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Health professionals face ethical issues when dealing with patients due to the complexities that surround the health care system.
Medical issues tend to involve parties which make it complex for healthcare professionals to execute sound decision making while dealing with patients (Glasson, 1994).
Advancement in technology and use of complicated gadgets in hospitals adds complexity to the existing ethical issues due to human errors occurring which could be costly in the long run. Robison (2014) notes that of great importance is the ability to create clear information between the various stakeholders in order for the healthcare providers to reach an amicable more decision.
In the case of a patient who had a needle protector lodged in the belly after operation due to ignorance and human error during operation the issue could be handled through proper communication and ethical actions.
The case of a missing needle protector illustrates a situation where a clinical Straight a clinical supervisor at Hopewell Hospital, notes that Dr.
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Cutrite of long-term serving doctors who used to perform well indicates a decline in physical and mental energy. Consequently Straight is thinking of reducing the privileges accorded to Dr. Cutrite due to his decline in efficiency at work. His ability to note this critical ethical decision is informed by moral awareness which is the ability to sense and appreciate an ethical decision he has to make.
His decision to reduce the privileges of the doctor is seen as being beneficial in the long run as it is one of the methods of improving the health care system. Moreover, Straight is presented by a more complex situation that involves Cutrite who left a needle protector in the belly of a patient. Therefore, this placed him at a position that he had to confront Dr. Cutrite on the issue and design a way of assisting the patient where necessary.
It can be noted form the case of the missing needle protector that the operating supervisor had to act upon his intuitions once he found out that the needle protector was missing. His actions were guided by the moral judgment that if the protector was missing then it must have been left unintentionally in the belly of the patient.
Consequently, Straight on hearing the case saw it as common sense for the attendant summon the patient for further attention to determine whether the protector was left in the belly or not. However, Dr. Cutrite handled the situation immorally since he thought that it was right to not to inform the patient of the new findings. This is seen as a way of keeping the patient in the dark while it is true that one has the right to know when such incidences happen.
The importance of effective communication between the various stakeholders in the healthcare system is essential in ensuring that issues are handled effectively within the hospital. For instance, the supervisor who noted that the needle protector was missing saw it necessary to report the incident to the authorities, without this form of communication the issue would go unidentified.
The reaction of straight that the patient needed to be called back to the theatre to examine his wound could have been necessary for solving the issue. When he learned that the patient had been discharged he had to consult chief of the surgery on the impacts of the situation on the wellbeing of the patient who informed him that the situation would not pose any serious issue to the patient but only some discomfort.
However, failure of Dr. Cutrite to inform the patient of the issue prevented the patient from the right of knowing and making a decision concerning the issue. Thus proper communication is essential in proper hospital protocols which result in effective ethical decision making by the health care providers (Jurchak, 2017).
Managing professional responsibilities and priorities and applying the decision making in the model
Ethical behaviors in the healthcare system are guided by the code of conducts whose aim is to protect the health of the public thus health care providers are expected to provide quality services to the public and protecting the public from harm. This case of the patient who is certain to have a needle protection cap lodged in the belly would have resulted from ignorance by the hospital on the quality of services offered by doctors.
There is need to address issues of quality and the performance of doctors on the whole. It can be noted that there is a need for regular performance monitoring on doctors in any given hospital (Glasson, 1994). For instance, although a doctor would have been a good performer in the future does not guarantee him serving in a hospital if his performance falls below the expected ethical service.
Therefore sorting out the quality of service in a hospital environment would require dropping of underperforming doctors so that the hospital stands at the position that it provides quality service to the patients.
Moreover, patients should be informed in case of any issues during their visit so that they too can have an opinion on the matter as it concerns there personal life. The whole health care system should work in unison towards providing quality service according to the code of conduct which promote ethical behavior in order to serve patients equitably.
Ethical Dilemma Faced By Health Care Professional. (2020, Jun 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/ethical-dilemma-faced-by-healt-21381-new-essay
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