Healthcare Bioethical and Political Issues

Most workplaces are governed by rules, regulations, and anticipated standards of conduct.

These principles and criteria apply to all health care providers (Cherry & Jacob 2016). Confidentiality and lawsuit are two of the most common bioethical and political challenges that healthcare professionals face. The society is overly eager to invoke the rule of law at the slightest provocation in order to settle disputes, some of which can be resolved amicably through simple conditional covenants between the parties outside of the courtrooms. As a result, too many resources are spent battling court cases rather than diverting funds towards resolving the actual issues. It also degrades medical officers’ confidence thus prompting most medical personnel to practice defensive medicine. Similar issues facing healthcare providers will be discussed below under scenario 1 and scenario 2.

Scenario one

This scenario is classified as a bioethical issue. In this case, an impaired patient is admitted to my long term care unit despite having obtained a “do not resuscitate” order through the help of another family member via a Power Of Attorney (Bulechek et al. 2015). Legally, the visiting relatives have a right to survey my facility due to inadequacy to execute in congruity with my clients inclination. It is recommended to explain to the quarrelsome family members the aim of putting the patient under long term care. Memory impairment does not necessarily mean a “death sentence”, and therefore they should be made aware of the possible implications of their actions, explaining to them that their relative will only be only be under my watch while at the unit. There should be clarification that no attempt will be made to resuscitate the resident should it reach the point.

The power of attorney (P.O.A) tends to give one person (preferably a loved one) the mandate to make sound medical decisions on behalf of their terminally ill loved ones (Bulechek et al. 2015). With such powers, one can create living will or even a “do not resuscitate” (DNR) order. Such powers portend serious consequences should the medical provider violate patient’s wishes/rights. However, few are actually aware of such litigiousness rules especially among the common person’s mindsets (Cherry & Jacob, 2016).

Scenario two

Prenatal care is the care given to a gravid lady to ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy. Antenatal care is a humanly service that should be provided to all despite their social or ethical backgrounds. It involves regular checkups that eventually enable early detection of any potential health problems prompting timely interventions to ensure safety of both the mother and her unborn child. Prenatal care comes with a complete package of dietary management, weight measurements, blood pressure checkups, monitoring the baby’s growth rate and heat rate all of which forces one to incur some expenses in profit healthcare clinics. (Bulechek et al. 2015).

In this case, the client, a fifteen year old, does require prenatal care and is covered by her parents insurance. Being a minor, she can’t raise enough cash to privately pay for her visits. Confidentiality with any client is paramount though other health factors and considerations should never be entirely overlooked. As an administrator of a for-profit health care clinic, I would order the child to be booked and all the necessary tests done, explain to the child about her condition and build trust with the client. Gradually, I would try to make her fully comprehend her situation and the probable outcomes (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). Ultimately, I would link her to various social support systems and in time inform her parents since they are responsible for insurance cover and are bound to be affected eventually.

Conclusion

Confidentiality and litigiousness mandated in the current society is a huge hindrance to provision of healthcare. Both forces healthcare providers to focus on defensive medicine (doctors and nurses ordering extra tests to avoid being sued) to ensure their own safety. The above two scenarios are a reflection of common bioethical and political issues affecting healthcare practitioners. Despite the underlying requirements stipulated under the law, health practitioners should make decisions that prioritize the safety of the patient.

References

Bulechek, G. M., Butcher, H. K., & Dochterman, J. M. C. (2015). Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC). St. Louis, Mo: Mosby/Elsevier.

Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2016). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management. Elsevier Health Sciences.