Read Me First



Read Me First HCS/545

Week One

INTRODUCTION

As you walk into the hospital management meeting, you hear that the ethics committee voted to deny an experimental cancer therapy treatment to a child. The committee felt that the likelihood of benefit from the new treatment did not outweigh the risk. The marketing director indicates that news of the denial has been in the media and she has been fielding calls by concerned citizens who feel the child deserves every chance. The hospital foundation director indicates that his area was willing to fund the therapy if the ethics committee approved it. When it was not approved, the funding was not authorized.

You take a breath and realize that this kind of ethical dilemma occurs in day-to-day health care management. There are many stakeholders with a variety of viewpoints on the best ethical decision, but ultimately a committee or a manager must make the tough decision about what to do in a given situation.

In this course, we look at the ethical and legal implications of these kinds of tough decisions. We start with the four major ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice, which provide the foundation of all ethical decision making. They are like the building blocks from which formal ethical theories and codes of conduct are formed and they are the foundation for strong ethical decisions. Ethical theories or models such as utilitarianism, rights, deontology (duty), teleology (ends), or virtue can also be used as guides in decision making. In addition, professional codes of conduct often incorporate these core ethical principles.

THIS WEEK IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE COURSE AND THE PROGRAM

In previous courses, you have learned about organizational delivery systems, marketing, financial management, and performance measurement. Now you will have a chance to evaluate the ethical and legal effect on the way health care is delivered, financed, and managed. This will prepare you for future coursework in leadership and strategic management where you will focus on making good decisions and exercising strong leadership within the parameters of the law.

This week, the focus is on ethical influences in health care. You look at ways to use the four major ethical principles and how they can be useful in making decisions. You also have a chance to analyze and evaluate your own ethical values, and how they affect the way you make important health care decisions. Your self-evaluation may even lead you to set some goals of ways to practice and improve your ethical decision making abilities.

HINTS FOR A READING STRATEGY OF THE ASSIGNED MATERIALS

This week’s reading focuses on describing the basic ethical principles. Pay special attention to the cases for consideration in the reading. The cases provide examples of how the ethical principles apply to day-to-day health care situations. Because ethical principles are important, as they are applied and used, this will provide you with the chance to learn a variety of situations. Pay close attention to the analysis that follows the case and contemplate how you could ethically respond to the case situation.

SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK AS YOU HONE YOUR CRITICAL THINKING

As you go through the reading and contemplate the basic ethical principles and how they relate to current health care issues, your individual values and professional decision making, and how you can better preserve morale integrity in your decision making. The following are some questions to help you think critically about these topics.

• How do the basic ethical principles relate to my individual ethical values and decision making?

• How can I apply the basic ethical principles to the health care issues I face at work?

• What has influenced my ethical values? How have those values changed over time?

• How can I use the information I read to clarify and reaffirm my values?

• What can I do to ensure that my professional decision making is ethical?

• What strategies can I adopt to preserve morale integrity?

• How can I demonstrate leadership to encourage moral decision making by others?

SUMMARY

In light of modern ethical and legal problems that seem to proliferate in the workplace, it is especially important to take the time to evaluate and establish an individual moral compass that is value based so that your own decisions can be ethical. The information in this lesson gives you a chance to focus on the four basic ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. The reading also provides a chance for self-reflection on ways to apply these principles in the health care setting. You can also clarify your own ethical values that affect professional decision making. This will provide you with a strong foundation in ethics and strengthen your ability to make strong professional decisions when faced with difficult ethical dilemmas.

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