Healthcare ethics is a set of basic principles and values that are applied when making decisions about medical procedures. These ideas include such bioethics notions as autonomy, justice, beneficence, and nonmaleficence. These important factors should be taken into consideration to make recommendations and decide on the best course of action. The most frequently found ethical problems are those that require a simple distinction of what is right and wrong. However, sometimes more challenging issues arise; for example, in the cases when there are two “rights,” when a person needs to decide between different values systems, such as the patient’s against the doctor.
To decide in the healthcare sphere, it is important to understand the medical issues, such as patient’s diagnosis, treatments options, and prognosis, as well as their personal values and preferences. Each of these factors can become a reason for an ethical conflict, as they always involve different interpretations. For example, a family and a physician may have different understandings of the prognosis. According to this, the ethical concerns should focus on identifying an issue and trying to find an agreement in cases with competing values.
This moral approach is usually divided into two categories: micro- and macro-ethics. Micro-ethics is based on the obligations of individuals for their research subjects. It is a science existing in everyday interaction between a physician and a patient. These are the principles of the biggest importance which should be a part of training programs in medical institutions as all the medical personnel encounters the same problems on daily basis. Macro-ethics address the organization of general moral practices which include factors helping the process of healing, such as respect for people, the value of human life, and care for suffering individuals.
From a personal point of view, ethics in healthcare is standard norms telling what one cannot do in the professional sphere. Sometimes, it gives much freedom as well, as it can approve that one is undertaking the right actions. The most important elements of medical ethics are an ability to listen, tactfulness, and respect for the patient, which allow winning their confidence and making the process of treatment easier for both sides.
References
An overview of the legal and ethical issues in healthcare. (2019). StPatrick. Web.
Western Governors University. (2019). Healthcare Ethics in Modern Medicine. Web.