Purchase Solution

Clinical Ethics, Personal Ethics and Managed Care

Not what you're looking for?

Ask Custom Question

1. What are some of the goals associated with clinical ethics?

2. How do your values/ethics influence the care that you give or your actions in the work environment?

3. What is your understanding of the effects of managed care on health care resources in your environment?

List references.

Purchase this Solution

Solution Summary

This solution discusses the goals associated with clinical ethics and how personal values/ethics influences personal actions and the care given to others in the work environment. It also discusses the effects of managed care on health care resources in the work environment. Supplemented with a highly informative article, about the ethical principles in clinical practice.

Solution Preview

Good questions! Let's take a closer look. I also provided an article at the end of this response, some of which this response is draw.

RESPONSE:

1. What are some of the goals associated with clinical ethics?

This relates to the ethical code and principles that guides the clinical practices. Each profession (e.g., nursing, physician, psychologist, etc.) adhere to a different code of ethics and different ethical principles, although there are some common goals. One goal of clinical ethics is guide all professional behavior, which first mandates "to do no harm" called in ethics "the principle of nonmaleficence. Clinical ethics also has principles intended to direct behavior in a positive direction, such as showing respect for the human dignity and autonomy of the client/patient e.g. the right to make her or his own decisions, the right to be informed about treatment option, and so forth. In other words, the goal is to provide principles to cover most professional situations concerning the principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and fidelity. Clinical ethics often deals with principles and values directed beyond the patients, to colleague, the profession and the community at large. Another goal is to provide a 'COMMON' framework to help professionals make clinical decisions with conflicting principles. In fact, "a number of conflicting ethical principles may be relevant and applicable to any difficult medical situation. How patients, physicians, staff and family rank and value these principles and how conflicting rankings are resolved constitutes the main work of clinical ethics (http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/sum97pj/principles.html).

Can you think of other goals? Please see article at the end of this response, some of which this answer drew on.

2. How do your values/ethics influence the care that you give or your actions in the work environment?

Values guide all behavior, including professional behavior. Values are also embedded in each ethical principle. Indeed, personal values need to be subordinate to professional values, especially where they differ to any large extend. This is because personal values can bias treatment and clinical decisions, and that is one reason why clinical ethics emerged, to provide a framework of ethical principles to guide and analyze all professional behavior, which are intended to override personal values, at least in the workplace. For example, because of autonomy, patients may refuse any proffered procedure, treatment, or even the advice of a health care professional. Even though at the personal value level, this refusal is seen as ill-advised or even irrational, you would not counter the clinical principle of autonomy, which reflects the moral, social, and legal norms that hold that competent patients have the right to determine their destinies (http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/sum97pj/principles.html).

For example, if a patient decided to have an abortion, even though your personal value was pro-life, the professional principle of autonomy would have to override your person value that "abortion is wrong or immoral." However, a health professional is not expected to perform abortions if it is unconscionable, and something that the person could not live with. However, the health professional still needs to treat the person with respect and refer the patient to a health professional that can help.

3. What is your understanding of the effects of managed care on health care resources in your environment?

Managed Care Organization is an entity, whether it is public or private, which exercises overall management of the service delivery process (http://www.allenshea.com/careconcepts.html).

This integrated approach is about cost containment to some extent, and it has been argued that it is done at the expense of quality. In other words, health care resources are stretched and patients suffer because of it. For example, human resources, such as physicians are forced to work longer hours and see more patients in a hour, so the quality of care. Nurses and their time are also stretched to save money, and there is a shortage of nurses due to the negative working environment and making fewer nurses handle a more and more work leading to being overworked, fatigue and stress, which also impacts performance negatively. In fact, the number of medical errors has risen due to the stretching of health care human resources beyond human capacity without making errors and impacting overall performance negatively. Medical supplies and their distribution is another example of health care resources which are expected to be used sparingly. This too can compromise quality care. It is all about maximizing profit, and a system that is focused on profit, puts quality care on the back burner. However, others argue that managed care is more than cost containment, and done right, it is a highly effective system of delivery, which fails when HCOs implement only isolated techniques that part of managed care. This courts disaster. Unfortunately, mixing and matching these techniques--especially as implemented by different vendors--can result in complications and cross-purposes sufficiently dire to negate any cost or quality benefits. In such an environment, says Gould, managed care principles that are sound in themselves can begin to work against each other. Integrated management care can also delivery programs effectively and efficiently. Services and programs can also be considered health care resources. In terms of financial resources, however, there seems to be less and less, even though one goal of managed care is cost containment, but other factors come into play (e.g. aging population, etc.) (see http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0903/is_nSPEISS_v9/ai_11098640)

What do you think about managed care and its effect on health care resources?

This is not exhaustive, but should give you an excellent starting point.

I HOPE THIS HELPS AND TAKE CARE.

References
Davenport, J. (n.d.). Ethical principles in clinical practice. Retrieved June 25, 2008, from http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/sum97pj/principles.html.

Health Care Industry. (n.d). Retrieved June 25, 2008, from ...

Purchase this Solution


Free BrainMass Quizzes
Celiac Disease

This quiz will provide a brief introduction to Celiac Disease. Questions will focus on definitions and symptoms.

Test your health planning and program evaluation knowledge

Health planning and program evaluation is an important aspect of the Health Sciences' field. Organizations and communities must understand the needs of their audiences, and a way to obtain this datum is through proper design and assessment. This quiz will test your ability to understand the importance of planning and evaluation in the health sector.

What everyone should know about MRSA

This quiz focuses on what everyone should know about community MRSA. Community MSRA is an infection in healthy people.

CPR (Red Cross Standards)

Are you up to date on your CPR skills? Find out if you know what to do in an emergency with this quiz.

Labor and Delivery

Do you know about the stages of delivery? Find out with this quiz!