Introduction
Ethical issues are encountered by all health care professionals and organizations in their everyday practice. Codes of ethics are a set of rules and norms of behavior regulating the external manifestation of the relationship between employees, providers and patients, their relatives, and other parties (Cocks, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to analyze Montefiore Medical Center’s code of ethics, compare it with pathologists’ codes of ethics, and discuss how their principles can be implemented in clinical practice.
Discussion
Montefiore Medical Center’s Code of Ethics is based on two types of principles: organizational and clinical. Organizational principles include creating an ethical environment, pursuing a socially responsible agenda, engaging in responsible stewardship, and supporting fair marketing and communication practices (Montefiore Medical Center, n. d.). Clinical principles include providing a high quality of health care, supporting clinical decision-making, promoting multidisciplinary clinical consultation, and protecting patients’ privacy. To implement these principles, Montefiore Medical Center has a bioethics committee that addresses issues of hospital ethics policy, reviews cases, and serves as a supervisory body. Its goal is to ensure the rights, dignity, health of individuals and determine the high moral responsibility of medical specialists for their activities. The center also runs a Bioethics Consultation Service that helps patients and health professionals resolve ethical tensions.
Pathologists’ codes of ethics were developed by several organizations, the most prominent of them being the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, the American Association of Clinical Chemistry, and the National Cancer Institute of Egypt. The core principles of the codes are respect for patients, strict adherence to the professional code of conduct, and contribution to the advancement of the profession. First, the codes emphasize the importance of respecting patients’ privacy and confidentiality, placing their interests above everything else, and treating all patients equally. Second, pathologists are encouraged to uphold professional standards, always strive to augment professional qualifications, avoid scientific and professional misconduct, and ensure a high quality of services (National Cancer Institute, 2017). Third, medical laboratory professionals have the responsibility to contribute to the general well-being of society within their professional field (The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, n. d.). The codes of professional ethics define the totality of ethical standards and principles of behavior of medical workers in providing qualified, affordable, and timely medical and preventive care to the population.
Application to Practice
In my work, I will be guided by legislation regarding the rights of citizens to protect health and medical care and the principles of humanism and mercy. I will be responsible for my personal and professional decisions and actions. To do this, I will continuously professionally develop myself in various ways, while sticking to the principle that the quality of service delivered to patients cannot be higher than my knowledge and skills. I will make efforts, in accordance with my qualifications and competence, to protect the health of citizens. I will equally respectfully provide medical care to any person, regardless of their background or other non-medical factors. Given my role in society, I will support and take part in events and activities that promote a healthy lifestyle (Riaz et al., 2017). I see my role as a leader in ensuring that each specialist within my department adheres to these principles and does everything to facilitate ethical decision-making. I try to implement this principle in my practice by making sure that no complex decisions are made by one specialist.
Concluding Points
Comparing Montefiore’s code of ethics to pathologists’ codes of ethics, it can be concluded that they do not contradict each other in terms of general principles and provide a uniform approach to ethical issues. Montefiore’s code of ethics focuses on the center’s role in ethical principles implementation, emphasizing its role in the improvement of the quality of health care. Pathologists’ codes of ethics establish the role of individual specialists in adhering to these principles and implementing them in their clinical and research practice. Both codes are based on the principles of respect, justice, honesty, and social responsibility. In my practice, I will be guided by the same high standards of professional conduct.
References
The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. (n. d.). Code of ethics. ASCLS.
Cocks, M. (2016). Ethical considerations in pathology. AMA Journal of Ethics, 18(8), 761–763.
Montefiore Medical Center. (n. d.). Montefiore’s code of organization ethics. Montefiore. Web.
National Cancer Institute. (2017). Code of ethics in clinical pathology laboratory services. NCI. Web.
Riaz, S., Ahmad, E., & Jafar, T. (2017). Ethics in health care settings: Practices of healthcare professionals and perceptions of patients regarding informed consent, confidentiality and privacy. Journal of Ayub Medical College Abbottabad-Pakistan, 29(3), 472-476.