Question

You now hold a position of power in our health care system. (You choose which position.) What three changes could you realistically attempt to make so that health care would be provided more ethically? Justify your decisions. Please write up to a page response.

Answer 1

Leadership often makes the difference between an effective team and a team that struggles or even fails to meet its goals. Being a leader in the healthcare industry takes a unique set of skills such as:-

- communication

- listening and learning

- flexibility

- learning and vision

Four basic changes which I like to make in healthcare ethics are:-

1). Autonomy:-

It is the ability to make decisions for oneself, also known as self-government. We hold great respect for individual rights and equate freedom with autonomy.The concept of autonomy has evolved, from paternalistic physicians who held decision-making authority, to patients empowered to participate in making decisions about their own care like they may refuse treatment given by the physician.

2). Beneficence:-

Beneficence is the act of being kind with the patient and other authorities.The actions of the healthcare provider are designed to bring about a positive outcome.

3). Nonmaleficence:-

Nonmaleficence means doing no harm. Providers must ask themselves whether their actions may harm the patient either by omission or commission.

Case managers can be accused of maleficence by omission if they failed to coordinate a patient’s care correctly—for example, discharging a patient to an inappropriate level of care or leaving a patient in a dangerous living situation. A key role for the case manager is to be an advocate for the patient and neglecting this role could be maleficent.

4). Justice:-

Justice speaks to equity and fairness in treatment. Distributive justice addresses the degree to which healthcare services are distributed equitably throughout society.

Comparative justice determines how healthcare is delivered at the individual level. It looks at disparate treatment of patients on the basis of age, disability, gender, race, ethnicity, and religion.

Principles of justice are:-

• To each person an equal share
• To each person according to need
• To each person according to effort
• To each person according to contribution
• To each person according to merit
• To each person according to free market exchanges.