Healthcare professionals have a duty to help people to the extent of their professional knowledge and skills and ensure that their actions do not harm the person’s wellbeing. However, in many cases, these professionals face ethical dilemmas or legal issues, which is why many hospitals developed policies that should protect their personnel from facing these dilemmas. This paper will detail the common legal and ethical problems that one can face when working in healthcare.
First and foremost, despite the knowledge and experience that a healthcare worker may possess, they cannot make decisions for their patients. This is an ethical problem of autonomy, where a person should be given the freedom to decide what they should do. For example, a nurse may advise on some effective lifestyle changes that will help an individual avoid diabetes, but the patient may be unwilling to make any adjustments. In more serious cases, a medical professional may strongly advise a cancer patient to receive treatment, while they may be unwilling to take it because of their personnel fears, religious or cultural beliefs. In any case, the duty of a healthcare professional both legally and ethically is to provide all relevant information and respect the decision that ta patient makes.
Another problem concerns errors and disclosure of mistakes since many professionals may be scared of the consequences. However, timely disclosure of errors is a legal requirement and can help avoid a lawsuit (“Ethical issues in healthcare,” n.d.). Moreover, it is ethically correct to inform a patient that some mistakes were made and it contributes to the improvement of the healthcare system n general. Overall, medical professionals face many ethical and legal challenges daily, and it is vital for them to respect the autonomy of their patients and report errors immediately.
Reference
Ethical issues in healthcare. (n.d.). Web.