Part I: Confidentiality And Patient Rights In Your Opinion ✓ Solved

Part I: Confidentiality and Patient's Rights In your opinion. Why do you

Part I: Confidentiality and Patient's Rights In your opinion. Why do you think that confidentiality is such an important part of patient rights? Give an example, either professional or personal, which illustrates why this right is so important to protect. Part II: Using Ethical Frameworks to Make Decisions Apply what you know. The readings provide an overview of two ethical frameworks to use in decision-making in the healthcare setting. Let’s unpack the ethical dilemma(s) presented in the emerging genre of real-time hospital dramas. In one of the first episodes of a real-time hospital drama, a wife allegedly initially found out about her husband’s death when she watched an episode of a real-time hospital drama in which his death was televised. Although his face was blurred out, his wife was able to recognize him in the episode. Let's look at an episode of a real-time hospital drama. You can choose any episode that you wish, below is just a sample of one. Episodes can be found in many areas including Hulu and Amazon Prime. Television Series: Boston Med. (2010). Season 1 Episode 08. (Summary) (Links to an external site.) (Transcripts) (Links to an external site.) I’ll guide us through our questions. We will discuss the questions as a group, starting with the first question: Decide with your classmates what are the ethical dilemmas presented in this type of series? Consider in your answer the initial episode where the man’s death was allegedly televised. Discuss who are the stakeholders? Remember to consider individuals, families, communities, and organizations in your answer. Come to a consensus on what your recommendations would be to address the ethical dilemmas that you, as a class, have identified. Consider and include each applicable component below in your response: Ethical principles Ethical theories PYTHON principle Six step process (Doherty & Purtilo) for ethical decision-making Laws pertaining to confidentiality and/or patient rights.

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Sample Paper For Above instruction

Confidentiality is a fundamental element of patient rights because it fosters trust between patients and healthcare providers, ensuring that individuals feel safe sharing sensitive personal information necessary for effective care. Maintaining confidentiality encourages honesty and openness, which are critical for accurate diagnosis, treatment planning, and successful health outcomes. When patients trust that their private information will be protected, they are more likely to seek care promptly and disclose relevant details that could impact their health.

An illustrative personal example involves a patient who hesitated to disclose a history of mental health issues due to fear of stigma. If confidentiality had not been preserved, the patient might have withheld vital information, resulting in inadequate treatment or adverse health consequences. Conversely, a breach of confidentiality in this context could damage the patient's trust and deter future seeking of medical help, emphasizing why confidentiality is central to respecting patient rights and promoting effective healthcare delivery.

In examining ethical decision-making in healthcare, two prominent frameworks are often utilized: deontological ethics and consequentialism. Deontological ethics emphasizes the inherent duty to respect patient rights and uphold moral obligations, such as maintaining confidentiality regardless of outcome. Consequentialism, on the other hand, focuses on the outcomes of decisions, advocating for actions that maximize benefit and minimize harm.

Next, considering the ethical dilemmas portrayed in hospital dramas, particularly in episodes depicting televised deaths, several ethical issues surface. The primary dilemma involves the breach of patient confidentiality and privacy when a patient’s death is televised without explicit consent. The stakeholders in such situations include the patient’s family, healthcare providers, hospital administration, media outlets, and the broader community. The family of the patient faces distress and potential trauma upon discovering that their loved one's death was broadcasted. Healthcare professionals are caught between respecting patient confidentiality and the desire for public transparency or media coverage. The media entity responsible for broadcasting the episode has an ethical obligation to respect privacy laws, but sometimes these are overlooked in pursuit of sensational stories.

Applying the six-step ethical decision-making process, as outlined by Doherty and Purtilo, can aid in navigating these dilemmas. The steps include: 1) identifying the problem, 2) gathering relevant facts, 3) considering the ethical principles involved—such as autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice, 4) exploring applicable laws, like HIPAA regulations and patient rights statutes, 5) considering ethical theories—like Kantian duties or utilitarian outcomes, and 6) making a decision that aligns with both legal standards and ethical principles.

In the specific case of televised patient death, laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) explicitly prohibit unauthorized sharing of protected health information. Ethically, respecting patient autonomy and confidentiality takes precedence unless there is a compelling reason to override, such as public interest or imminent harm. Recommendations to address these issues include establishing stricter media protocols around hospital information, implementing staff training on privacy rights, and ensuring informed consent is obtained before any media coverage involving patients.

Overall, protecting patient confidentiality is not just a legal requirement but an ethical obligation crucial to maintaining trust, respecting individual rights, and promoting ethical standards in healthcare and media practices. Balancing transparency and privacy requires careful application of ethical principles, legal guidelines, and thoughtful deliberation, especially amidst the complexities introduced by modern media and real-time broadcasting.

References

  • Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2019). Principles of Biomedical Ethics (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.
  • Doherty, J., & Purtilo, R. (2012). Ethical decision making in healthcare. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  • Gostin, L. O. (2008). Public health law and ethics. University of California Press.
  • HIPAA Privacy Rule, 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164. (2002).
  • Kant, I. (1785). Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.
  • Leavitt, J. K. (2014). Media ethics and the law. Routledge.
  • Pence, G. E. (2018). Foundations of nursing in the community: Community-oriented practice (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  • Resnik, D. B. (2015). Institutional conflicts of interest and research integrity. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 10(4), 294-301.
  • Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia. (2011). Confidentiality and privacy principles. SHPA publication.
  • World Medical Association. (2013). Declaration of Helsinki.