Principalism is antagonistic towards the faith and religious beliefs of a person especially in the field of bioethics. The four main components of this includes autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence and justice. These are important issues to take into consideration when addressing the needs of patients especially in the healthcare setting. More often there are dilemma that both patients and care givers have to address in anticipation of a better outcome. Ultimately, the well- being of the patient takes priority.
The family involved in this situation is Mike, Joanne and their identical twins Samuel and James. Their situation involves making some difficult decisions for one of their sons. James had developed complication of kidney failure stemming
Also, nonmaleficence which is doing no harm, is saving the life of their son while not injuring or harming Samuel the healthy twin. Beneficence in this case involves offering the best option of weighing the risk. In this case it is dialysis for James until he can get the transplant to save his life. Finally, justice is giving James a fair chance of survival.
One of these components will be the principal factor in deciding how they will go forward. However, from a Christian perspective “disease, suffering and illness were caused from disobedience of God by interrupting the peace of God on earth” (Grand Canyon University, 2015). In this particular case, the parents have taken a decision to seek God as a solution to their problem, based on their faith and experience.
Of note, Christians see God as the creator and the ruler of creation. As a result, he is relied upon for healing and deliverance. Through the word of God, faith and testimony of others it helps to strengthen their decision to trust God with such a delicate
James is not old enough to make any decision or give consent to any medical procedure. As it relates to bioethics, the doctor is considering the best interest of the patient by not doing harm (nonmaleficience) as well as beneficence, which is giving the best treatment option for the child. The doctor will analyze this from a knowledge and science perspective instead of faith. Also, the parent has rights and they were provided with the information; so they will exercise their autonomy whether or not they consent for either procedure or further
Healthcare ethics is defined as a system of moral principles that guide healthcare workers in making choices regarding medical care. At its core lies our attitudes regarding our personal rights and obligations we have to others. When an unprecedented situation comes into play, we rely on medical ethics to help determine an outcome that would be the best case scenario for all involved. In order to appropriately review this case study, we must first identify the key stakeholders, the ethical principles, policy implications at the federal, state, and local levels, financial implications, and a viable resolution for the situation.
We were able to attain a verbal consent for treatment over the phone from the father. We will be admitting your son to the hospital for IV antibiotics and we will keep an eye on him until he gets better. I respect your wishes and religious views, but I am obligated as a physician to provide treatment to your son based the medical code of ethics and based on your son’s otherwise good health. I know this has to be hard for you to hear and understand right now, but we need to do what is best for your son. And even if your son’s father would not have granted us permission to treat this condition, we would have had to go about it another way to get consent to treat him, as that is ethically the right thing to do. I hope you can find peace in the decision we had to make today, and I hope you can continue to support your son as he needs you by his side during this difficult time. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask, we are here for you too, as well as your
Bioethics was originated many centuries ago. Ethical theories in medicine are the basis of bioethics. There are many different ethical approaches which causes much dispute. The imperical question is, what makes an act right and which approach to follow. The Greeks addressed the virtue of ethics. They looked into the good of the person and the situation. Ethos in Greek means, disposition and trait. So consequently they looked at eh person’s skills, habits, and traits. Compassion and the meaning of suffering are some other issues in Bioethics that can be argued. Choosing an act because it is right and also looking at the consequences are some other concerns. Other things to consider are what the patient and their families want. Their religious beliefs are also a major concern. How far should someone go to help a dying suffering patient who wants to take their life? Is it right to intercept and help a patient to die? Medical technology is ever advancing. People are being kept alive for years on support. This is a major topic of debate in Bioethics. Deciding if it’s right or wrong to keep them alive even if they are brain dead is a major concern. What constitutes a person a person when they have Alzheimer’s or brain damage? Are they a person? These are some of the major topics discussed in Bioethics.
We'll be deliberating two cases from an Ethical point of view so first we need to know the four principal of medical ethics
The four major ethical principles in health care are: Autonomy – to honor the patient’s right to make their own decision (the opposite is paternalism - the health care provider knows best for the patient), Beneficence – to help the patient advance his/her own good, Nonmaleficence – to do no harm (many bioethical controversies involves this principle), and Justice – to be fair and treat like cases alike. All 4 principles are considered to be in effect at all times. In theory, each is of equal weight or importance. Ethical responsibilities in a given situation depend in part on the nature of the decision and in part on the roles everyone involved play.
During the summer, I heard of a story that seemed very controversial and I demanded to learn more of the subject. The story covered by nearly all NEWS stations ridiculed the fact that parents are leaning towards faith-healing instead of medicine when their children are. Typically this situation becomes aware when a parent believing in faith-healing takes their practice too far and the children suffer dire consequences. An article that demonstrates the importance of change and awareness of faith healing is of two parents who are found guilty of murder after their second child dies from pneumonia because they prayed and seek people who claimed to have healing powers through Christ.
Justice is a complex principle, it assures that distribution of benefits and resources are fair among all patients. It also ensures equality throughout the hospital. Within the ethics principal Justice, are five conceptualizations, to each; an equal share, according to need, according to effort, according to contribution, according to merit. An example of to each, an equal share would be, if there were four patients in need of a certain type of ankle brace but the hospital only have three that could be used, they could not just give 3 patients and brace and let one go without because that would be injustice. So the doctors would have to order a new brace and wait until all 4 have arrives or the doctors would have to find a different solution for all four patients to be equally benefited. An example of to each, according to need, would be there are 2 patients, one patient is able to walk with a walker and the other patient is able only able to move around in a wheel chair, the doctors would have to decide if it would be more of the a justified beneficial need to get the patient who can use a walker one and a wheelchair for the other
With the guidance of their physician, Baby Does’ parents chose to withhold medical care and surgery due to the conclusion still leaving the child with severe retardation. “Officials at the hospital had the Indiana Juvenile Courts appoint a guardian to determine whether or not to perform the surgery. The court finally ruled in favor of the parents and upheld their right to informed medical decision” (Resnik, 2011). Because of the decision made to withhold surgery and medical care, Baby Doe died five days later of dehydration and pneumonia.
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political, and bioethical reasoning. Inside these connections, it is the limit of a sound individual to make an educated, unpressured decision. Patient autonomy can conflict with clinician autonomy and, in such a clash of values, it is not obvious which should prevail. (Lantos, Matlock & Wendler, 2011). In order to gain informed consent, a patient
The controversy with community water fluoridation arises from moral, ethical, political and safety concerns with respect to water fluoridation. As far back as 1930, there was a relationship inversely between the levels of fluoride in drinking water and existence of dental caries. Any practice like fluoridation, which uses the public water supply to deliver the medicine violated the medical ethics. The ethical issues associated with the water fluoridation include- balancing risks and benefits, presence of any other interventions with the same outcome, the role of consent. Fluoridation violates the principle of informed consent. On the other hand, in public health practice the principle of beneficence has more weight than the principle of autonomy.
The human experience is what connects people to one another. What we experience defines who we are and who we become. It also defines how we interact with others. The amazing thing is that not only do the events that bring joy, peace and happiness connect us but also those that bring anxiety, fear and despair. This brings to light the fact that God somehow in his sovereignty uses all things for the good of those who love Him. These ideas are brought to light in Jerry Sittser’s book, A Grace Disguised which is his personal journey of loss and the insight and experience that was gained in the face of great tragedy. In his book, Sittser discusses various insights he has gained, such as how Christian’s view sorrow, how families recover when someone they love develops a mental disorder, and the Christian view on suffering and forgiveness. I believe that the author has written a book that has many universal truths that can be applied to anyone’s life and they have the ability to bring healing to many. His ideas can also aid professionals who work with the mentally ill in becoming more compassionate.
Physician-assisted suicide refers to the physician acting indirectly in the death of the patient -- providing the means for death. The ethics of PAS is a continually debated topic. The range of arguments in support and opposition of PAS are vast. Justice, compassion, the moral irrelevance of the difference between killing and letting die, individual liberty are many arguments for PAS. The distinction between killing and letting die, sanctity of life, "do no harm" principle of medicine, and the potential for abuse are some of the arguments in favor of making PAS illegal. However, self-determination, and ultimately respect for autonomy are relied on heavily as principle arguments in the PAS issue.
The delivery of healthcare mandates a lot of difficult decision making for healthcare providers as well as patients. For patients, much of the responsibility is left to them especially when serious health problems occur. This responsibility deals with what treatments could be accepted, what treatments could be continued, and what treatments could be stopped. Overall, it considers what route should be taken in regards to the health interests of the patient. However, there are circumstances in which patients cannot decide for themselves or communicate what they want in terms of their healthcare. This is where the ethical issue concerning who should be responsible for making these important healthcare decisions occur if a patient was to be in this sort of situation. Healthcare providers can play a role in the healthcare decision making as their duty is to act in the best interest of the patient.
In the medical ethics case study given to me, Justin is new nurse at a hospital and has become great help to the other employees but he makes mistakes often. When it comes to medical ethics, it is important to do what you know is morally correct. We all want to be good Christians and make the right decisions but sometimes those decisions will affect others negatively. We may not always act how we ought to but those decisions do affect who we are.
The term bioethics refers to the moral principles used when one is making a decision while in the healthcare field. It is the moral compass that humans use to decide what is the right thing to do versus the wrong thing to do when faced with an ethical dilemma. These decisions may be based on principles, reasoning, personal beliefs, emotions, natural science, or other influential factors.