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Chapter 4 summary of health care ethics
Chapter 4 summary of health care ethics
Ethical issues in health care
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The challenge I experienced this week are as follows: Two undocumented eelderly clients that need 24 hours onsite medical staff. One client has open wound cellulites and bilateral chronic leg ulcers that require for her wound to be clean and bandages to be change daily. And the other elderly client cannot accept the fact that she cannot make medical decision on her behalf. This particular client is currently hospitalized. Both clients are undocumented and due to their immigration status neither one can be transferred to an Assisted Living Facility or Nursing
The American people needed help more than ever. Due to the Great Depression and war, many hospitals became obsolete and over 40% of the nation’s countries didn't have any hospitals. Luckily, a new law passed by Congress would solve that problem. Following the Great Depression and war, the Hospital Survey and Construction Act, also known as the Hill-Burton Act was passed in 1946. The Hill-Burton Act was to provide grants and loan to facilities for the construction of nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, hospitals and health centers (Health & Human Services, 2000). Facilities receiving these funds had three rules to follow: they weren’t allowed to discriminate based on race, color, national origin, or creed, though some ‘separate but equal’ facilities were allowed, provide a ‘reasonable volume’ of free care each year for those residents in the facility’s area who needed care but could not afford to pay and states and localities were also required to prove the economic viability of the facility in question (Newman, 2004).
Every nurse will be faced with a decision making dilemma at some point in his or her career. Being familiar with the nursing code of ethics, what is ethically and morally expected in society and how to approach the situations can help make dilemmas less of a nightmare. “The purpose of nursing ethics is to inspire questions and examine what would be the ethically right action in health care situations demanding a choice between at least two undesirable alternatives” (Toren & Wagner, 2010, p. 394). There are many different ways one can approach a situation to reach a resolution, finding a method that works best with the situation at hand is ideal.
The US Commissioner Report (2011) details the rise in patient dumping from in the last ten years. Previously, hospitals were in their legal right to refuse health care to patients. It was not until the ~1980’s that a law was bought in to stop patient dumping and the refusal of treatment. Patient dumping occurs when patients are either uninsured, immigrants or lack funds to pay for medical bills that hospitals ‘dump’/relocate in a dishonourable way those patients to over hospitals. In doing so, that hospital is therefore not liable to provide treatment to the patient. It is now estimated that 250,000 US patients annually are denied medical treatment, in addition 15.4% of US citizens do not have health insurance. Recent research (Blalock & Wolfe,
Moreover, ethical issues are ubiquitous within the field of social work. As such, social workers employed in all facets of the profession, whether it is substance abuse, mental health, among many others encounter ethical issues common and specific to each area. According to the article “Ethical Issues in Addiction Counseling” by Cynthia G. Scott (2000), prominent ethical situations specific to the field of substance abuse include, “confidentiality and privileged communication” (p. 213). In her article Scott (2000) discuss the blurred boundaries of confidentiality with regards to group counseling. The author points out the discrepancy in federal confidentiality laws that prevent the practitioner from sharing confidential information disclosed
When dealing with an ethical dilemma, social workers usually reference back to Reamers 7-step process to help with ethical decision-making. In the given case study, we meet Lori a bright fourteen-year-old who is smart, involved in school activities, and sports. She has had a non-normative impacted life since she was young, such as her mother dying of breast cancer and father dying as well. She has no immediate family and was lucky enough to be placed in a foster home with a family who loves her and wants the best for her.
Today, there are so many legal dilemmas dominating trial for the courts to make a sound legal decision on whose right in a complicated situation. Despite the outcome of the case, the disagreement usually has a profound effect on the healthcare organization, and the industry as a whole. Many cases are arguments centered around if the issue is a legal or moral principle. Regardless what the situation maybe, the final decision is left to the courts to differentiate between the legality issues at hand opposed to justifying a case based on moral rules. According to Pozgar (2012), an ethical dilemma arises in situations where a choice must be made between unpleasant alternative. It can occur whenever a choice involves giving up something good and suffering something bad, no matter what course of action is taken (p. 367). In this paper, I will discuss cases that arose in the healthcare industry that have been tried and brought to justice by the United States court system.
Ethical Issues in Social Work I will provide practical help for new social workers to help them understand and deal with ethical issues and dilemmas which they will face. There are many ethical issues which are important to social work, but I feel that these are all covered by the care value base. The care value base Was devised by the care sector consortium in 1992, this was so that the workers in health and social care had a common set of values and principles which they would all adhere to. It is important because for the first time the social care sector had a clear set of guidelines from which ethical judgements could be made. The care value base is divided into 5 elements - The care value base covers - Equality and Diversity - Rights and responsibilities - Confidentiality - Promoting anti Discrimination - Effective communication Equality and Diversity Carers must value diversity themselves before they can effectively care for the different races, religions and differently abled people they will come across in their caring profession.
28 Sep 2011. Madeline Pelner Cosman. Illegal Immigrants Threaten U.S. Health Care. At Issue: What Rights? Should Illegal Immigrants Have?
America needs comprehensive health care reform, and immigrants should be a part of the movement. But many American citizens might ask that pertinent question: why should they cover the expense for illegal immigrants to access health care? The answer is plain and simple: until congress passes immigration laws that work, people are going to migrant here illegally. And to deny migrants access to affordable health care, Americans are not only denying them their human right, they are also putting individual and national health at risk. I believe that this country – which has the medical advancements and the facilities to ensure the health of its citizens – should reach out to its non-citizens, legal and illegal, until it passes laws that improve conditions, increase pay and thus prevent disease more effectively-- or until undocumented workers are prevented from residing here altogether.
A situation from my practicum where I may experience an ethical dilemma is if I needed to visit a patient I knew. If a patient was identified as potentially having social work needs and I knew them personally it may be uncomfortable for them to discuss sensitive issues, especially if I wasn’t aware of the issues prior to reading their medical history. The patient may not be as honest with me because they wouldn’t want an acquaintance to know about sensitive subjects they are experiencing. The agency requires a social worker to visit patients that lack support, are low-income, have a history of substance use, or a mental illness. Visiting these patients is consistent with the social worker’s responsibility to clients.
These services are provided by medical professionals serving U.S. citizens striving to provide the best possible care, but just as we have had a growth of medical knowledge the U.S. population has changed drastically. Minorities should no longer be overlooked as they are the new prospering culture in this day and age, especially for the Hispanic/ Latino people. As a result there has been a shift, a blend, and a creation of new cultures. It is imperative that medical professionals learn to understand culture. Failure to understand this thriving ethnic group can lead to complications such as ineffective communication, loss of trust between patient and medical personnel, and failure to provide proper treatment. That is why it is important to find ways to help Hispanics feel at ease when visiting any medical facility for service.
After a car accident in February of the year 2000, left Luis Jimenez with severe brain damage and physical injuries, conflicts of his medical care led to an eight-year legal battle between Martin Memorial Medical Center and Montejo Gaspar Montejo, his appointed guardian. Due to federal regulations, Martin Memorial Hospital was required to provide critical care to Luis Jimenez who was an illegal immigrant. EMTALA requires hospitals to provide an appropriate medical screening and necessary treatment to anyone who comes into the emergency room. Treatment must be provided regardless of a patient’s ability to pay or citizenship (Canedy, 2002). Hospitals are typically reimbursed
Social workers may try their best to avoid ethical dilemmas, but the truth is they are faced with ethical dilemmas every day. In case 2.14 a social worker is faced with an ethical dilemma and does not realize the true meaning of her purpose in the situation. Instead of focusing on the child’s fundamental cause for needing her help, she focused on ways to change his sexuality. The social workers' approach of the case was inappropriate and violated several National Association of Social Works (NASW) codes of ethics (The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, 2017).
This ethical dilemma we are faced with, is definitely a challenging one. It encompasses an obvious spiritual battle between scientific evidence and religious belief over the child life. The ability to make the right decision will require knowledge, planning and the expertise of the ethical committee. However, by law usually the guardian who has full custody over the child will be the one to make the decision, which overall limits the fathers, the doctors and others people involvement within the predicament. Balancing the problem by trying to understand the mothers view as well as the child’s wellbeing can open many doors to help.
If they need an interpreter, they have a right to one. These patients’ also need to be treated with respect and should not be discriminated against. The need to be protected from harm and neglect. Patients’ have a right to advance directives and the right to have care with the least amount of restrictive measures as possible. Because state laws can vary greatly the nurse is responsible for knowing the specific laws that pertain in the state in which the nurse is practicing.