Introduction to Topic Medical ethics has traditionally focused on the individual patient, the individual doctor, and the patient-doctor relationship. Today, most care occurs in organizational settings such as group practices, HMOs, PPO’s, and more. Consequently, insurers and other third parties have a huge influence on the exam room. Hospital cultures and policies affect what sick patients experience for both better and worse. This all means that the ethical quality of health care is profoundly influenced by the ethics of organizations and therefore we cannot have ethical health care without ethical organizations.
Healthcare Ethics Case Study Abstract Today’s healthcare professionals are immersed in an ever-changing environment. The advent of managed care, a variety of medical practice arrangements, and a multitude of healthcare specialty areas have resulted in the continual need to understand health care law. Health care workers are faced with tough decisions that require ethical considerations. The case of Jerry McCall, an Office Assistant that received professional training as both medical assistant and a licensed practical nurse (LPN), is an example of a situation that caused a dilemma. Jerry was accused of a medical malpractice because of prescribing a refill without the authorization of a physician.
ETHICAL HEALTH CARE ISSUES MHA/INF INTRODUCTION When it comes to healthcare ethical issues, there are approximately the same amount of ethical issues as health care issues which are to be solved. There are laws in place to direct the behavior of almost every person in the health care personnel chain, from the nurse to the nurses aide who assists them and the doctor who ultimately gets to try and make the decisions to treat within the confines of the insurance system ruling over the life of the patient . In the health care field , these issues range from insurance coverage , senior care , childhood , immunization , health care reforms , morality , honesty , benefice etc. In this era of medical technology and high advancement in the medical field , constantly changing modes for communication and expanding roles for any health care professionals such as nurse , doctor , pharmacist , dentist etc. there are many legal and ethical challenges experienced on a daily basis, many of which are directly linked to legislative charges regarding the patients confidentiality issues and the ethics of medical technologies.
Moreover, it is postulated within the literature that without medication, consumers will endure deterioration of their mental illness and these deteriorations may become more difficult to treat (Drach-Zahavy & Pud, 2010; Happell, Manias & Roper, 2004; Lavelle & Tusaie, 2011). Thus, it is imperative that consumers receive the correct medication. However, in current practice errors still occur. Medication errors are associated with significant rates of mental health issues and it is this population that may be particularly susceptible to medication errors due to various factors (Lavelle & Tusaie, 2011; Maidment & Parmentier, 2009; Ito & Yamasumi, 2003). This paper will explore factors that contribute to medication errors and their effects on mental health nurses.
- Barriers to effective team working In this essay I will be using the Gribbs reflective cycle (Reid, 1994: see appendix 1) to structure my reflection on a clinical incident that occurred during placement. Because of NMC (2008) guideless on confidentiality, a pseudonym of Ms. Hope has been employed instead of the patient’s name to preserve the privacy of the patient. Ms. Hope was an emergency admission who had an extensive past medical history. This essay will examine the confrontation that occurred during a routine explanation of a malignancy between Ms. Hope and a Surgical Multi-disciplinary team. I will discuss how personal ideas and opinions due to previous experience and past history may create barriers and thus hinder communication outcomes.
However, because thousands of new drugs have been developed recently, because the health care environment is increasingly complex, and because the patients are older and often sicker, there is increasing risk for medication errors in hospitals. They occur most frequently at the prescribing and administration stages. Medication errors occur in all health care systems; and often result in serious patient harm or deaths are the focus because this is an issue for most hospitals. Serious errors harm patients and expose health professionals to civil liability and sometimes-criminal prosecution (NHS Jan 2004, p.9). The statistics of medication error consistently increases in health care sector.
In the second case study regarding the malpractice and negligence of a nurse, the primary obligation according to the ANA code of ethics is to the patient. Provisions II and IV of the ANA code of ethics states that the nurse is responsible to provide optimum patient care and the primary commitments are to the patient. “Business priorities may be pressing in the organization, and powerful enough to cause conflict of interests.” (Lachman, 2009). Therefore, it is important for the RN to maintain integrity as a professional and act in
Feature Effects of interruptions to nurses during medication administration Janette Bennett and colleagues explain why interrupting nurses, particularly when they are administering drugs, can affect the quality of the care they provide Summary Medication errors can occur at any stage of the medication process including prescribing, dispensing, preparation, administration and monitoring (Vincent et al 2009). Medication administration is acknowledged as a process in which patient safety can be compromised easily (Department of Health 2003) and it is argued that any distraction or interruption during medication administration can result in errors. This Policy+ reviews the contribution to medication administration errors of interruptions to nurses’ work and considers how such interruptions can be reduced. Keywords Medication errors, interruptions, administration ThE liTEraTurE distinguishes between three types of interruption: interruptions mid task and between tasks (Potter et al 2005), and system failures such as when the access of staff to equipment and supplies is poor (Tucker and Spear 2006). a pilot study by the National Nursing research unit, at King’s College london, has shown that interruptions are contextually dependent on ward layout, patient care, trust or ward protocols and the seniority of the nurses undertaking the tasks involved.
The principles used in ethical decision-making and the Nursing and Midwifery code of professional conduct will also be discussed. The writer will be looking at a scenario within her practice exploring some legal and ethical issues that arises during practice, adhering to confidentiality at all times. A summary of the main points will be discussed in the concluding part of this essay. In this essay, the writer will explore a scenario of an elderly patient who had a hip fracture was admitted into the ward from the accident and emergency unit. Her medical history included advanced senile dementia and severe heart problems with a ‘DO NOT RESUSCITATE ORDER”.
Amputation Mishap; Negligence Medical professionals face many challenges when dealing with the current flux in healthcare and direct patient care. Circumstances can occur even to the best providers; incidents occur and cause patients undue harm. To differentiate between negligence, gross negligence, and malpractice will be addressed in detail. The article “Amputation Mishap; Negligence” from the Neighborhood newspaper will be examined. The importance of documentation and the ethical principles that will guide any nurse’s practice will be reviewed.