Health Care Ethics Are the Moral Underpinnings - Free Samples

Question: What Is The Health Care Ethics Are The Moral Underpinnings? Answer: Introduction By definition, health care ethics are the moral underpinnings, beliefs and values which give us an opportunity for making health related decisions and choices. At the epitome of health care practice, the virtue of right or wrong and rights are always at play. In utilizing these ethical practices in health care, there are vital principles which give us a basis for making justified decisions. These principles include, autonomy entailed with honour to make decisions on right or wrong on behalf of the patient, beneficence involves actions for the benefit of patients or the population, non maelficience, entailed with doing no harm to people and justice in ensuring giving fair treatment for everyone irrespective of preference, (Post Blustein, 2015). In this case study, it reviews actions of health care professionals in delivering health care services in their portfolio, with respect to ethical guidelines and norms which might come into play. The case under review concerns health care mana ger of a primary health care centre, which offers health promotion activities to the population and is facing closure due to budgetary concerns by the government with assumption that that it does not benefit the local population with respect to budgetary consumption driving its existence. Body The ethical dilemma being encountered in this case is the conflict of self interest vis--vis public interest. The health care facility manager has intentionally manipulated the centres budgetary figures and is not justified within government ministry and faces closure due to budgetary cuttings and reductions. The theory utilized in this review is deontology, which subscribes to the adherence and obligation of duty when health care professionals are engaged in decision making. It refers to the obligations which must be adhered to in upholding ones duty on what is perceived to be ethically correct, (Zhao, Harris Vigo, 2016). Practice of deontology in health care ensures production of consistent decisions which are based on individual ethical set duties. This theory is an approach in health care practice of determining goodness or righteous from simple actions that we commit ourselves in, (Timmermann, 2015). In applying this theory, professionals in health care have the duty to act in a way that their actions are inherently good. Own actions should not be important as compared to the general good of the population In analysing the ethical issue, this case study adopts principle of beneficence, which is a fundamental tool in health care practice, ethical egoisms is not associated with health care. As practitioners in health care, the choice of this profession is with solemn good of helping others for the better good of their health. . The roles of the professionals in health care, is geared towards sacrifice and acting in beneficial ways for the public good. Acts of courtesy and respect to different values of health care for the population are crucial in managing health systems. For decades the rally against deception has been promoted for many centuries and it has been advanced by theologist such as St Augustine who claims that lie is a sin. With this view the modern scholars have progressed deception and truthfulness being translated in organization and in health care practices. Employees and subordinates often lie to each other. As argued by Gasper and Schweitzer, (2015), public condemnation and private practice has been a challenge in making wise decisions. Some types of lies are unacceptable especially when dealing with the health of the people. The health care manager has propagated lies and deception and in the formulation of the health care facility budget without full cognisance of the impacts it has on the health care status of the population and the surrounding community it benefits. The deception has always been promulgated as self interest behaviour, which promote success of individual people at the expense of others. Health care practitioners a nd professionals are constrained by the principles of professionalism with key objective of upholding the rule of law, (Kinsinger, 2009). This noble responsibility is maintained by high professional standards in which rests exclusively with the health care manager at the facility at the helm of power, authority and trust for the public. The community in the health facility are in weak and vulnerable states with perceived needs satisfaction of unmeant needs which are provision of health care. With this reference, the health care manager is simply flouting this basic rules of engagement and trust bestowed on him for the trust of health care access management role. Integral part as health care manager in any setting work is built on the foundation of ethics of beneficence. It brings the calling for action to commitment of higher standards of professionalism, with advocacy to uphold high moral standards and strive for the greater good. However in this case study, the principles of benef icence are openly flouted and self interest sets in, which undermines our fundamental ethical behaviour as practitioners in the health care delivery. The actions by the health manager are incomplete total disregard on the fundamental principles of health care practice. The milieu in health care, beneficence embraces humanism and respect for human values and dignity. Humans have access to right to life, liberty and access to access to health care, (Rider et al 2014). These rights have to be respected at all cost, nurtured and facilitated through respect and honesty. With concern for the patient suffering experiences, there is need for health decisions to be made in a manner that shows respect for the individual patience and respect to their lives, (Letwin et al., 2016). Health care practitioners are required to act in a way that contribute to the patients health and promote the well being and refrained from actions that bring more harm to the patient, (Toussaint, et al 2015), the health care manager is in deep violation of these acts and gestures. With this view, beneficence strives for best human care and self respect while minimizing doing harm to the patient. Benevolence has been at cross paths in the practice of positions of power. Power positions have advanced health care practice in both beneficently and in malevolent ways, (IMACE, 2017). With the legal empowering of health care professional which is often authorised by the society, health care practitioners acquires skills, training and expertise which enable them to make decisions in an authoritative manner which decries the moral imperative nature of the standards, as observed from the case study. The health care manager authoritatively subdues the moral obligation by use of power to influence key decision to tilt the scales on his side, (Bowen, 2016). Power and financial use have been intertwined all together, beneficence acts are not portrayed by partial withholding of goods and service for extension o of services for the benefit of gaining financial return. Health care managers need project management plans with potentiality to manage long term plans of the organisation. Their actions of the health care manger in the case study, reflects this habit of withholding public money for self benefits and interests which are now tarnishing the reputation of the health care facility. In upholding professional code of ethics there is need for deliverance of effective work within the health care framework. The medical health care managers and practitioners have the right to take into consideration the interest of the patients, with total disregard of self interest. Thus, maintenance of professional competence is essential in providing quality care to the general population. In resource allocation, there is need for wise use of health care resources. It involves practices which uphold transparency and equitable resource allocation and cognisance that use of health care resources have an effect on utilization access of health care resources for the general public, (Snelling, 2015). Resource allocation has been a major issue and concern in the public health care practice. It is a challenging phenomenon especially in rural set ups such as the community in the case study. Especially with the view of limited resources and fewer alternatives which exist to resolve the problem, posses a major challenge in health care practice. With varied competing interests there is need for sober handling of the problem. The decision needed in these settings for both the health care personnel and professionals are an up heal task. When competing interests of the care takers of the health care are prioritized, resource allocation can be jeopardized immensely, (Nelson Nelson, 2013). The decision can be at cross roads with those of the health care funding sources and the deep beliefs which inform the health care practice. In a study by Klugman , (2013), resource allocation has been shown to come in conflict with personal , professional and organization objectives and commitments. . T he resources needed will always be insufficient to meet the needs of the health care especially when coupled with individual needs, hence it means that limitation is inherent and there will be always an occurrence of artefacts and allocation issue will always be there. Traditional methods have taken the form of competing rights and duties with reference to cost implications. The problem at hand requires an overhaul that must e applied in this field of health care. Allocation should be initiated from a point view of effective budget formulation which gives priority issue in the material source, essential in the delivery of health care practice. The health care practice is always managed through gatekeepers of health professionals with the view of short supply of material source. Resource allocation should follow the ethical principles of beneficence for the better good of the public and the community who depend on the services provided by the facility. Health care resources are alway s limited and no amounts of equivalents can fulfil the satiety, thus health care delivery can run into problems, (Bredillet, Tywonik Dwivedula, 2015). With approaching this issue there is need for professionalism and respect for the human life and self interest kept aside. With application of beneficent and deontological principles, there is need for consideration of public interest and the general good for the people. These decisions of upholding health care practice ethics, which are relevant to professional practices, must be adhered to in line with the decisions taken. Principles of beneficence and deontology should play key role in managing the state. Truthfulness and openness for the general good of the people should inform key decisions in the health care setting. In informing key decisions to be initiated, there is need for openness and truth fullness for the best interest of the community and to safe guard their interest through justifiable means. Conclusion Health care professionals in health care management have the sole obligation of acting in a manner that reflects the foundational basis of ethics with possession of unique knowledge and ways of utilising the knowledge for public good. The practice of beneficence bears ground that right behaviours should be pursued in health care management. Prudent and effective managers need to keep high moral standards and professional ethics for the betterment of the community. However the health care manager acted in the facility acted in contrary and violation to these basic fundamentals. The moral theoretical framework has been crossed, deontological perspectives of doing the better good for the people is in question. The moral relativism reflects its principle of beneficence by subverting the role of professional standards. These health care standards have to be extended to the society as a whole and any health care practitioner who acts in opposite way violently to these noble gestures is at risks of violating the principles of protection to the general public. Theory of deontology which entails, making productive decisions for the interest of the community and beneficence have a key role in promoting the health of the community at large. Agents of health care practice should thus conform with the dignity of maintaining high moral standards to the vulnerable population. The need for choosing right or wrong has to conform to moral norms which dictate the status of the position. These norms have to be obeyed; the acts of the professionals have to be in accord with right actions. Hence the decisions of health care managers should base on sound judgements and evidence of best practices which promote benefits to the community at large. These judgements should entail strong sense of what is right or wrong, and putting the priorities of the population at the forefront. References Australian Medical Association Code of Ethics. Available at: https://www.ama.com.au/web.nsf/doc/WEEN-6VL8CP Accessed 24 May, 2000. Bredillet, C., Tywoniak, S., Dwivedula, R. (2015). What is a good project manager? An Aristotelian perspective. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), 254-266. Bowen, S.A., 2016. 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