This discussion will utilize the article “How Should Organizations and Clinicians Help Marginalized Patients Manage Loneliness as a Harm of Climate Change?” by Lisa Fuller. The article examines how climate change and mental health issues in the brain-mind-heart space work together with healthcare. Dr. L, a doctor who treats sick people, and her group are ready for the upcoming hot summer weather. They think there will be more visits to the hospital from too much heat being outside. The case is all about MM, a person with a mental illness called schizophrenia. In the previous year, during summer, he was very lonely and worried, which made him stay away from others on his own choice due to fear. This exploration shows the complicated relationship between being selfish and working together to fix health problems caused by climate change. Katz’s ideas are essential in understanding the many-sided problems where climate change meets healthcare. Thus, this study will focus on fairness in health, patient control, and preventing sickness before it happens while having doctors stand up for their patients more than ever.
Examining the case using Jay Katz’s informed consent thinking helps understand details. The difference between how to deal with health problems related to climate through individual actions and group activities becomes apparent. Katz’s doubt about getting clear permission becomes essential when more than just depending on single actions is needed to handle the larger social, money, and structure problems affecting MM’s case (Fuller, 2023). This shows a need for a bigger plan to face the linked problems in society that worsen climate-related health issues. Katz’s way of thinking makes one look at healthcare practices differently, encouraging changes to deal with complex issues through collective and contextual solutions.
The case shows the complicated world of fair health. It teaches that risks from climate change affect many people’s health and connect to larger social issues affecting everyone. Katz’s focus on understanding society when making health decisions matches the need to see climate-related illnesses as shared issues interwoven in extensive complex systems (Katz, 1985). It underlines the importance of looking beyond someone’s health alone, knowing many parts cause weakness when dealing with climate change. It dеmands mеasurеs that address thе primary issues in sociеty and promotе еquitablе health outcomes whilе tackling thе challеngеs posеd by climatе changе. These come from how society works and push fair health for everyone as climate change makes things harder.
Letting patients make their own choices, especially in mental health treatment, is a key point. Following what Katz said about ensuring people understand and are part of the decision-making process. Healthcare practitioners are asked to speak up for patients who need help like MM (Katz, 1985). They should ensure that these patients’ voices matter in choices significantly affecting their health. This moves past just medical care, focusing on how much patients need to be involved in making decisions about their mental well-being. Thus, it matches the ideas Katz discusses about the need to include people more in choices that affect their health and well-being.
The situation strongly supports action, fitting with Katz’s talk about informed choice. It helps patients make smart decisions about staying away from extreme heat and covers other things in society that can cause loneliness (Vaughn, n.d.). This approach discusses an overall plan that considers the body effects of extreme heat and examines mental health. This view supports Katz’s call for a complicated way to handle health issues by checking everything that can make one feel alone. It is not just about reacting when something happens.
According to Katz, doctors’ intervention is important when handling societal changes. Katz’s ideas match with the case, which shows how important it is for Dr L and her hospital group to do more actions than just aiding one person at a time (Fuller, 2023). The need for help is more than just looking after patients. It needs everyone to join forces and go after changes in how society works. There is a need for a smart way to think ahead regarding the health effects of climate change, especially for those less privileged. Dr. L and her team provide health care and bring major improvements to the system. Their stand matches Katz’s opinion of doctors to help society be healthy while fighting climate change issues.
In conclusion, Jay Katz’s informed consent concept illustrates how complex climate change and healthcare are. It covers these concerns completely. Changing from acting alone to working together is crucial. It highlights the need for larger programs that address numerous interconnected causes of climate-related health issues in varied societies. Because freedom to choose, preventing issues, and physicians standing out for patients are crucial, healthcare professionals should participate in larger health initiatives. Katz found physicians supportive of major social reforms. It also shows how they assist more than individuals with climate change-related health issues, particularly people experiencing poverty.
Reference
Fuller, L. (2023). How Should Organizations and Clinicians Help Marginalized Patients Manage Loneliness as a Harm of Climate Change? AMA Journal of Ethics, 25(11), 802–808. https://doi.org/10.1001/amajethics.2023.802
Katz, J. (1985). Informed Consent -Must It Remain a Fairy Tale? Informed Consent -Must It Remain a Fairy Tale? In Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy. https://scholarship.law.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1448&context=jchlp
Vaughn, L. (n.d.). Bioethics 5e Student Resources – Learning Link. Learninglink.oup.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024, from https://learninglink.oup.com/access/vaughn-bioethics5e-student-resources#tag_chapter-05
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