Ethical Memoir: Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare Management

This ethical memoir examines ethical dilemmas encountered in a healthcare setting, focusing on issues related to patient autonomy and treatment decisions. The author, a senior leader in a healthcare organization, reflects on instances where ethical standards were not met, leading to inefficient work practices and negative patient outcomes. The essay details the steps taken to address these challenges, including establishing ethical standards, promoting patient autonomy, and fostering a strong therapeutic alliance between healthcare professionals and patients. The author emphasizes the importance of redesigning organizational policies, ethical standards, and the critical role of healthcare managers in establishing moral judgments to build trust and improve patient outcomes. The memoir concludes by highlighting the significance of ethical work practices in healthcare and their impact on overall health outcomes.

Running Head: MANAGEMENT
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Ethical Memoir
7/13/2019

MANAGEMENT
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Ethical dilemmas are also known as moral dilemmas are referred to the complex
decisions where a choice has to be made between two options. In every organisational setting,
or environment individuals face certain ethical or moral issues which hamper the effective
functioning of the organisation. Some of the common examples of ethical dilemmas I have
found include, taking credit for others work, offering the client worse products for own
profits and others (Salemonsen et al., 2018).
I have encountered the ethical dilemma while working in a healthcare organisation. I
observed that healthcare team members often face ethical dilemma in context to the patient
autonomy, regarding their treatment for their health issues or illness. I felt that the dilemmas
occurred due to the reason that health professionals did not give attention to the feelings, or
preferences of their clients for their health care and treatment.
Now, being the senior leader in the health care organisation, I analysed that ethical
dilemmas occurred when the staff members does not comply with the ethical rules, or act
accordingly. It resulted into inefficient work practices and poor health outcomes of the
patients over there (Van de Klundert & van Boeschoten, 2016).
Therefore, I took the responsibility of resolving these ethical or moral dilemmas
between the professional and client by setting ethical standards. This included determining
the responsibilities of the health care professionals to accomplish better care for the older
persons. I performed the role of a leader and encouraged them to balance autonomy, care,
and dignity to promote self-management of health condition especially, in the case of older
people. I discussed the issue with every member of the team, and identified that effective
care and strong therapeutic alliance is essential between the health experts and patients to
ensure high commitment to their goals. Therefore, encouraging and interacting with both the
parties, i.e. health care professionals, and patients is one of the simpler approach (McCarthy
& Gastmans, 2015).
Now, if I encounter the same problem in the present scenario, one major change I
would do is redesigning of the policies, and ethical standards of the organisation. I have
understood that ensuring or maintaining good ethics in an organisation is vital to satisfy the
basic human needs and lead development. Ethics form the base of effective, purposeful, and
successful organisations, building strong culture and structure within an organisation.

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We should learn to practice ethical conduct in the organisation, as this facilitates
achieving goals through performing responsibilities of the organisation. In turn, it brings
benefits to the individuals, and the organisation as a whole, as here it would facilitate high
growth of healthcare organisation. In this case, I analysed that it is the core duty of the health
managers, senior leaders to establish moral judgements for the better health facilities to their
patients. I analysed the need for good ethics, due to the fact it will help build trust amongst
patients in the health care team, and professionals for their treatment (Lindebaum, Geddes &
Gabriel, 2017).
Thus, I have learnt the role of ethics, ethical work practices of the health personnel
and other staff towards improving health outcomes. Therefore, this is the discussion of all
the aspects that I have gathered upon in context to the ethics.

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References
Lindebaum, D., Geddes, D. & Gabriel, Y. (2017). Moral emotions and ethics in
organisations: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Business Ethics, 141(4),
645-656.
McCarthy, J. & Gastmans, C. (2015). Moral distress: a review of the argument-based nursing
ethics literature. Nursing ethics, 22(1), 131-152.
Salemonsen, E., Hansen, B. S., Førland, G. & Holm, A. L. (2018). Healthy Life Centre
participants’ perceptions of living with overweight or obesity and seeking help for a
perceived “wrong” lifestyle-a qualitative interview study. BMC obesity, 5(1), 42.
Van de Klundert, M. & van Boeschoten, R. (Eds.). (2016). Organisations and Humanisation:
Perspectives on organising humanisation and humanising organisations. United
Kingdom: Routledge.