Healthcare Ethics: Analyzing Ethical Dilemmas in Case Studies

This essay delves into the complex realm of ethical dilemmas within healthcare, utilizing case studies to illustrate real-world challenges. The introduction establishes the core principles of healthcare ethics, including justice, autonomy, and confidentiality, highlighting their significance in patient care. The main body explores these principles in detail, examining risk management, confidentiality, justice, and autonomy, and their implications. Two case studies are presented, focusing on ethical dilemmas faced by healthcare professionals, such as managing a patient with self-harming behaviors and the impact of heavy workloads on patient care. The essay analyzes potential resolutions to these dilemmas, emphasizing the importance of risk management, patient autonomy, and maintaining confidentiality. The conclusion synthesizes the key findings, reiterating the significance of ethical principles in ensuring quality patient care and providing effective solutions for these ethical challenges. The essay uses examples of ethical dilemmas to show the importance of ethical principles in the healthcare setting.

ESSAY

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................1
Chose 2 dilemmas from the CASE STUDY...............................................................................2
Analyse possible ways of RESOLVING the PROBLEMS........................................................3
Issues of case study.....................................................................................................................4
The ways of resolving the ethical issues.....................................................................................4
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6

Introduction
Ethical principles refers to effective values that helps to attempt correct activities and
procedures to improve health of an individual. It consist various factors such as justice,
autonomy, confidentiality and many more. However, ethical dilemmas has a chance to occur in
health and social care while professionals dealing with different patients (Daly, 2019). In context
of this easy, it is based on two cases in which ethical issue was there due to specific
circumstances. This assignment will focus on several aspects including risk management,
confidentiality, autonomy and justice which are required to considered in healthcare sector. It
will also include ethical dilemmas of given case studies along with effective ways to resolve
them.
Main Body
Risk assessment in healthcare
It comprises the administrative and clinical scheme to detect, monitor and prevent risks.
This assessment is require to assess, implement, management to minimizing exposure. These are
the technically, physically and technically safeguards and it also helps organisation in areas
where organisation could be at risk. This assessment is important to consider as it drop-off the
risk by ensuring the protection of policies, looking hazards, identifying risks and develop hazard
free area. But with the increment in technologies, medical science, climate changes risk
management become more tangled (Enemark, 2017). From these reasons, hospitals and other
organisation growing their risk management program to promote patient safety.
Justice in Healthcare
Justice healthcare refers to the equally distribution of treatment to individuals and to
share the resources. There are three different principles are egalitarian principles, maximising
principle, essential principle. The purpose of these principle is to tease out the similarities and
dissimilarities. In this nursing relate the limited resources or new treatments thoughtless of
economically, quality, etc. the main aim is to distributed all resources equally to all economic
groups and population sectors. Sometimes some adverse situation can prepare due to the shortage
of resources, different opinions, different age groups, disability, hospital budget, sexual
preferences to provide treatment equally among groups.
Confidentially in Healthcare
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The each and every person has right to keep private his personal medical information.
These information should not be disclosed to anyone without the concern of an individual
because the disclosure of information can cause problems to the physicians and organisation. The
most rift of confidentially occur during case studies as the data appear in several journals as their
part of research. The patient have the right to sue the organisation if his information disclosed.
There are many organisation work to protect the medical policies to assure the medical
information confidentially (Chamsi-Pasha and Albar, 2017). The organisation collect
information by various sources like pharmacies, clinics, healthcare workers.
Autonomy in healthcare
The autonomy associated with the rights of patients to take their medical decisions. They
have right to take which health care services they want to receive or not. The hospitals,
organisation provides freedom to individuals to take their actions. It explain the both positive and
negative implications in aspect of social relationship. The autonomy can affect the many health
care practices by their effect of patient choices. It is most valued as it is prefer for the individuals
to shape their lives rather than controlling. Sometimes with autonomy rights, patient refuses life-
sustaining care but they must have internal capacities for self-govern.
Case 1
Chose 2 dilemmas from the CASE STUDY
Ethical Dilemmas is the care of patients to the end of the life, it refers the necessity to
select from the two or more virtuously satisfactory options or between evenly unacceptable
course of study, when one or more choice prevents assortment of the other. There are some
examples associated with ethical dilemmas are utilizing inside knowledge for own benefit, taking
credit for-others work, offering a client a worse product for own welfare.
Ethical dilemmas considered as a moral dilemmas, it is situation in which there is a
chance to be made within two options, neither understand the situation in an ethically accepted
fashion (Syse, Førde and Pedersen, 2016). There are some example of social dilemmas are dual
relationships, consult with others, right to self- determination, confidentially involving minors,
critical review professional guidance.
This case study shows ethical dilemmas, in a supported living facilities Jackie is care
worker who helps to the patients are not well in conditions like health issues some mental issues,
and some have learning difficulties and some cant be able to do their treatment. So according to
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case study Holly is a women and age is 45 year suffering with severe learning difficulties,
verbally cant communicate with others but Holy use a sign language which is Makaton, holy
uses Makaton to communicate with other people.
The ethical dilemma for Jackie that the given patient has big and sharp nails and she is
scratching herself very poorly, harm self and others. Social worker is concerned about holy
finger nails which is very long and horrible and scratching (Falkenström, Ohlsson and Höglund,
2016). And the other dilemma is, Jackie needs some personal for the patients and social worker
express concern in front of manger require some personal needs but holy did not seem to want
Jackie and holy misbehaving and shattering with the social worker and there was not
consultation with others in team.
Analyse possible ways of RESOLVING the PROBLEMS
Social work make behave very critical ethical dilemmas which are not adequately
addressed. The complexity is related to the exposure of patients which can decrease their
capability and risk of privacy loss and emotional pain. There are some ways that can resolve the
ethical dilemmas in context of confidentiality and risk management.
In a risk management a social worker face a very big challenge of ethical dilemmas of
patients they manage regular challenges Jackie wants to prevent harm by managing risk
management is important approach to ethics and it refers to effort to protect patients mainly the
person in a difficult situation of life and vulnerability. It refer the managerial response which is
based on the declaration of different policy. Patients also play a important role in the risk
management in managing risk alongside organisations (Huang and et. al., 2016). By the Risk
management can resolve the dilemmas that social worker should act ethically during
involvement of clinical social work, group work, family treatment therapy, efforts to help patient
get services and resources in the community and organisation .
Confidentiality is the primal ethical principal in health care. It is one of the various
duties of medical activities. It want health care providers to keep person health of patient
information as well as to release the information is provided by patient. To resolve dilemma can
be done individually, in a group or team and multidisciplinary department as well as support
actively to the patient according to their demands and requirements.
Case 2
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Issues of case study
The given second case study is define two ethical dilemmas that Ty is a social worker and
with a very heavy workload because due to company colleagues sickness. They are not able to
come in hospital to treat patients. Social worker is very frustrated from workload because he is
not able to treat and consult patient carefully and the patient also not satisfied by Ty treatment.
So for the solution the given social worker tells his manager that struggling with work and want
to divide time fairly and equally in between of patients, and have two critical cases of patients
that are very demanding and require a lot of attention and the cases of children at a very high risk
as well as other thing is social worker manager is not be able to make schedule caseload and
unable lighten Ty load of case. The care worker is very disappointed and distressed because he
feels divided between and trying to meet all clients and consult fairly the could not give priorities
the two high severe risks cases and the other patients letting down.
The first major dilemma is that there are two cases on a very high risks and involve
children. Social worker have to consult carefully because the children case is very severe but he
is not able to give time properly and consult decently just because of heavy workload.
As well as the Second Ethical Dilemma is Ty manager is not able to lighten up caseload
and patients face disappointment by social worker because care worker is not be able to treat
them properly and stuck between those children case patient and trying to meet all patients give
them importance.
The ways of resolving the ethical issues
Justice: The dilemmas in context of Justice that Ty wants to treat every patient but he is
unable to do so because of heavy workload and the manager is not able to divide time for
employee caseload. And it is not justify that he tackle patient alone and treat them fairly. He
wants to consult them accurately but it is compulsion and Ty is totally helpless for doing to treat
clients. In context of justice the equality act shows that, it covers all workers and all employees
and also agency workers with irrespective of the size of business as well as it covering former
staff and job applicants (Bendezú-Quispe and et. al., 2016). This act disability with covers people
and also who are not disabled. This act gives a legal possibility to defend the rights of a person
and extra equality of chance for all.
Autonomy: The ethical principals for autonomy is conflict in judgement with respect to a
patients they need proper facilities by care worker, social worker, medical staff etc. The
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autonomy and inclination of the social worker to act in a profitable mode when self declination
and treatment as well as consultation refusal disagreement and figure or tension result. The
ethical principle of dilemma of autonomy that care workers should be adhere to the principles of
beneficence, non-maleficence, fidelity, veracity, accountability and justice in fairness.
In the case study, Ty have to make frequent decisions which involve moral judgements
which is influenced by ethical standards regardless of the profession. They have duty to
promoting good and responsibility for care and whilst acting in the patient best interests and
minimising harm (Cox and Boydell, 2016). In the very critical and complicated situation it is not
common to amazement whether advanced ethical consideration by social worker is relevant
before a action or decision made.
Conclusion
Considering the above essay, it has been summarised that ethical principles are
appropriate aspects that helps to deliver effective care facilities for welfare of an individual. It
includes the risk management which is necessary to be carry out for eliminating chance of
occurring complication and make patient healthy.
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References
Books and journals
Bendezú-Quispe, G. and et. al., 2016. Sci-Hub and medical practice: an ethical dilemma in
Peru. The lancet global health, 4(9), p.e608.
Chamsi-Pasha, H. and Albar, M.A., 2017. Ethical dilemmas at the end of life: Islamic
perspective. Journal of religion and health, 56(2), pp.400-410.
Cox, S.M. and Boydell, K.M., 2016. Ethical issues in arts-based health research. Creative arts in
public health: International perspectives, pp.83-91.
Daly, J., 2019. Ethical intersections: Health research, methods and researcher responsibility.
Routledge.
Enemark, C., 2017. Biosecurity dilemmas: Dreaded diseases, ethical responses, and the health
of nations. Georgetown University Press.
Falkenström, E., Ohlsson, J. and Höglund, A.T., 2016. Developing ethical competence in
healthcare management. Journal of Workplace Learning, 28(1), pp.17-32.
Huang, X. and et. al., 2016. Ethical and methodological issues in qualitative health research
involving children: A systematic review. Nursing ethics, 23(3), pp.339-356.
Syse, I., Førde, R. and Pedersen, R., 2016. Clinical ethics committees–also for mental health
care? The Norwegian experience. Clinical Ethics, 11(2-3), pp.81-86.
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