Question

How do ethical principles overlap with legal principles? For example, informed consent is the legal application of autonomy. Are other legal principles the outgrowth of ethical principles? Which takes precedence should the principles overlap? Provide your responses in an APA formatted paper.

Answer 1

The ethical principles are good for individuals and the society. It helps to live a good life, differentiate between good or bad. Ethical principles makes us to follow rules and responsibilities which is for a greater good to patient. Quality of care will be the outcome if ethical principles are followed.

Same if the legal principles are followed it will also result in greater goodness and quality of care to the patient.

Ethical principles in healthcare are based on morality like beneficence which is doing good to patients who trust the healthcare professionals, make the patient take their own decision ( individual rights) is autonomy and non malefience which is not doing harm as well as prevent harm for patients. These are based on moral values .

The legal principles overlap ethical principles. For example , a patient tells a nurse that if he is dying he wants everything possible to be done. The physician and the family have made decision not to tell the patient that he is suffering from terminal illness and not to resuscitate him if he stops breathing. From ethical point of view it is right . If the patient is being informed about the illness ,it may make the situation worse. As nurse should be the advocate of a patient , legally it is advisable that patient has rights to know about his diagnosis and also he has rights to decide what plan of treatment should be provided to him.

In case of confidentiality the health care professionals legally cannot share or outspeak about a patients information. But ethically when a patient needs broad care , his condition should be discussed with other healthcare professionals.

Brunner & Suddarth's textbook of medical surgical nursing , 10th edition pg.no 28-30