Question

Write an essay on any ethical issue from a publication related to health care.

Answer 1

Ans)Ethical Aspects of Clinical Practice: Clinical ethics is grounded in the belief that medicine is an inherently moral enterprise. Sick persons ask physicians to help them get better and physicians profess to be morally committed and technically competent to help the sick.

There are numerous ethical challenges clinical leaders, health practitioners and patients face in healthcare. Some examples of common medical ethical issues include:

1. Patient Privacy and Confidentiality:
The protection of private patient information is one of the most important ethical and legal issues in the field of healthcare. Conversations between a physician and a patient are strictly confidential, as is information about an individual’s medical condition. Specific provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, define exactly what information can be released and to whom.

2. Transmission of Diseases:
The recent global outbreak of the Ebola virus put a renewed emphasis on the right of healthcare providers to protect themselves from communicable diseases, whether by direct or indirect contact with an infected patient. Ethical and legal questions arise when a patient’s health history is not provided to the medical staff.

3. Relationships:
Sexual relationships between medical practitioners and patients or between medical staff are strictly forbidden at a healthcare facility. Sexual harassment can be harmful to all involved, including the facility, so the code of ethics should be explicit about this.

4. End-of-Life Issues:
Terminally ill patients may have specific wishes about the way they want their lives to end. Families may struggle with the decision to end life support for a loved one. Healthcare practitioners and clinical leaders need to be prepared to handle end-of-life issues as well as problems encountered in dealing with elderly patients who may not be able to make rational decisions on their own.