensation and employee retention, in fostering an ethical work environment. The report concludes by analyzing a specific ethical dilemma involving a breach of patient confidentiality and proposes solutions based on ethical frameworks and legal guidelines.

Running head: REPORT 0
A D CS A D A R A S RV C S MA A RSPPLIE ETHI N L W FO HE LTH E I E N GE
JULY 30, 2018
S D D A STU ENT ET IL :

REPORT 1
When patients and health care providers vary in their understanding of right and
wrong, then ethical dilemma arises. The ethical dilemmas can arise for family, patients, and
other staff members. The health services mangers are asked to give decisions, which involve
ethical dilemmas and legal dilemmas. The decisions are required to make as per the both
perspectives, staff perspectives and patient perspective. The Markkula Centre for applied
ethics make argument about the basic problems in recognise ethical standard that are required
to be followed. First problem is to find out the basis of ethical standards and second problem
is to apply the standards in particular condition. The ethical dilemmas arise at various stages
in the company. Every person is required to protect own interest. The main challenge is for
the managers who are required to take the decision in the condition when all the probable
consequences are not known (Gross, Gross & Schmidt, 2018).
As per the legal concept of vicarious liability, the health services managers can be
held liable the act of staff of clinic. It is required to follow federal laws and the state laws in
respect of keeping the information of patients confidential. The information of patients
cannot be share in the public places without their permissions. All the physicians and staff
should be trained. They should have knowledge about the privacy policy to be followed.
As per the commercial law of Singapore, the health services managers are liable for
making sure that healthcare facility renders the proper patient care. It is a duty of health
services managers to plan and make the coordination of the services in the hospitals. It is
required that health services managers should have the knowledge about the technological
advances. They should know about the necessary changes in the health care regulations. The
health services managers are under the clinical obligations to make the data and information
of patient confidential. They are required to plan, direct and coordinate the medical services
or health services (Little, 2018).
The health services managers manage the entire specific medical facilities in the
clinic. The health services managers should direct changes in the law related to health,
medical rules and regulations, and the various technologies. They keep up to date on new
medical laws. They are liable for making work schedule and represent the medical or clinical
facilities before the governing boards and in the meeting of investors. They maintain the
records of services in the proper way. It is a duty of health services managers to make
communication with the members of staff of clinic and the head of different departments.
They also administer the assistant managers in the facilities (Lin, Kok & Loy, 2016).
There is no doubt that health services management becomes complex. The health
services managers require the professional knowledge of the various laws related to medical
such as contract law, employment law, commercial law and administrative law. The
knowledge of administration law helps the health services managers to analyse the risk of
ethical dilemma and legal dilemma (Truog, Thiagarajan & Harrison, 2015).
In Singapore, the relationship between employer and personnel is regulated by the
employment contract made between personnel and company. As per the employment act in
Singapore, the various human resources activities should be introduced in the workplace to
keep and maintain good ethical environment. These human resources practices include the
proper wages and benefits, proper compensation, successful worker benefit strategies,
practice in respect of decreasing the employee turnover, practice of worker retention in the

REPORT 2
company, promotion to the skilled and talented workers and reward policies. These practices
will help in avoiding the ethical dilemmas in the workplace (Benward, 2015).
It is a professional duty of health services manager to analyse the ethical dilemma. In
the given situation, a staff member breached the patient confidentiality by uploading the
pictures of patients. In respect of this ethical dilemma, as a health service manager i would
analyse the ethical dilemma as per Markkula Centre theory. First, i would try to understand
the facts of issue and effects of the various options on the stakeholders. I would improve
medical education in respect of significance of confidentiality and conduct the awareness
campaigns for the staff of clinic. I would emphasis on the better care and consideration in the
administration and handling the information of clinics. The knowledge of various laws, rules
and regulations related to ethical misconduct will provide to the clinical staff. It is also
required to test the decision ethically to solve ethical dilemma for long term (Buxtron,
Phillippi & Collins, 2015).

REPORT 3
Reference
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dilemmas.Fertility and sterility, 104(3), 507-512.
Buxtron, M., Phillippi, J., & Collins, M. (2015). Simulation: A new approach to teaching
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Gross, D., Gross, K., & Schmidt, M. (2018). Ethical dilemmas of dental implantology: Ready
for aftercare.Quintessence international, 49(5), 15-25.
Lin, K., Kok, T., & Loy, T. (2016). Dilemmas in the management of a severe case of
peripartum cardiomyopathy. Crit care obst&Gyne, 2(1), 25-27.
Little, D. (2018). The paradox of wealth and poverty: mapping the ethical dilemmas of global
development.Oxford: Routledge.
Truog, R., Thiagarajan, R., & Harrison, C. (2015). Ethical dilemmas with the use of ECMO
as a bridge to transplantation. The lancet respiratory medicine, 3(8), 597-598.