Introduction
Ethics are essential principles in healthcare as they enhance the provision of quality services to patients. Through ethics, medical professionals are able to make sound judgments and decisions concerning the conditions of patients. Generally, ethical principles are concerned with doing what is morally right and wrong. In places such as surgery centers, ethics enhance the relationship between patients and surgeons. This analysis will discuss how ethics are applied in surgery centers by analyzing the Mayo clinic surgery facility. In addition, the analysis will discuss the background and structure of Mayo clinic, ethical dilemmas, ethical standards, ways to implement an ethical code of conduct, and consequences of violating ethics at Mayo clinic surgery center.
Background of Mayo Clinic Surgery Center
Mayo clinic surgery center is one of the best healthcare facilities offering quality surgical services to patients. According to Fye (2022, par 5), the Mayo healthcare facility was established in the 1880s by William and Charles Mayo. When Mayo clinic was established, Dr. Will and Charlie were the specialists in the surgery department. The specialists had worked at St Mary’s Hospital before; hence they had enough experience as surgeons. In 1914, the mayo clinic expanded its services, and more medical staff were employed (Fye, 2022, par 6). The healthcare facility developed an academic center that trained more medical personnel. By the time Dr. Will and Charlie died in 1939, the academic institution had trained more than 1500 healthcare personnel (Fye, 2022, par 6). Besides surgery, mayo clinic provides other services such as cancer, orthopedics, emergencies, and heart care.
Mayo clinic facility has branches in various locations such as Florida, Minnesota, and Arizona. Through Mayo health center, various campuses in different places such as Rochester, Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Jacksonville have been established (Mayo Clinic, 2022, par 1). The campuses train medical students by providing adequate knowledge and skills. The Mayo clinic health facilities in the different locations have the same statements of mission, vision, and value. The mission of Mayo surgery facility is to inspire hope and enhance quality patient care by integrating various aspects such as clinical practice, education, and research. On the other hand, Mayo’s surgery facility vision is to provide effective medicine aimed at treating complex illnesses (Mayo Clinic, 2022, par 1). Additionally, the value statement that helps Mayo meet its mission and vision includes respect, integrity, compassion, teamwork, innovation, and excellence.
Organizational Structure of Mayo Clinic Surgery Centre
Mayo surgery center has highly competent and proficient surgical personnel in the world. According to Mayo Clinic (2022, par 1), the mayo surgery facility has more than 300 surgeons and 139 operating rooms. The surgeons are distributed in different surgical departments such as audiology, dermatology, cardiovascular, ophthalmology, orthopedic, and thoracic surgery. The mayo clinic also comprises different leadership personnel, such as officers and directors. The responsibilities of surgeons and different leadership personnel in Mayo healthcare facility are discussed below.
Responsibilities of surgeons
Surgeons are the primary medical personnel at Mayo surgery center, working collaboratively to find the best treatment strategies for all patients. The surgeons work in different surgical departments, distributed in various locations. The primary role of surgeons at Mayo surgery clinic is to perform operations and provide patients with effective surgical care and treatment (Holzer et al., 2019, p.g 2). The operation is performed after a patient is diagnosed by doctors. During the operation, the surgeon’s role is to make decisions that enhance the patient’s health and safety. The surgeons work together when performing surgery on a patient. For surgeons to be qualified to perform surgery, they must have the appropriate skills and knowledge. The surgeons acquire their competency from medical learning institutions.
Responsibilities of the leadership personnel
The mayo surgery clinic’s governance comprises different officers and directors. The personnel is elected by a board of trustees who oversee the officers and directors in their roles at Mayo healthcare facility (Mayo Clinic, 2022, par 1). The branches of the Mayo Clinic in various locations have different leaders. For instance, the CEO of mayo clinic in Florida is Kent Thielen, while Richard Gray is the CEO of the branch in Arizona. The role of the leadership personnel is to ensure that the organization’s goals are achieved by motivating and guiding employees.
Mayo surgery clinic also comprises a surgical innovation center headed by a committee. The surgical innovation center enhances the development of technology used to perform surgery on patients. The director of the committee is Dr. Janami Reisenauer, a thoracic surgeon (Mayo Clinic, 2022, par 1). The role of the director is to foster engagement, collaboration, and discovery across all surgical departments at Mayo clinic. Dr. Janami also facilitates device development that aids surgery on patients in the Mayo surgery clinic center. According to Mayo Clinic (2022, par 4), other committee members of the surgical innovation center in Mayo surgery clinic include Benzon, Judy, Kyle, Susan, Robert, Michael, Daniel, and Ryan. The committee members ensure that all decisions made at mayo surgical innovation center align with the mission and vision of the healthcare facility.
Ethical Dilemmas in Mayo Surgery Center
Various ethical dilemmas occur in healthcare facilities, including the mayo surgery center. According to Torjuul et al. (2005, p.g 1), an ethical dilemma occurs when surgeons are presented with two contradicting options during the provision of medical services to patients. An example of an ethical dilemma is the cultural beliefs of different patients. For instance, some cultures do not accept surgery regardless of patient health. When patients from cultural backgrounds are taken to surgical facilities, a surgeon experiences a contradicting option on whether to perform surgical procedures on the patient or respect their decisions. A surgeon is not allowed to breach the patient’s consent. On the contrary, the surgeon is not allowed to leave patients to die. Hence, through the ethical dilemma, the surgeons are left undecided on the action to take.
Another example faced by surgeons in mayo surgery facility is the overtreatment of patients. The ethical dilemma is experienced when surgeons provide medical services to critically ill patients, especially those suffering from non-curable cancer (Torjuul et al., 2005, p.g 3). In this situation, the surgeons are presented with whether to terminate the treatment early or prolong it. Termination of the treatment would lead to the death of the patients. On the other hand, prolonging the treatment results in more pain and suffering for the patients. Hence, through the ethical dilemma, surgeons in Mayo surgery facility are left undecided on the effective action to take.
Ethical Standards for Those in Governance, Management, and Professional Staff in Mayo Surgery Center
Ethical standards in healthcare facilities are essential guidelines that enable medical professionals and management staff to make the appropriate decisions. Through ethical standards, malpractices in the surgery centers, including Mayo facility, are reduced. The ethical standards are different for individuals in governance and management. Similarly, the medical staff, including surgeons and physicians, are bound to various ethical guidelines. The various ethical standards for individuals in management, governance, and medical staff are discussed below.
Ethical standards for individuals in governance and management in the mayo surgery center
Individuals in governance and management in any organization are essential as they are the key decision-makers. The individuals are bound to different ethical standards, including in surgery centers. The accountability between healthcare organizations and the public is enhanced through ethical standards of management and governance team. The ethical guidelines of individuals in management and governance in surgery facilities, including Mayo facility, are discussed below.
Ensure that only competent healthcare professionals are employed
Healthcare personnel such as surgeons, nurses, and physicians are essential as they enhance the provision of quality patient care. However, the patient’s level of care is determined by the healthcare professionals’ competency. According to Balak et al. (2020, p.g 3), competency is enhanced through medical personnel having the appropriate knowledge and skills to provide quality care to the patients. Lage et al. (2021, p.g 2) argue that healthcare personnel acquires relevant skills and knowledge from medical schools. It is the role of individuals in management and governance to ensure that healthcare professionals are competent in their work, hence enhancing quality patient care.
Respecting employees and enhancing transparency in decision-making
Governance and management staff have the role of respecting all the employees in the Mayo surgery center. Respect is enhanced through treating the employees with kindness, loyalty, courtesy, and politeness. Respect for employees is also facilitated by encouraging the workers to express ideas and listening to their opinions (Martínez et al., 2021, p.g 2). By respecting the workers, productivity is improved as the employees are motivated.
The individuals in governance and management in Mayo surgery facility are also responsible for enhancing transparency in decision making. Transparency is facilitated through sharing information with all the employees (Martínez et al., 2021, p.g 2). When the transparency is enhanced, a pleasant workplace facility in Mayo surgery center is created. Transparency also enhances trust and good communication between the surgeons and management of Mayo surgery center.
Enhancing fairness to all the employees
The management and governance staff in Mayo surgery center is an essential department as it ensures that effective guidelines in the healthcare facility are established. During the establishment of the laws, the leadership personnel ensures that no employees, such as surgeons and nurses, are neglected and favored, enhancing fairness (Martínez et al., 2021, p.g 3). Through fairness, the employees feel engaged in their work at Mayo surgery facility. Fairness also creates a productive environment for all employees in a healthcare facility. It is the productive work that leads to improvement in quality care provided to the patients.
Ethical standards for professional staff in the Mayo surgery center
Professional staff in healthcare facilities are essential as they enhance the provision of services to the patients. Professional staff in Mayo surgery center includes all the healthcare personnel such as surgeons, physicians, and nurses. The personnel is bound to different ethical guidelines that enhance their professionalism at work. The ethical guidelines are categorized for patients, colleagues, and employers as evaluated below.
Ethical guidelines of professional staff regarding patients in Mayo surgery facility
Professional staff, including surgeons in Mayo facility, provide adequate information to patients on their conditions. Besides patients, their families must also be informed by the medical personnel. The medical personnel provide information to the patients by revealing them to know about the existence of their personal biomedical data (Kadivar et al., 2017, p.g 11). The ethical guideline is that the medical staff must reveal correct information to patients about their conditions. Besides the patients, their families must also be informed of the decisions that the healthcare professionals make. When informing the patients, the origin and usage of the biomedical data must also be communicated. The medical personnel must store the personal biomedical data of the patients in a safe, reliable, and secure environment.
The professional staff, such as surgeons in Mayo surgery facility, must enhance the confidentiality of patients’ data. Through confidentiality, the patients’ data is protected from access by unauthorized individuals (Kadivar et al., 2017, p.g 10). When medical personnel discloses patients’ data to unauthorized personnel without consent, they may be sued in a court of law for breaking the principle of confidentiality. The healthcare personnel must also ensure that all patients’ data is treated with equal care, fairness, and respect.
Ethical guidelines of professional staff regarding colleagues
A conducive working environment in healthcare facilities, including Mayo surgery center, is enhanced by all the professional staff working collectively. The healthcare personnel, including surgeons and nurses, must enhance values such as honesty, diligence, and loyalty to each other while at work (Kadivar et al., 2017, p.g 3). A good relationship between the personnel is enhanced through the various values, leading to a productive environment. The healthcare staff also has the role of correcting each other in case of unprofessional conduct.
Ethical guidelines of professional staff regarding the employers
Professional staff in Mayo surgery facility ensure that respect is highly accorded to the employers. Respect is enhanced by being loyal, honest, and diligent while performing their work (Kadivar et al., 2017, p.g 3). Besides being respectful, professional staff in Mayo surgery facility also inform the employers of different changes needed in the healthcare center to improve patient care. The ability of professional staff to air out their suggestions on possible changes enhances their involvement in the decision-making process.
Conclusion
Ethics are essential principles in healthcare as they enhance the provision of quality services to patients. Through ethics, medical personnel is able to make sound judgments and decisions concerning the conditions of patients. Generally, ethical principles are concerned with doing what is morally right and wrong. In places such as surgery centers, ethics enhance the relationship between patient and surgeon through the provision of the appropriate services. Through this analysis, the application of ethics in Mayo surgery facility has been discussed. The facility was established in the 1880s by William and Charles Mayo. As discussed in this analysis, the Mayo surgery center has more than 300 surgeons and 139 operating rooms. In their work, the surgeons are bound to various ethical guidelines. Besides the surgeons, individuals in management and governance also have their ethical principles, which they must adhere to. Some of the ethical standards enhanced in Mayo surgery facility include aspects such as integrity, respect, loyalty, and honesty among the workers, as discussed in this analysis.
References
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