Health facilities must comply with medical laws to provide treatment services to patients. Medical professionals ought to offer quality healthcare services to patients to protect them from legal problems due to non-compliance. Some of the most prominent ethical and legal issues in the provision of treatment services include:
- The absence of a patient’s confidential and medical information from a hospital’s records;
- The use of outdated surgical tools and medical instruments on patients;
- The provision of medical services based on race, economic status, gender or any other form of discrimination.
For instance, it is considered legally and ethically problematic when a medical professional offers discriminatory medical services. Medical law provides that every patient has the right to quality treatment and services regardless of their social status. A lack of compliance with the code of conduct, including guidelines and policies in offering treatment services to patients from diverse backgrounds, might lead to lawsuits against the hospital’s administration.
Recreational therapists are bound by the same medical laws on treatment service delivery. They must comply with the code of conduct, especially in treating patients from diverse backgrounds, as a legal and ethical responsibility. It stipulates that service delivery should not be based on discrimination since all patients should be treated equally. Their role as recreational therapists is to offer wellness and happiness to all patients and protect their rights by addressing their limitations and illnesses through recreational skills. Therefore, they are as affected by these medical rules as any other interdisciplinary team member. Recreational Therapists are required to uphold ethical integrity as professionals by complying with the code of conduct in discharging our duties (Rios et al., 2018). They are also required to abide by the guidelines and policies in providing treatment services to ensure quality healthcare to all patients by protecting their human rights.
Reference
Rios, D., Kazemi, E., & Peterson, S. M. (2018). Best practices and considerations for effective service provision via remote technology. Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, 18(3), 277-287.