Healthcare Ethics
1. Explain how the Patient Bill of Rights applies to this situation. The Patient’s Bill of Rights applies to the situation because a individual has the right to make sound decisions own their own if competent. A patients bill of rights statement is a statement of the rights to which patients are entitled as recipients of medical care.
Typically, a statement articulates the positive rights which doctors and hospitals ought to provide patients, thereby providing information, offering fair treatment, and granting them autonomy over medical decisions. there are six values that are commonly applied to medical ethics (Showalter, 2008).
2. Based on the facts given in the scenario, would the patient be considered competent to decide? Explain your answer. No, according to the principle of autonomy recognizes the rights of individuals to self determination. This is determined by society’s respect for individuals ability to make informed decisions about personal matters. Autonomy has become more important as social values have shifted to define medical quality in terms of outcomes that are important to the patient rather than medical professionals ( Brody, 1988).
The rise in autonomy can be seen as a social reaction to a “paternalistic” tradition within healthcare. Never-the-less there are conflicts between autonomy and beneficence when patients disagree with the recommendations that health care professionals believe are in the patients best interest. In the case of a patients interest conflicting with the patients welfare, many different societies would handle in a variety of ways ( Brody, 1988). For example, western medicine generally defers to the wishes of a mentally competent patient to make his own decisions, even in most cases where the medical team believes that he or she is not acting in his own best interests. However, many other societies prioritize beneficence over autonomy. An example would be when a patient such as June in this case
Typically, a statement articulates the positive rights which doctors and hospitals ought to provide patients, thereby providing information, offering fair treatment, and granting them autonomy over medical decisions. there are six values that are commonly applied to medical ethics (Showalter, 2008).
2. Based on the facts given in the scenario, would the patient be considered competent to decide? Explain your answer. No, according to the principle of autonomy recognizes the rights of individuals to self determination. This is determined by society’s respect for individuals ability to make informed decisions about personal matters. Autonomy has become more important as social values have shifted to define medical quality in terms of outcomes that are important to the patient rather than medical professionals ( Brody, 1988).
The rise in autonomy can be seen as a social reaction to a “paternalistic” tradition within healthcare. Never-the-less there are conflicts between autonomy and beneficence when patients disagree with the recommendations that health care professionals believe are in the patients best interest. In the case of a patients interest conflicting with the patients welfare, many different societies would handle in a variety of ways ( Brody, 1988). For example, western medicine generally defers to the wishes of a mentally competent patient to make his own decisions, even in most cases where the medical team believes that he or she is not acting in his own best interests. However, many other societies prioritize beneficence over autonomy. An example would be when a patient such as June in this case
References: Brody, B. A. (1988). Life and Death Decision Making. New York: Oxford University Press. Showalter, J. S. (2008). The Law of Healthcare Administration (5th.). Chicago, IL. Health Administration Press. Veatch, R. M. (1988). A Theory of Medical Ethics. New York: Basic Books.