NHS FPX4000 Purdue University Ethical Dilemma in Healthcare Discussion

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Introduction:

As a medical professor, it is imperative to instill moral and ethical values in our medical college students. It is essential that they learn to apply ethical principles in their professional lives to become responsible healthcare professionals. One of the significant challenges that healthcare professionals encounter is ethical dilemmas in their field of work. In this paper, we shall discuss a case study that discusses surgical instruments left in people accidentally, which leads to an ethical dilemma for the healthcare professional. We shall demonstrate moral awareness, moral judgment, ethical behavior, and apply ethical principles to a possible solution to the proposed problem from the case study.

Ethical Dilemma:

According to the provided case study, the healthcare professional left a surgical instrument in the patient during an invasive procedure. The healthcare professional recognized this mistake, but they chose to remain silent and conceal the situation. The problem here is that the healthcare professional jeopardizes the patient’s health by not seeking medical intervention to remove the surgical instrument from the patient. They also violate professional codes of ethics, which demand transparency, honesty, and respect for dignity. The healthcare professional is therefore facing an ethical dilemma, whereby they ought to choose between remaining silent or disclosing the error to the patient.

Moral Awareness:

The healthcare provider’s moral awareness stems from an understanding of the situation they are facing and the moral principles involved. The healthcare professional must recognize that their actions have consequences, and in this case, their actions could lead to harm to the patient. To be morally aware, the healthcare professional must also understand that their profession is guided by ethical principles that must be upheld. For example, the principle of non-maleficence, which prohibits healthcare professionals from causing unintended harm to their patients (Beauchamp and Childress, 2019). Through this moral awareness, the healthcare professional would recognize that they have an ethical obligation to disclose the error to the patient.

Moral Judgment:

Moral judgment refers to the decision-making process of selecting the right course of action from the available alternatives (Reamer, 2017). In this case, the healthcare professional must weigh the consequences of their actions and choose the course of action that aligns with their moral principles. The healthcare professional has the option of remaining silent or disclosing the error to the patient. By remaining silent, the healthcare professional is violating the principles of transparency, honesty, and respect for dignity. On the other hand, by disclosing the error, the healthcare professional is upholding these moral principles. Therefore, the healthcare professional’s moral judgment should direct them towards disclosing the error to the patient.

Ethical Behavior:

Ethical behavior is the adherence to ethical principles in one’s professional and personal life (Beauchamp and Childress, 2019). In this case, ethical behavior is the healthcare professional’s decision to disclose the error to the patient. The healthcare professional’s ethical behavior should be guided by the principles of transparency, honesty, and respect for the patient’s dignity. By disclosing the error, the healthcare professional is practicing transparency and honesty. They are also giving the patient the opportunity to seek medical intervention to remove the surgical instrument that was left inside them. This behavior demonstrates that the healthcare professional is a responsible practitioner, worthy of the patient’s trust.

Application of Ethical Principles:

To arrive at a possible solution to the problem from the case study, we shall apply four ethical principles, namely; autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Autonomy means that patients have the right to make decisions regarding their healthcare (Beauchamp and Childress, 2019). In this case, the patient has the right to know about the surgical instrument that was left inside them. Beneficence requires healthcare professionals to do good to their patients (Beauchamp and Childress, 2019). In this case, the healthcare professional should disclose the error to the patient to seek medical intervention and prevent harm. Non-maleficence prohibits healthcare professionals from causing unintended harm to their patients (Beauchamp and Childress, 2019). By disclosing the error to the patient, the healthcare professional is preventing further harm. Finally, justice demands that healthcare professionals should treat all patients equally (Beauchamp and Childress, 2019). In this case, the healthcare professional should treat the patient with dignity, respect, and equal consideration as any other patient.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, healthcare professionals must recognize the ethical dilemmas in their field of work and make decisions that align with their moral principles based on moral awareness and moral judgment. The healthcare professional in the case study faced an ethical dilemma of disclosing the error they made during the invasive procedure. Through applying ethical principles, we arrived at the ethical solution of disclosing the error to the patient. This solution aligns with the principles of transparency, honesty, respect for dignity, autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. As medical professors, it is our duty to instill moral and ethical values in our medical college students to become responsible healthcare professionals who prioritize patients’ well-being and uphold professional codes of ethics.

References:

Beauchamp, T., & Childress, J. (2019). Principles of biomedical ethics. Oxford University Press, USA.

Reamer, F. G. (2017). Social work values and ethics. Routledge.