Ethics: A Code Of Ethics In Health Care

Introduction Ethics is a study of how decisions and actions move a human life (Husted, 2008). A code of ethics is designed and used in many companies today to establish core values and expectations of a company. They also provide guidelines for what is to happen if a code is ever violated. Management is required in order to be sure the details listed in a code are followed by the professional employees. Many companies have adopted a code of ethics because the behavior of individuals who work for them has a direct impact on the company. All businesses, especially in health care, are legally responsible for their employees and customers. The main purpose of a code in health care is to protect not only employees, but more importantly the patients

There are times when an ethical decision has to be made when there is a moral dilemma (Harmening, 2007). An ethical decision will be one that is clear, justifiable, and successful in the outcome (Husted, 2008). The goal to make an ethical decision will likely give rise to two important questions (Harmening, 2007). “What is the right thing to do?” or “What will provide the best solution?” Sometimes the most right thing to do will not provide the best outcome, but the decision does have to remain ethical. In order for an ethical decision to be made there are many steps that have to be followed. First, one has to be able to find and verify a problem. If a problem is found to be serious, management must then check to see if legal laws has been violated. The manager has every right to handle ethical issues appropriately if there is a violation in law (Harmening, 2007). If a law has not been violated, it would then need to be clear of what was the intent of the care provided. If the intentions of the health professional can be justified, the actions made would still be an ethical decision. An ethical decision can be justified if the decision made enhanced the patient’s life rather than made a decline in the patient’s health (Husted,