Preview

Medical Ethics

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2748 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Medical Ethics
The Importance of Medical Ethics
Shivendra Balgobin
Writing 303 SV2
The City University of New York
York College
05/15/2013

Abstract
When practicing medicine, there is a code of morality that is expected for physicians to follow. These guidelines are what are expected from a medical professional; however, some individuals do not often follow these rules. These guidelines are arguably some of the most important to be followed in the field of medicine. The data being researched shows that people generally prefer physicians who treat them like a person, by getting to know the patient on a personal, more intimate level rather than treating them like a number with no significance. We will discuss the definition of medical ethics and its importance to us as a society and as patients.

The Importance of Medical Ethics Medical Ethics is an important issue in society and the medical field. Typically medical professionals are expected to behave in an ideal way in which they are devoted to protecting the welfare of patients. It is expected that doctors behave ideally by following the ethical codes perfectly. However, some physicians have begun to act on a patient’s needs without his or her consent or knowledge. According to the American Medical Association, medical ethics is a policy used to “improve patient care and health of the public by examining and promoting physician professionalism” (Jeremy, 2012). However, some physicians take an action without the patient’s consent and while barely knowing their patients in a personal way. This behavior strays away from what the ideal physician should be and may violate the ideas behind what medical ethics should be. Medical ethics should be followed because it is there to protect patients’ rights and is a topic that is important to research because it is important in our society because we are trained to trust our doctors because we assume they are looking at our best



References: Elsayed, D. (2012). Medical ethics: what is it? And why is it important?. Retrieved from http://www.sjph.net.sd/files/vol4i2/SJPH-vol4i2-p284-287.pdf Jeremy, L. (2012). Medical Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics.page Jesani, A. (1995). Law, ethics and medical Councils: evolution of their relationships.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Medical ethics spans far past providing patient care and includes every aspect of the medical profession.…

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    If we seem doubtful of the assumption that one is morally upright simply because he or she has a career in medicine, we are struck with a seemingly viable counterargument: all doctors must take the Hippocratic Oath in which they “solemnly” swear to “uphold a number of professional ethical standards” (www.nlm.nih.gov). If we still remain unconvinced as to the universal rectitude of all clinicians, we are belittled and then told that doctors do have our best intentions in mind, as they spent years and countless amounts of money thoroughly studying every aspect of the human body. For why would anyone spend 12 years and half a million dollars for any other reason than to carefully heal and nurture the body of his fellow man? Most of the time, our reliance on “authority heuristics” is rewarded as it is noted that the “majority of physicians” take the words of Hippocrates to heart and refrain from “abus[ing] their patients” (Pesta 4).…

    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Week 2 Dq 2

    • 256 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Fremgen, B. F. (2012). Medical law and ethics: An interactive look at the decision, dilemmas, and regulations in healthcare practice today (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice…

    • 256 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Performing ethical behavior in healthcare by, for example, preserving patient confidentiality, medical staffs should respect patients’ autonomy, abide by their obligation to reciprocate patients’ trust, and preserve public confidence in the staff-patient relationship in healthcare. In a long run, patients who trust their medical providers to safeguard their secrets are more likely to seek prompt care for stigmatized health conditions and to disclose sensitive information necessary for appropriate treatment and diagnosis (Chou-Kang, C. June,…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    CJHS430

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages

    De Bord, J. (2014). ETHICS IN MEDICINE University of Washington School of Medicine. Retrieved from https://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/consent.html…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Healthcare is a diverse field with many specialties, but a commonality in all aspects is provider’s ethics. Ethics means following the standards and guidelines set by institutions as it relates to job duties, professional behavior, and patients. The decisions made by healthcare professionals, be it physicians, nurses or medical staff, affect real people and may mean the difference between life and death. The health and welfare of patients, along with the very serious aspect of treatment facilitation, requires that ethical standards be followed every step of the way for the health care professional.…

    • 1316 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Generally, the purpose of the ethics committee in health care is to deliberate and rectify complicated and unusual matters involving issues that affect the care, and treatment of patients within the health care institution (Morrison, 2014). Members of the ethics committee should be chosen on the elements of their concern for the welfare of the sick and interest matters, and their reputation in the community and among their peers for integrity and mature judgment. Ideally, the purpose of the ethics committee should be curbed solely to ethical matters. In addition, the ethical committee’s communications and deliberations should comply with institutional and ethical policies for protecting the privacy of patient’s information (Greenwood, 2015)…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hippa Violations Analysis

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Established medical ethics require truthfulness, honesty, and integrity. All professional medical organizations have a code of ethics that is to be adhered to by each member of the staff. The codes declared that information regarding patients must not come up for discussion with anyone not directly concerned with the individual. The matter of confidentiality extends to all members of the organization. One’s behavior must remain consistent with the nature and values placed on the…

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ethical Medical Practices

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages

    1. Brock has two fundamental ethic values, the first one being individual self-determination. This value gives the patient the right to make decisions about their lives. Self-determination is valuable because it permits people to form and live in accordance with their own conception of a good life (pg. 402). When a patient exercises self-determination, the patient is exercising their right to take responsibility for their lives. This gives people a chance to make their own decisions about their lives that would go along with their values. The other ethic value Brock talks about is individual well-being. This value talks about how the patient may think that life is no longer considered a benefit for themselves and that they have now become a burden (pg. 402). When the patient exercises well-being, they believe that their life is no longer of sufficient quality and even with treatment they are no…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Ethics in Healthcare

    • 2086 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is commonly referred to as Obamacare. President Obama signed this federal statue into effect in March 2010. There are many provisions in this statue including the mandate requiring all US citizens to have health care coverage. On June 28, 2012 the Supreme Court Uphold the Individual Mandate. Chief Justice Roberts voted to up held the mandate the provision which requires citizens to buy health care insurance or pay a penalty. Robert’s decision created the majority ruling approving the mandate as a tax.…

    • 2086 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Every health care professional faces ethical dilemmas from time to time. There are fundamental principles of ethics when we talk about ethical issues in health care: confidentiality that you need to respect for individual privacy.…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Healthcare ethics involves making well researched and considerate decisions about medical treatments, while taking into consideration a patient’s beliefs and wishes regarding all aspects of their health. The healthcare industry, above any other, has a high regard for the issues surrounding the welfare of their patients. This power over a patient’s wellbeing creates a mandatory need for all healthcare organizations to develop an ethics committee. The committee’s goal is to establish a written code of ethics that details the policies and procedures that determine proper conduct for all employees.…

    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    I reported the incident to the Ward Senior Sister and together we filled in an Incident Report Form (IR1).…

    • 1702 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The intention of this reflection is to raise a personal awareness of patients who have a chronic diagnosis and the importance of identifying potential issues surrounding their care. The model of Bowers (2008) will used to structure and guide the reflection as it allows for an accurate analysis, whilst acknowledging both good and bad practice. This model promotes forward thinking as well as retrospective study by future recommendations and the use of an action plan, which is an important part of professional development. Other models were considered such as Driscoll&Teh(2001) and Stephenson(1993), however due to the reflection being patient focused they appeared to ask questions that were aimed at the writer and very little about the patient. Throughout the research it has become apparent that patients’ with chronic illnesses have to endure and over come many personal compromises in order to sustain some quality of life, however occasionally these compromises are life saving. Experiencing this event and undergoing a detailed reflection of this situation has allowed for a far deeper understanding of patients’ experience of a renal failure diagnosis, and how they adapt to the gruelling regime that is haemodialysis.…

    • 3364 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Armando Dimas

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Ethics are rules of conduct and moral principles of an individual which have various origins such as family, culture, and social environment. Given the diversity of people in the healthcare profession and the importance of providing care that is ethically sound and within legal bounds, it is necessary to have standard of care guidelines that outline healthcare ethics. “The goal of health care ethics is to provide health care professionals with moral guidelines that any rational person would recognize as worthy ones to follow” (Tong, 2007, p.6).…

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics