Medical ethics studies moral issues that arise in the healthcare setting. Examples include end-of-life care, allocation of scarce resources, and conflicts of interest. Medical ethics is important because it helps healthcare providers identify and resolve ethical dilemmas.
In addition, studying this subject can help us improve the quality of care that patients receive. For instance, understanding end-of-life issues will allow doctors and nurses to provide better palliative care. Similarly, learning about resource allocation can help providers make more impartial decisions regarding which treatments to offer.
Finally, studying medical ethics can also help to prevent situations in which healthcare providers act in their own interest rather than for the benefit of their patients.
Introduction Physician-assisted suicide has been a subject of numerous debates for as long as it has been available. Although both euthanasia and PAS strive to relieve the patient of the unbearable pain he feels, the latter is the practice of aiding one with committing suicide rather than deliberately ending someone’s...
In the present day, according to international standards, all human subjects should be obligatorily protected in the case of their participation in research. However, the guiding principles of ethics and humanity in this sphere were seriously corrupted in the past. “Caring corrupted: The killing nurses of the Third Reich” addresses...
A quality and successful healthcare is based on customer satisfaction and improvement in the positive outcomes of the patient. Due to the thriving trends in technology in healthcare, there is client empowerment. The sick individuals tend to look for the best medical care available, and at times, the healthcare system...
Ways of providing medical services are constantly developing and changing to become better and more successful in caring for the population’s health. Such an aspect of medicine as telehealth involves using telecommunication technologies for various health services. Telehealth is aimed at medical care, training providers and patients, providing information, communication...
Introduction The issue of racial disparities is still relevant in modern society, despite several special protection laws and the ongoing fight for racial equality. The disparities could be identified in workplaces as well as healthcare systems and services. This paper will discuss the history behind racial discrimination, identify federal laws...
Given the multifaceted nature of consumer health and its moral and constitutional underpinnings, both moral and constitutional concerns must be considered. Regarding this, the undermanaged pain case of an 85-year-old widow admitted in a care institution suffering from significant osteoarthritic and osteoporotic pain proves to go against the legal and...
Euthanasia is defined as the intentional conduct of painlessly ending the life of a person suffering from a painful and eternal disease to let go of the suffering and pain. The definition applies in general terms and in medicine (Cioffi, 2019). Euthanasia is derived from the Greek word euthanatos that...
Vital organs refer to the human body parts that play a key role in someone’s life. When vital organs stop functioning, the death process begins, and depending on the organ, an individual can die in a range of five minutes (Cioffi, 2016). Some examples of vital organs include the heart,...
Summary and Explanations of Legal and Ethical Responsibilities The issue of managing a patient’s pain in a medical environment elucidates several legal and ethical issues worth a discussion. Physicians owe patients various ethical and legal duties during pain management treatment (Brennan et al., 2019). For instance, ethics and laws require...
Ethical decision-making in the nursing practice is an integral part of all of their activities every day. Ethics permeates the nursing profession, affecting virtually every action, as this vocation itself is primarily guided by the concept of not harming in any way. Taking into account not only the desires but...
Introduction Christianity and postmodern relativism have always shown significant differences. These distinctions are more refined in the dimensions of spirituality and ethics in healthcare. In general, the perception of Christianity is based on religion whereas that of postmodern relativism has various subject matters which obliterate the viewpoint of the absolute...
Research ethics may be defined as a specific set of ethical principles that should be considered by investigators while conducting research. In general, the history of research ethics implies the history of its codification” in scientific codes of conduct such as the Nuremberg Code (1947) and the Declaration of Helsinki...
Human civilization has thrived on this planet for centuries. With the need to coexist, human beings have rules that govern society, mitigating right from wrong. Ethics is anchored on the moral standards followed as a civilization. Depending on cultures and beliefs, ethics differ from one community to another. Ideas on...
Introduction Nowadays, the ethical dilemma surrounding the moral status of unborn children seems to attract much of the global media’s attention. Although the controversy surrounding abortions is nothing new, the recent developments in embryonic stem cell research urge the scientific community to start an active discussion of the place fetuses...
Step 1: Identify the problem The stakeholders involved are the sick minor, two divorced parents, and the nurse who is suppose to commerce the treatment of the minor following the meningitis diagnosis. The mother of the minor opposes the proposed treatment or religious grounds while the father is supporting the...
Issue Overview High rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancies among adolescents Condoms are one the most effective methods of contraception Condom availability programs (CAPs) began in the 1990s (“Condom availability programs,” 2019) Positive effects Controversies Condom Distribution in High Schools as an Ethical Issue Controversies about whether...
Bioethical principles in medical experiments are vitally important, but not every participant understands the related risks. Miss Evers’ Boys, a 1997 American film, demonstrates the disregard of human rights in medicine. The film is based on a true story of the long-lasting Tuskegee experiment, conducted by a group of specialists,...
People develop different attitudes towards euthanasia and its legalization importance. They use many reasons to support this idea for terminally ill patients to stop their suffering and stay autonomous. About 72% of Americans believe in the necessity of lifting the ban (as cited in Lane, 2019). Despite a variety of...
Code of ethics implies given principles formulated by an organization to guide professionals to conduct their business by established fundamental values and expected standards. In nursing, the code helps in shaping professional behavior by assisting nurses to distinguish between right and wrong when making their decisions (Park, 2012). This paper...
Any person working in the healthcare system should be familiar with the current ethical, legal, and professional frameworks to provide high-quality care. It is also essential to be able to review one’s performance within the team to find ways of improvement. This reflective account will discuss standard 6 of proficiency...
Introduction In medicine, end of life care is the kind of healthcare that a patient receives during his or her last days of life (Ellershaw & Ward, 2003). This may also refer to the care given to the terminally ill individuals whose conditions have deteriorated to an advanced condition or...
Introduction Suicide, whether assisted, unassisted, or aided, is a common issue affecting practitioners in nursing, clinical and biomedical fields (Bandman & Bandman, 2012). Although physician or nurse-assisted suicide has been the major topic of debate as far as ethical, moral, and legal aspects are concerned, nurses are increasingly encountering the...
Introduction In nursing, end-of-life care comprises healthcare services that nurses provide to patients with terminal illnesses and dying patients. Given that patients deserve respect during their life and death, nurses play a central role in promoting their dignity by complying with legal stipulations and professional ethics. In the provision of...
Introduction Employees are the most important component of a business. They are a crucial asset to the business since they serve as the primary machinery of the organization. Business goals and objectives can only be achieved through employee input. Employee health and safety at the workplace is therefore an issue...
The issue regarding euthanasia seems to be controversial and can be viewed from different perspectives. The ethical issues associated with this problem are related to finding the answer to the question of whether it is appropriate and up to a human being to decide to end a life of a...
Patients’ right to information Under the medical code of ethics, healthcare providers are under an obligation to provide truthful information to patients. In complying with the disclosure requirement, the doctors ought to inform the patient about the treatment to be availed and the side effects of such treatment. Failure to...
Introduction Telling the truth to a patient regarding diagnosis, whether desirable or devastating, is pertinent in the healthcare practice since it fosters trust and respect for the affected patient. Patients have much vested trust in their healthcare providers. They may lose this trust if they discover or suspect that a...
The treatment of patients, especially in the context of life and death, requires a determination of their moral status. The concept implies “moral ranking based on characteristics or attributes that tell us whether a being has certain rights or basic welfare interests” (Beckwith & Thornton, 2020, p. 504). Thus, such...
Introduction Nurses are key players in the health care industry and their services are critical to the delivery of health care services to the population. Professional guidelines oblige nurses to give safe, competent, and comprehensive care to the patient. Even so, nurses are at times faced with ethical issues in...
Ethical Dilemma Although the representatives of healthcare services are obliged to strive for the benefit of the patient and provide adequate treatment (Corrigan & Gorski, 2012), the patient or their guardians may be free to refuse treatment because of their personal beliefs according to the U.S. regulations (Demakis, 2011), even...
Why is Ms. Robaczynski’s act a killing? Mary Rose Robaczynski, a nurse from the case, has disconnected the respirator of her comatose patient Harry Gessner and was charged with murder. From the medical point of view, Ms. Robaczynski has committed involuntary passive euthanasia. Nevertheless, undoubtedly her act was a killing....
Introduction Proponents of euthanasia assert that a patient has the right to self-determination and have the right to choose to be assisted to end life because of pain and suffering. However, that is directly opposed to the belief held in the society that nobody has a right to end life,...
Background Contraceptive failure is defined as when conception occurs during a period of contraceptive method use. An unwanted pregnancy is defined as a conception that occurs during the time when the woman was using a contraceptive method (Mattenson 1995). Contraceptive failure rates depend on the method of contraception use preferred....
Introduction In many cases, terminally ill patients experience a great deal of pain and they feel guilty of being a burden to their families. They find no reason to continue suffering and make their families suffer yet they will finally die. There are cases where such patients request their healthcare...
Introduction to the Case The case study introduces the story of Judie, who has been the nurse manager for the last ten years, and now she feels frustrated with the work to be done. She, as a nurse, suffers from staffing cuts and the solutions made regardless the interests and...
Doctors and other medical practitioners supporting euthanasia do so from a particular ethical and theoretical understanding. Physician-assisted suicide can be looked at from the medical practitioner’s side, the patient’s family side, and the patient’s side. The debate surrounding euthanasia is about morality and, sometimes, the feasibility of the practice in...
Research involving human subjects is an integrated part of medical science. Apart from its practical necessity, it involves profound ethical considerations. The videos on the topic stress the importance of protecting human test subjects with the attention to voluntary participation, safety, just distribution of burdens and benefits, and informed consent....
Abstract This paper discusses the reasons why doctors have limited time with patients and the effect this has on the patient. The increased workload and tight schedule imposed on the doctor leads to reduced interaction with the patient. The patient experiences doubt due to the apparent lack of time by...
Introduction Nurses play a crucial role in the health care provision industry. Through their professional knowledge and skills, nurses provide health care services that enable patients to recover and regain their well-being. Nurses provide a wide array of services to patients and some of these services might lead to a...
Social media websites have become an integral part of people’s lives, which has implications for professionalism and ethics. Sometimes, specialists forget to carefully observe ethical values when using their social media accounts and it can contribute to legal problems and even discredit representatives of some professions. This paper discusses unethical...
Introduction There are situations when people should make decisions, the answers to which are unclear. In nursing, such ethical dilemmas frequently occur, and euthanasia, also known as assisted death, is one of them. Extended research is developed to identify “for” and “against” arguments about this concept, but even the representatives...
Introduction There is a myriad of ethical issues surrounding the topic on organ transplant in the present Medicare facilities. The issue of transplant allocation relies on the positive public view; indeed there has been evidence that the fairness of an allocation structure affects the organ donation habits and also the...
Introduction A tort constitutes a civil wrong, which is committed by one party against another (El- Ahraf, Qayoumi and Dowd 54). Law of tort is commonly implied when the defendant had the duty to avoid causing harm to the plaintiff as a result of an omission (El- Ahraf, Qayoumi and...
Brief Literature Review The search for a universal approach that fully reflects the theoretical and practical information available on the provision of medical care during the transition period is not the least in academic literature. In part, this is because, with the development of clinical practice, the age of patients...
The dilemma of withholding information has caused several heated debates in healthcare studies. Many people would consider concealing information from the patient a serious offence which can cause serious harm. Moreover, withholding information can be regarded as undermining of patient’s independence and later can place mistrust in doctors which is...
The general conception of any inquiry field implies that a certain kind of knowledge should be developed in this field as well as the manners in which this knowledge should be organized and applied. According to Carper (1978), “the body of knowledge that serves as the rationale for nursing practice...
The right to healthy living and its protection as a fundamental human right is enshrined in the main international human rights standards and most countries’ national legislation. At the same time, the development of new drugs is associated with the need to test their properties, and at a particular stage...
Christian View The Christian philosophy has a very rigid stance on abortion, mainly due to the meaning with which it imbues the concept of human life. From the perspective of the Christian philosophy, a person is a product and manifestation of the love of God, hence the sanctity of any...
The Scenario Marlene is a 15-year old girl who feels unwell after a night out with her boyfriend during which time they had sexual intercourse. Marlene suffers chronic stomach pains for a week afterward, and, fearing that she might be pregnant, attends her GP, Dr. Scott. Before revealing anything about...
Introduction Theory and research are critical elements in nursing practice, in particular, because they reinforce each other. Nursing practice is enhanced by understanding various interdisciplinary theories. Applying evidence from nursing research is a vital tool for enhancing clinical outcomes. Research designs are key concepts for good nursing research practice as...
Uniform Determination of Death Act Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA) is a document that was established in 1981 by the President’s Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research. The central aim of the act was to establish the legal standard (for all...
The highly innovational data collection is one of the most useful and controversial measures invented by people. Privacy concerns have already arisen the problems in social networks, which might sell the users’ data to third parties. Similar worries have awoken for the value of big data in medicine as it...
Introduction Citizens of the United States must have equal opportunities in health care. There are a lot of determinants that could cause illness or health. Little attention has been paid to the social factors, for example, economic stability and community context. A program Healthy People 2020 aims to promote good...
Introduction The development of codes of ethics resulted in certain competence expected from health care professionals in medical practice and research. An advanced nursing practitioner should be aware of ethical dilemmas that might occur on an everyday basis or in the process of conducting a study during which research demands...
Introduction The process of beginning of a new life is still a mystery both for religious doctrines and for the modern scientific community. At the same time, advances in biology and genetics have shed light on the phenomena of conception, fertilization, and the development of the zygote and embryo, which...
Christianity teaches that people were created in the image of the loving God. The human is God’s not only beautiful but also the most prized and precious creation, which gives every single person inherent dignity and worth. For example, in the Old Testament, David praises God on his eternal grace:...
The morality or immorality of abortion is often a resonating issue for discussion (Johnstone, 2015). In my point of view, abortion is morally justified but needs serious consideration. Any human being is capable of making a mistake. Even more so, mistakes are a great part of human life and a...
For many years, human beings have been striving to find ways of prolonging and enhancing their lives through extensive researches. It is of paramount importance to note that the endless search for ways to protect lives from being lost is because once a person dies there is no way of...
Withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment has been an extremely controversial issue for a long time. Half of the international community sees it as an act of mercy, while another believes that this act is murder in its nature. To decide which is which, one should consider a range of circumstances: the...
The generic definition of euthanasia states that it is an omission or an action that, by intension or itself, causes death alleviating suffer. Its bioethical meaning says that it is a deliberate action taken to assist in ending or end the individual’s life on a compassionate basis. Catholic health care...
The Affordable Care Act The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act or ACA) also known as Obamacare is the federal statute of the United States allowed to function in the law by Barack Obama that focuses on providing better health care. Since the 1965 passage of Medicare...
In the contemporary world, substance use has become one of the leading health concerns for the population. Teenagers and young adults are especially vulnerable to substance misuse. Substance use among adolescents can cause long-term health problems or even lead to death. Thus, it is vital to prepare nursing professionals for...
Article 1 In her article “Health care research in context: Global influences and individual Aspirations”, Veronica Bishop argues that the conditions existing in modern-day global society cause the importance of developing new strategies in addressing health care issues. As people from different countries come to have more and more political,...
Introduction People have a responsibility of ensuring they live healthy lives, interact positively and do what society expects from them. Responsible people make life easy for others and themselves because they are less likely to have conflicts and when they occur they can solve them easily. Nurses have various responsibilities...
In the selected hypothetical case, a patient named Roderick Clark, a 66-year-old man diagnosed with cancer, receives chemotherapy and does not seem to cope with the treatment successfully. The adverse effects of chemotherapy, including nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and peripheral neuropathy, are evidently intense in Mr. Clark’s case. Nurses provide...
Abstract Euthanasia is an issue that has stirred a lot of controversy in many countries and at international forums as to whether it should be legalized or illegalized. This has led to many justifications to support either sides by the proponents and the opponents of its legalization. This essay is...
Informed consent is a basic requirement for many medical procedures. Jessica De Bord, in her article about informed consent, gives it this definition: Informed consent is the process by which the treating healthcare provider discloses appropriate information to a competent patient so that the patient may make a voluntary choice...
Assisted suicide is one of the most controversial topics in the field of health care. There are valid arguments presented on both sides of the discussion, and depending on the personal beliefs of the medical professional, it may either sound like an act of great mercy or incredibly dangerous practice...
The eugenics movement is an extremely tragic time in the history of health care. Its ideas led to not only some of the worst atrocities of World War Two but also several harmful events in pre-war and post-war periods. I always believed that this was a completely unethical practice that...
Research on experiences of intensive care nurses has revealed good death as one which is extremely trouble-free and where self-esteem and ease of patients were given due attention. Family involvement and complacency with care also greatly factor in. for, patients at the last terminal of life, sustained care and communication...
Abortion and the moral status of a human embryo are two of the most significant matters in bioethics. Nowadays, a plethora of ethical theories that either support or oppose the decision to terminate pregnancy exist, and they frequently contradict each other. The differences in views between purely scientific and theological...
Nowadays abortion has turned into one of the most intensively and diversely discussed problems of the theory of ethics. However, the philosophical and scientific sophistication of this discussion does not mean that the problem of the artificial termination of pregnancy becomes clearer. The defenders of the right to abortion and...
Introduction Life is a gift and it is the right of every individual to lead a good, healthy, and peaceful life. Life is meant to be respected, conserved, and improved in every way possible. However, when an individual’s potential for meaningful, blissful, advantageous life has come to an end and...
Introduction Incidents of Workplace Violence Against Healthcare Practitioners are extremely common in the United States. Moreover, it is observed that US hospital employees are at a higher risk of injury due to violence than employees in other industries (Arnetz et al., 2017). Considering that workplace violence threatens the health and...
The case at hand covers an issue of social trust to politicians. Members of Vice President Cheney’s staff ordered editing out six pages of the testimony on the health concerns of global warming. Headlines as such inevitably undermine both my personal and public opinion of politicians. Those people who are...
In the case study “Healing and Autonomy,” a Christian family had to decide on the treatment of 8-year-old James suffering from acute glomerulonephritis and kidney failure. The physician recommended temporary dialysis to alleviate the symptoms, yet James’ parents, Mike and Joanne, preferred to refer to faith healing services first. A...
Ethical principles are vital and their role in all sectors of humanity cannot be underscored. Scholars such as Goetghebeur, Wagner, Bond, and Hofmann (2015) have defined ethics as guidelines and policies that govern the behavior of individuals in workplaces, learning institutions, and societies. In healthcare facilities, ethical principles direct the...
Scientists all over the world do their best to invent new ways of preventing and treating the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) to save millions of human lives in both developed and developing countries. However, it is often the case that introducing innovative prevention methods,...
Introduction Diverse reforms and those that involve socially significant areas of life in particular frequently result in conflicts during their implementation. Health care reform in the United States, also known as the Affordable Care Act, brought in conflicts with an ethical background in addition to positive changes. This paper analyzes...
Nurses are often presented with complicated cases and decisions they must make immediately. Their responsibilities include the duty to keep other people out of rooms where their relatives stay in the PACU. The following discussion will reflect my opinion and possible actions in the situation with the dying woman. Discussion...
Death has always been one of the greatest mysteries for people. Being not able to cognize this phenomenon and having no idea what happens to a person after death, communities created multiple myths to explain this issue and eliminate individuals fear of dying. These stories served as the basis for...
Do you think Ms. Robaczynski killed Mr. Gessner? Why or why not? The sudden death of Mr. Gessner raises numerous questions regarding the issue of mercy killing. The case study raises an ethical dilemma that should be examined from different perspectives. To begin with, Ms. Robaczynksi decided to disconnect the...
Introduction Speaking about the complex moral, ethical, and legal dilemma that took place, it is important to understand the details of the situation fully. First of all, the patient, Mr. Gessner, without a doubt was in a very difficult situation. His condition was characterized by bladder cancer, cirrhosis of the...
The issue of ethics has a special place in cancer practice. This is due to the fact that there are practically no situations of self-recovery in cancer, and the patient’s recovery depends entirely on the competence of the doctor and the desire of the patient himself. Public fear of malignant...
In their work, nurses face a broad variety of ethical issues that can impact the way they approach clinical decision-making. For example, providing care to a patient from a different culture can be challenging for nurses, mainly because they do not always have knowledge or understanding of the patient’s culture...
Introduction The determination of the moral status of a fetus is integral in protecting it during pregnancy and providing appropriate prenatal care. Numerous ethical theories assign different levels of moral standing on a fetus, according to the health condition and the duration of growth. A congenital abnormality is one of...
Introduction Nurses’ competent performance of assigned tasks is a key to quality healthcare services and, as a result, patient-positive outcomes. However, there are situations when the process of care delivery is complicated by conflicts caused by various reasons. The ethical misunderstanding that occurs during interaction among nurses and patients is...
The Four Topics Approach is considered to be useful when making ethical decisions in nursing practice. In my career, there was a case when the approach helped me to find a resolution of a rather complicated issue. The first topic to be considered was concerned with medical indications. The patient...
Introduction The majority of nurses and other healthcare professionals recognize the significance of moral and ethical principles for effective medical practice performance. The role of the healthcare professional includes being the person with moral standards which affect the quality of his actions and relationships with patients. The importance of the...
Introduction The modern world is full of various issues that influence many people in different ways. Among these topics, abortion regularly raises a few questions because it has both supporters and objectors. Now, there is no precise point of view on whether a person has the right to take the...
Introduction Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS), the death of a patient as a result of being aided to undertake a life-ending act by a physician, is a contentious issue of importance in society. The act presents diverging views which are a result of the moral grounds of the values held by individuals...
Pressing Issues: The Christian Perspective Because of significant advances that have been made over centuries, people that follow set Christian principles rigidly may face a dilemma when dealing with health-related issues, as the case under analysis shows. The concept of organ donation and transplanting is a question of, especially convoluted...
Introduction Contradictions arising among participants in the treatment process may cause dangerous consequences. As an example, the case of James, a boy suffering from chronic kidney disease, will be considered. His parents deliberately slow the course of treatment and count on God’s help in healing; however, despite their belief, the...