Health care professionals experience different ethical dilemmas and challenges that can affect their aims. Caregivers, physicians, and clinicians who are aware of such issues can find it easier to implement evidence-based measures to overcome them. This paper gives a detailed analysis and description of the responses gained after interviewing a male advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). The exercise focused on the meaning of ethical issues for healthcare providers and the measures they implemented to deal with them.
Application of Ethics in Health Care
The completed interview presented meaningful ideas regarding the nature of morality and its implications for medical practice. The respondent defined ethical challenges as moral dilemmas that tend to occur when providing medical services to patients. For example, a nurse might be unable to offer adequate care to someone whose faith or religious belief is against the use of medical procedures, such as surgery (Morhaim & Pollack, 2013). Sometimes it might be impossible to get the informed consent of different patients. All nurses and physicians consider these four principles when providing adequate support and care to their patients: autonomy, benevolence, justice, and nonmaleficence (Pozgar, 2016). With such attributes, caregivers can examine complex challenges and make appropriate decisions when they face various problems. The interviewee revealed that numerous ethics obstacles were making it impossible for many practitioners to achieve their aims.
The respondent indicated that he always applied an evidence-based approach to handle ethical challenges. He was always ready to apply different ethical concepts, values, and principles to meet the needs of the greatest number of people. For instance, the professional makes appropriate decisions after encountering any individual who refuses treatment. Under such circumstances, his care delivery team applies the most appropriate strategy and implements a sustainable procedure to transform the individual’s health experiences (Siegel, Barnwell, & Sisti, 2014). Some other key areas have continued to trigger ethical controversies, thereby making it impossible for many health professionals to meet the demands of their respective patients. These include physician-assisted suicide, abortion, euthanasia, and childhood obesity.
Practitioners and experts in the field of health care should be aware of the importance of ethics in an attempt to develop superior models and philosophies to solve various ethical dilemmas. The ultimate objective is to ensure that physicians take a stand and support their decisions from a rational perspective (Nelson, 2017). The respondent went further to indicate that professionals can work in teams to make superior choices, solve emerging issues, and eventually transform the experiences of all patients. They can apply their academic and theoretical knowledge to handle ethical challenges. Competent physicians, clinicians, and nurses understand the importance of involving their colleagues, monitoring their patients’ cultural and religious beliefs, and engaging in lifelong learning (Tao & Janofsky, 2017). Such initiatives can equip them with superior concepts and ideas for dealing with every moral predicament.
Comparing and Contrasting the Interviewees’ Answers and Studied Concepts
The responses obtained from the interviewee appear to support the materials, concepts, and insights studied in class. Firstly, doctors and nurses have to handle perplexing ethical issues in every aspect of practice (Ali, Gajera, Gowda, Srinivasa, & Gowda, 2019). This means that they should always be ready to address such challenges and apply evidence-based models in order to deliver positive results. The issue of patient confidentiality arises when the targeted individual might be at risk. Many professionals will consider such a situation and share private data or information with the family members of the affected patient. The materials studied in class revealed that there was a need for institutions to have clear guidelines for empowering physicians and ensuring that they resolve such issues effectively.
The respondent indicated that it was impossible for practitioners and other caregivers to address every troubling ethical problem. This was true since professionals will always experience conflicting situations that call for different actions that appear promising (Tao & Janofsky, 2017). The decision of the practitioner might also be against the wishes of a given patient or those of his or her family members. The existence of such differences can make it impossible for physicians and others caregivers to address most of their problems.
The information acquired from calls and the one presented by the interviewee appear to merge since they support proper decision-making models, the use of the principles of care delivery, and teamwork. The inclusion of different stakeholders throughout the provision of high-quality medical services can minimize the emergence of ethical dilemmas (Pozgar, 2016). Those who consider the outlined issues will support the health needs of more citizens.
The class readings identified ethics as a form of reasoning based on personal values. However, the respondent appeared to view morality and ethics as synonyms (Siegel et al., 2014). The interviewee did not seem to acknowledge that people’s traditions and faith should override evidence-based medical procedures or practices. The course has guided all students to pursue ethics as a flexible concept aimed at presenting evidence-based solutions founded on logic and facts (Ali et al., 2019). This strategy will ensure that professionals avoid their personal prejudices or religious values whenever providing medical support to their respective patients.
Additional Resources
The completed exercise has offered evidence-based ideas regarding the reality of ethics in the field of healthcare. Some analysts and scholars have gone further to present additional resources or concepts for expanding or improving such findings. For instance, Siegel et al. (2014) encourage more practitioners and clinicians to take the issue of medical ethics seriously because of these reasons: they will become more informed, resolve disputes between colleagues and patients, respect each other, improve efficiency, and minimize levels of dissatisfaction or burnout. Pozgar (2016) proposes a deliberative model for making superior clinical decisions, exploring emerging ethical concerns, and engaging others.
The consideration of the principles of medical practice will ensure that all emerging ethical concerns are addressed effectively and in a timely manner. Professionals in the field of health care should understand that the needs of all patients should always come first. This means that physicians and nurses do not have to apply their personal beliefs and values. This kind of understanding will overcome most of the ethical issues many caregivers face in their respective units or settings (Siegel et al., 2014). Finally, professionals who make ethics an integral part of their philosophies will deliver positive results and maximize the experiences of the greatest number of patients.
Conclusion
The above discussion has presented the insights and concepts gained after completing the intended interview successfully. Medical practitioners should be aware of ethical issues that might arise in their settings and how to apply evidence-based measures to deal with them. The consideration of the principles of care delivery and expansion of philosophies can make it easier for more health professionals to achieve their career aims.
References
Ali, F., Gajera, G., Gowda, G. S., Srinivasa, P., & Gowda, M. (2019). Consent in current psychiatric practice and research: An Indian perspective. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 61, S667–S675. Web.
Morhaim, D. K., & Pollack, K. M. (2013). End-of-life care issues: A personal, economic, public policy, and public health crisis. American Journal of Public Health, 103(6), e8-e10. Web.
Nelson, W. A. (2017). Rethinking the traditional committee. Healthcare Executive, 32(1), 46, 48-49.
Pozgar, G. D. (2016). Legal aspects of health care administration (12th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Siegel, A. M., Barnwell, A. S., & Sisti, D. A. (2014). Assessing decision-making capacity: A primer for the development of hospital practice guidelines. HEC Forum, 26(2), 159-168. Web.
Tao, A., & Janofsky, J. S. (2017). Capacity, competency, and guardianship. Web.