Healthcare is an industry with numerous ethical considerations, for instance, a prevalent complication of end-of-life care. A patient’s end-of-life decisions remain challenging for professionals and the family. The ethical principles of autonomy and beneficence come into play in such situations. Autonomy is the right to make their own decisions regarding their care. Beneficence showcases the ultimate role of healthcare professionals always be positive in medical care. In end-of-life care, there are high chances of the various ethical principles conflicting. For instance, a mother may want to terminate their pregnancy to save her life due to her health status. Some patients could be undergoing a lot of pain and hence choose to end their life. A patent would be undergoing so through unbearable pain under chemotherapy. The patent may decide to terminate their life to reduce financial stress on the family. For instance, a cancer patient’s medical professionals remain in a dilemma since they must provide care to prolong life. Resolving this ethical issue requires a careful balance of the two principles.
The creation of our healthcare delivery system is a product of ethical factors. They entail the principle of kindness, client-centred care, and improving medical ethics. The focus on beneficence has influenced the development of evidence-based medicine—the medication majors on providing patients with the most effective treatments available. The patient-centred care champions idiosyncratic service to every individual.
The principle of beneficence has been a driving force behind the creation of our healthcare delivery system. This ethical principle highlights the importance of doing good and avoiding harm in healthcare, which means that healthcare professionals are obligated to provide care that benefits their patients and avoids causing them damage. It champions providing patients with the most effective treatments available. Medical professionals have to consider the latest scientific research and clinical evidence. Adherence to the principle of beneficence guarantees that medical professionals exclude their interests.
Utilitarianism is a philosophical theory that denotes medical practice has to follow the course of action that maximizes overall happiness for the clients and the family. In healthcare, decision-making should grow on the foundation of bringing pleasure to the masses. If there are chances of pain and misery should be to the minimal population. In real-life situations, medical professionals can opt to provide medical support to people with a high probability of survival. They would forego a suffering patient to cater to the medical needs of the mass. The nurses could choose to address natural disaster victims like floods and assign a few nurses in the hospital to check on the admitted patients (Hakbilen et al., 2023).
Summing up, ethical issues are prevalent in healthcare, and resolving them requires a careful balance of moral principles such as autonomy, beneficence, and utilitarianism. The ethical factors contributing to creating our healthcare delivery system include the principle of charity, patient-centred care, and the development of medical ethics. Utilitarianism can be used to justify healthcare decisions that benefit the majority of patients. The consideration of the ethical factors, medical professionals and the associated organizations, the government, for instance, guarantees the provision of client-centred medication to its citizens in the best interest of their patients.
References
Hakbilen, H. G., Ince, S., & Ozgonul, M. L. (2023). Ethical sensitivity of nursing students during a 4-year nursing curriculum in Turkey. Journal of Academic Ethics, 21(1), 41-51.
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