1. HA405: Leadership and Ethics in Health Care Week 2 Seminar
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Week 2 Seminar
In this week’s seminar we will cover:
Autonomy
Non-Maleficence and Beneficence
Justice
Looking forward to Unit 3
Moral Integrity
Code of Ethics and Administrative Practice
Conclusion
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Autonomy
Autonomy is one of the four major principles of health care ethics
Supported by the teachings of Frankl and based on the belief that all people have worth and should be given respect and self determination
Goes hand in hand with informed consent
Autonomy is also practiced when information about a person’s health, family or status is kept private
People deserve to know the truth about their conditions, so autonomy arises in this area as well
Finally autonomy calls for keeping your word and promises to others
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4. Non-Maleficence and Beneficence
Non-maleficence and beneficence are two parallel principles of ethics
Non-maleficence, meaning “do no harm” has been upheld as both a medical standard and a legal practice
The “do no harm” standard is extended to patients and staff
Beneficence is another aspect of the health care industry
Patients expect to be treated with kindness and charity and that the health care organization will act in their best interest
An atmosphere of caring should be extended to staff members as well
If the staff is treated with caring it increases the odds that they will treat the patients in that manner as well
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Justice
In a health care setting justice is concerned with doing what is perceived to be fair or deserved
This may be difficult in practice because patients may have an idealized view of what justice is
This happens because the health care system is a business and many factors must be balanced
Health care providers must be able to maintain the proper the fair distribution of justice to all patients
Do not forget the importance of your position as a health care administrator when it comes to staff justice as well
Even small things done carelessly can be seen as unfair
Staff should receive the same level of fairness that is given to patients
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Looking Forward
In Unit 3 we will be looking at Moral Integrity and Code of Ethics and Administrative Practice
To get you started we will begin a brief discussion on these topics
You will read and review chapters 13 and 14 on these topics
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Moral Integrity
In Chapter 13: Moral Integrity, we will learn about ideas that present what it means to be a moral administration in a challenging environment
There is no absolute definition of morality, but experts agree on certain themes
Morality can be seen as everyday behavior that allow us to live successfully with one another
Morality includes concepts like values and duties
Personal Morality includes the values and duties that you hold independent of work or social groups
People must not only make the best moral choice for the situation, but must also be responsible for the choice you made
The chapter also explores what happens when professionals loose their moral compass
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8. Code of Ethics and Administrative Practice
In Chapter 14, we will explore the Code of Ethics and Administrative Practice
We will learn the importance of maintaining a code of ethics and why many professional organizations adopt a formal code of ethics
A code of ethics is necessary because as health care professionals you will face situations where there is no clear cut solution
Codes of Ethics are tools to give you greater guidance when faced with these issues
Codes of ethics also serve as prevention tools that set boundaries for acceptable behavior
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Conclusion
Remember the role autonomy plays in your interactions with patients and staff
You have a duty to “do no harm” to both patients and staff
A health Care Administrator has to make sure justice and fairness occurs across the board
Carefully read the chapters on moral integrity and ethics and administrative practice
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