Doctors are considered messiahs for suffering humans. They are given respect and consideration on the basis of their courage and considerable ethics towards the well being of their fellow human beings. Like everything else, there are rules and regulations for healthcare as well. The Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act (HIPAA) ruled out clear ethical instructions and regulations for healthcare providers to avoid any mishap.
Doctors and hospitals must be aware of the importance of high ethical standards in patient’s autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and equality. They must observe these rules as they follow the rules when buying medical equipment rental or new or when hiring staff for their facility. The ethical rules change with time, what’s legal today might be a violation in the future and vice versa, making the knowledge of the updated rules inevitable for healthcare if they want to avoid any legal issue. Similarly. there are some issues that different for different age groups. These laws cover some very major issues from patient’s confidentiality, relationship with the doctor or staff, to critical doctor-assisted dying decisions that are not very clear and mostly illegal in the world. Some of the most common ethical issues in healthcare are…
Access to medical care:
There is a large number of people in the US and all around the world that don’t have access to proper healthcare facilities. This is probably one of the most common problems across the globe. More than 12% of adults in the US don’t have any medical insurance hindering their access to quality healthcare services.
Patient’s confidentiality:
It is said that a patient must not hide anything from the doctor. People feel uncomfortable while sharing some private information with their healthcare provider because they are afraid that their secret will be surfaced to the world. Some information comes to light when a doctor tests you for something and you feel uncomfortable while sharing this information. They must be very careful about these problems and must ensure the confidentiality of the customer. The laws clearly state what information can be shared with the third-party and what must be kept secret. Sharing patient’s information can be harmful to the patient and can result in some serious legal problems for the doctor or the hospital.
Patient’s relationship:
It is ethically inappropriate for a healthcare provider to enter into a personal relationship with the patient. Commencing a sexual relationship with the patient can cause serious problems for the doctor and the hospital. It is the fastest way of losing the license to practice medicine. Entering into a relationship with the customer is considered a serious violation of the ethical code and can be considered an abuse of power because the patient is not in his complete senses due to the illness. Therefore, a doctor or the staff of the hospital should tread carefully in this regard to avoid any legal or emotional problem. Plus it gets difficult to make serious decisions when you are in a relationship with the customer especially when you are performing surgery.
Patient’s Informed consent:
It is very important to inform the patient about the treatment he is undergoing. The patient must be aware of the benefits, possible side effects, and precautions of the treatment prior to the treatment. The doctor should make sure that the patient is taken into confidence and he signs a consent form for serious treatments like anesthesia. Physician-assisted dying is a very critical problem in this manner. The doctor must advise carefully about this process to ease the suffering of a terminal patient. If neglected the consequences can be very severe from canceling the license to filling a homicide case against the doctor or the hospital.
