MEDICAL ETHICS

What do you think? What qualities do you “expect” a health care professional to have How do you want to be treated?

QUALITIES OF A HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL Patience Tact Honesty Dependable Competent Responsible Team player Communication Empathy

How do YOU define Ethics The science of human duty A system of moral principles or standards that govern our behavior, whether true or false Rules of practice in respect to a single class of human actions Motivation based on IDEAS of right and wrong

The focus of Ethics is moral situations Situations in which there is a CHOICE of behavior involving human values …. SO what shapes a persons VALUES????

VALUES CULTURE SOCIAL RELIGION EXPERIENCE MUCH MORE…. Where are your values? Alligator River Story!

Why do we need to evaluate ethics in medicine? To help us reach a sound decision and to seek common ground …while… Allowing for different views and cultural differences without having to adopt all views

“In a real arena of health care, where families, patients, and practitioners meet, there are new issues constantly occurring, and there is unprecedented control over life and death. RARELY is there only one answer, RARELY is it comfortable, and RARELY is it enough”

How to approach an ethical dilemma Goal: to avoid bringing forth a prefabricated, all purpose answer, one that is easy and requires no emotional stand 1- Be aware of first impressions 2- Consider others views and the arguments used to support them 3- Keep your thinking flexible 4- Express your judgment precisely and explain the reasoning underlying it 5- Live with your decision And don’t second-guess yourself!!

Just a little advice… “Whatever you do in life, do it with integrity. You are preparing for the tests of life. If you cheat, if you don’t play fair or follow the rules, if you win by hurting others, then you have failed the test. You have won a “false” victory, a coward’s victory. It is hollow and the rewards are cheap”

What are some Ethical Issues in health care today? – Issues that do NOT have ONE correct answer – Issues that are based on a persons Values

Unethical or Ethical Part of your job involves working on a computer. Through your computer you can access solitaire and several other games. Occasionally, you stop work to play for min. Is this right or wrong?

Unethical or Ethical You have overslept one morning and arrive to work (school) 20 minutes late. You know your boss (teacher) will not tolerate lateness so you decide to tell him you had car trouble and got stuck in traffic.

What would you do in the following situations to maintain legal and ethical responsibility as a health care professional A patient offers you a tip as they leave the hospital A patient dying of cancer tells you that he has saved a supply of sleeping pills and intends to commit suicide Everyone is at lunch & a patient needs a pain pill. You are not authorized to give it, however the meds have been measured and is in the patients drawer waiting

Put Yourself on the Line Strongly Agree, agree, disagree, Strongly disagree – AIDS status should be kept strictly confidential in the health care setting. – You have the right to know if your dentist has AIDS. – Mandatory drug testing is an invasion of an individual’s privacy at the workplace – Using the technology we have today couples should have the right to determine the sex of their offspring – All Americans should have equal access to health care.