Develop In Detail A Situation In Which A Health

Develop, in detail, a situation in which a health

Develop, in detail, a situation in which a healthcare worker might be confronted with ethical problems related to patients and prescription drug use OR patients in a state of poverty. Your scenario must be original to you and this assignment. It cannot be from the discussion boards in this class or any other previous forum. Articulate (and then assess) the ethical solutions that can be found using "care" (care-based ethics) and "rights" ethics to those problems. Assessment must ask if the solutions are flawed, practicable, persuasive, etc.

What healthcare technology is involved in the situation? What moral guidelines for using that kind of healthcare technology should be used there? Explore such guidelines also using utilitarianism, Kantian deontology, ethical egoism, or social contract ethics. Say how social technologies such as blogs, crowdfunding, online encyclopedias can be used in either case. What moral guidelines for using that kind of healthcare technology should be used there? Develop such guidelines also using utilitarianism, Kantian deontology, ethical egoism, or social contract ethics. You should not be using any text you used in a discussion board or assignment for this class or any previous class. Cite the textbook and incorporate outside sources, including citations. Requirements Length: 3-4 pages (not including title page or references page) 1-inch margins Double spaced 12-point Times New Roman font Title page References page (minimum of 2 scholarly sources) Grading This activity will be graded based on the Assignment Grading Rubric. Outcomes CO 7: Assess the moral solutions arrived at through "care" (care-based ethics) and "rights" ethics to social issues of ethical import such as poverty, drug use, lack of health care, and similar issues. CO 8: Develop moral guidelines for using key recent and emerging healthcare and social technologies based on moral theories such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, care-based ethics, ethical egoism, social contract theory, etc.

Paper For Above instruction

The ethical dilemmas faced by healthcare workers frequently involve complex considerations of patient rights, resource allocation, and societal impact, particularly when addressing vulnerable populations such as impoverished patients or those dependent on prescription drugs. This paper develops an original scenario involving a healthcare worker confronted with ethical problems related to both prescription drug use and patients living in poverty. It assesses potential solutions through the lenses of care-based ethics and rights-based ethics, alongside exploring the application of various moral guidelines and social technologies.

Scenario Description

Consider a rural clinic where a nurse, Maria, encounters a middle-aged patient, Mr. Johnson, who suffers from chronic pain. Mr. Johnson lives below the poverty line, unable to afford the prescribed pain medication, and has resorted to using borrowed or expired drugs obtained informally. Maria faces an ethical challenge: respecting Mr. Johnson’s autonomy and right to adequate pain management versus adhering to strict medical guidelines about prescribing controlled substances to prevent misuse and addiction.

Additionally, technology plays a role: the clinic has access to electronic prescription monitoring programs, which track controlled substance prescriptions, and social media platforms where patients and providers exchange health information. Maria must decide whether to involve these technologies in managing Mr. Johnson’s care ethically.

Health Technology and Moral Guidelines

The involved healthcare technology includes electronic health records (EHR), prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), and telehealth platforms. These tools aim to reduce misuse, improve patient safety, and facilitate access to care. Using these technologies ethically requires balancing beneficence—promoting patient well-being—and non-maleficence—avoiding harm.

From a utilitarian perspective, guidelines should maximize overall well-being by preventing drug abuse while ensuring that impoverished patients receive necessary relief. Kantian deontology emphasizes respecting patient autonomy and confidentiality, suggesting that any use of technology must honor these moral principles without using patients merely as means to an end.

Social contract ethics involves adherence to societal agreements: healthcare providers have an obligation to serve the public good by judiciously using technological tools to prevent addiction and misuse, but also to offer compassion and necessary care to marginalized populations.

Applying Ethical Theories to Solutions

Using care ethics, Maria’s primary concern is alleviating Mr. Johnson’s suffering while maintaining compassion. She considers advocating for compassionate exceptions in prescription policies or finding alternative, less addictive treatments. This approach emphasizes relational context, prioritizing the patient's specific needs and circumstances. However, care ethics could be flawed if it leads to inconsistent application—what is compassionate in one case may not be in another, potentially undermining fairness.

Rights ethics stress respecting Mr. Johnson’s right to access adequate pain management and societal rights to control drug misuse. Implementing strict monitoring aligns with protecting society but may infringe on individual rights, especially for impoverished patients who lack alternatives. Solutions must balance these rights, perhaps through a rights-based compromise: providing subsidized medications coupled with monitoring.

Practicality and persuasion of these solutions depend on context. For instance, employing social technologies such as crowdfunding could help subsidize medications, aligning with utilitarian aims of maximizing overall welfare. However, reliance on crowdfunding raises questions of fairness and equity, as not all patients have internet access or social networks.

Guidelines for Technology and Social Technologies

Guidelines based on utilitarianism would endorse using technology to promote the greatest good—such as implementing strict PDMP checks to prevent overdose and misuse, while ensuring medications are accessible to those in need. Deontological guidelines would emphasize respecting patient autonomy and confidentiality, ensuring technology use does not violate moral duties. Egosim might support institutional use of technology that benefits healthcare providers’ interests, like reducing liability, but could neglect patient needs.

The social contract suggests that society as a whole agrees to regulate prescription use through technological oversight, with guidelines promoting fairness, transparency, and accountability. Social technologies like blogs or online encyclopedias can serve as educational tools for patients to understand medication risks and rights, empowering them in decision-making.

Conclusion

In conclusion, healthcare professionals must navigate complex ethical landscapes when addressing drug use and poverty. Employing multiple ethical frameworks provides a comprehensive view, balancing compassion, rights, and societal wellbeing. Integrating social technologies judiciously—guided by moral principles—can enhance fairness, transparency, and access. Developing nuanced, context-sensitive guidelines rooted in ethical theories strengthens the moral defensibility of healthcare decisions and promotes equitable patient care.

References

• Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2019). Principles of Biomedical Ethics (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Gillon, R. (2015). Ethics in medicine. Oxford University Press.
• Childress, J. F., & Siegler, M. (2018). Ethical and policy issues in health care reform. AMA Journal of Ethics, 20(2), E152- E158.
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• Allen, A. (2019). Virtue ethics and contemporary healthcare. Oxford University Press.