Ethical Healthcare Issues Essay Example for Free

Ethical Healthcare Issues Essay Ethical dilemmas in health care are often the most difficult to navigate. Quite often the life of a person depends on the decision made when a challenge arises. This is certainly the case regarding patients in a permanent vegetative state. These cases have provoked very strong, opposing opinions throughout the medical community. Generating a definitive answer to how a facility handles these situations is extremely important to ensure appropriate ethical policy is followed throughout the care or termination of medical services for a person in a permanent vegetative state. Four ethical principles assist in guiding the ethical conversation: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. Autonomy Preserving a patient’s autonomy is a standard ethical policy for health care providers. Examples of how doctors and facilities protect a patient’s right to independence include Advance Directives, the Patient Self-Determination Act, and HIPAA. â€Å"The problem is that vegetative patients are not competent to refuse continued treatment, and there is concern about how best to protect them from treatment that they would probably refuse if they could† (Jennett, 2002, p. 356). A patient who has the unforeseen misfortune of entering into the permanent vegetative state may not have the chance to express their stance through an Advance Directive on how he or she wish to proceed medically, therefore stripping him or her of the right to autonomy. Some patients may have expressed their wishes informally to their family members and loved ones, such as the desire to donate organs when the time comes. If the decision were made to end medical care in a more direct and rapid way, organs would have a better chance of becoming used to help others, which would restore some of the patient’s autonomy (Wade, 2001). Most people would rather donate their organs for the benefit of others, rather than remain in an unconscious state, when given the choice. Unfortunately, these patients are not given a chance to voice that opinion. Nonmaleficence Nonmeleficence is the ethical principle to do no harm. It could be argued that a person in a permanent vegetative state feels nothing, and that poses the question regarding whether or not one can do harm to someone who does not feel anything emotionally or physically (Wade, 2001). In addition, continued treatment actually may be doing harm to the patient. â€Å"There have been many declarations that survival in a permanent vegetative state is not a benefit to the patient, some regarding it as a fate worse than death† (Jennett, 2002, p. 356). There are opposing viewpoints that believe patients in a vegetative state actually may be aware of their surroundings. According to Hope (2011) a study confirmed, â€Å"patients thought to be in a permanently ‘vegetative’ state may still be able to think and communicate† (para. 1). Although this may sound hopeful for loved ones, for some patients being aware of surroundings but not able to move or communicate is doing more harm to them. Would it be more nonmaleficent to end their suffering if they have poor quality of life? Beneficence The philosophical question beneficence raises is will an unknowing patient benefit from an act of good (Wade, 2001)? The patient is not aware of any kind or unkind act done to him or her in an unconscious state. Ongoing treatment could bring about a recovery, but a patient may not view this as beneficent. The state that their body and mind would be in and the quality of life they would have is questionable for whether or not keeping the patient alive was actually doing him or her any good. Beneficence can also relate to the survivors of the patient. In many cases, it is the willingness of the family to keep the patient alive in the hopes of a miracle even if it is against what the doctor’s recommend (Brody, 1988). Is it beneficent to the patient’s family to remain in a state of ongoing grief when there is no improvement in sight? Justice Justice is the most applied ethical principle for arguing for or against termination of treatment for patients in a permanent vegetative state. One argument that can be raised is whether or not it is fair to continue to allocate resources for a person in this state when it limits the care and resources other patients could be receiving (Wade, 2001). If a person is in a permanent unconscious state and doctors have determined that he or she will not regain consciousness or live a normal life, should the care and services he or she are using be given to a patient who has a greater chance of recovery. In addition, consider the cost to society for paying for the ongoing resources and care these patients will need (Brody, 1988). Is it fair to impose that cost on others? Instead, the funds could be used to save the lives of others. However, if the policy became to end patient’s care once they have reached a permanent vegetative state it could be said that attitudes may change toward other severely disabled people and the ongoing care they receive (Wade, 2001). Provider’s compassion may begin to be diminished over time through seeing the termination of care on these permanent vegetative patients, and it may desensitize them in a way that would make it difficult for them to provide any ongoing care to disabled people. Terminating an individual’s life whether it is physician-assisted or merely stopping food sources will always pose huge ethical concerns, even if the patient is in a permanent vegetative state and cannot express emotion or feel pain. Forming an opinion on the issue is not easy, and there are many parties who have interest in the outcome such as the patient, their family, the staff providing care, the facility providing care, and society. By applying the four ethical principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice healthcare administrators can begin to form an ethical opinion to shape the way their facility approaches the many challenges permanent vegetative patients cause. References Brody, B. A. (1988). Ethical questions raised by the persistent vegitative patient. The Hastings Center Report, 18(1), 33-37. Hope, J. (2001, November 10). Vegitative patients can still think and respond. Daily Mail, 0(0), 28. Jennett, B. (2002). The vegitative state. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 73(4), 355-357. Wade, D. T. (2001). Ethical issue in diagnosis and management of patients in the permanent vegetative state. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 322(7282), 352-354.

Deconstructing the clock Essay -- essays research papers

Summary Ever since the dawn of civilization we have observed time by its natural occurrence and we also relied on man made primitive tools to measure time. In the beginning, time has always been a natural event, for example, sunrise to sunset but men’s earlier primitive tools to measure time were inaccurate and were only an approximate indicator, hence often unreliable such as the hour glass.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We became enslaved by the concept of time; our society is controlled by this mechanical device which dictates our schedule accordingly. Time has evolved from a simple method of nature into a measurable product which can be sold and bought. The industrial capitalism owes its existence to the concept of time, without time, the means of worker exploitation wouldn’t exist today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The clock first appeared during the 11th century â€Å"...as a device for ringing bells at regular intervals in monasteries†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Woodcock 883). During the 13th century the first authenticated clock appeared then 14th century came to popularizes clocks â€Å"†¦as common ornaments of the public building in German cities† (Woodcock 883). The early clocks were operated by weight and weren’t really accurate to depend on but during the 16th century, a greater reliability was achieved, the Hampton clock was the first accurate clock in the 1540’s. The Hampton clock only had the hour hands and the two other hands are still not implemented â€Å"The idea of measuring time in minut...

Ethical Treatment of Animals Essay

False advertisements: Many customers have been complaining about McDonalds advertising one thing and doing something quite different. Many customers has been to a McDonald store only to find out different prices than the ones on the advertisements. For instance, sweat tea has been advertised for 1 but is sold for 1. 40 in the stores.  McDonald’s has also made many false advertisements about its products and how they are classed as healthy, nutritious food. Recently, A California non-profit organisation filed a lawsuit against McDonalds for false advertising regarding its announcement they would implement a change to new cooking oil with 48% less trans fat and that the change would be completed by February 2009. They have lied about this change and to this date have not complied by the announcement. A claim from Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) which is an animal rights pressure group; states that McDonalds has done nothing since 1997 to improve the life of even one animal. Animals are kept and grown in appalling conditions; just to keep costs down. This shows clearly that McDonald’s does not abide by the animal rights and recently PETA launched a protest in 250 McDonald’s restaurants around the globe to make customers aware of the McDonald’s cruelty towards animals. This has slightly damaged McDonald’s reputation as an ethically responsible company. McDonald’s has been unable to trade fairly in third world countries. Vast areas of land in poor countries are used for cattle ranching or to grow grain to provide raw material to McDonald restaurants. This is at the expense of local food needs. McDonald’s promote the use of meat products therefore wasting more and more food resources. 7 million tons of grain fed to livestock produces only 1 million tons of meat. This has meant that McDonalds is not trading fairly and is causing people in third world countries such as India, Indonesia and Africa to struggle with their basic food needs. Abuse of environment: Forests throughout the world vital for all life are being destroyed at a high rate by McDonalds. The company has admitted to using beef reared on ex-rainforest land, preventing its regeneration and growth. This is a major contributor towards â€Å"global warming† crisis. Farmers and suppliers are also forcing people to cut down further trees in an attempt to satisfy demand.  Violating human rights and consumer laws:  Human rights include discrimination. When a business is discriminating against an individual, they are in fact violating human rights. McDonalds are always opposed to trade unions and may not want its employees to join any as they think they are treating their employees right. McDonalds is said to be discriminating among its employees on basis of their age. Most people aged over 40 are discriminated against as it is very unlikely for them to get a job in a McDonalds’ restaurant. This is because McDonalds claim that it needs fresh, energetic, young employees to be able to cope with the constant hard work. McDonalds has also been caught on violations regarding unsafe working conditions, forced overtime, sub-subsistence wage and failure to pay legal benefits. Their factories are not open to independent monitoring by local non-government human and labour rights organisations to verify if they comply with fundamental human rights. McDonalds is linked to 4 pence-an-Hour Sweatshop in Vietnam, where seventeen year-old women are forced to work 9 to 10 hours a day, seven days a week, earning as little as 4 pence an hour in the Keyhinge factory in Vietnam making giveaway promotional toys–especially Disney characters–for McDonald’s. After working a 70-hour week, some of the teenage women earn just à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3 At the end of February, 200 of the workers fell ill, 25 collapsed and three were hospitalized as a result of acute exposure to acetone. The human and labour rights of these workers are being violated by the company. Exploitation of employees: Workers working in the fast food industry has long been exploited and are paid low wages. McDonald’s do not pay overtime rates even when an employee works very long hours. Staffs working in the company restaurants have to work harder and faster therefore the working environment is never free of accidents such as burns. Majority of employees working for McDonalds are people who have fewer job options so they are subjected to exploitation. The company have always been opposed to trade unions. I have used the following websites and book to do my assignment. Bibliography BTEC National Business Book 1 by Roger Lewis & Roger Trevitt 2007 (2nd Edition)  http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

Should Marijuana Be More Dangerous Than Drinking Alcohol

Pineapple Express, Friday, Friday After Next, and How High are a few movies that have given marijuana a negative and exaggerated point of view. These movies and other types of advertisements give the audience the exaggerate idea that marijuana is more dangerous than alcohol. In today’s society we see alcohol ads containing fit people drinking alcohol during special occasions or even sipping it by the beach having a great time, making alcohol look amazing. These two different perspectives have given people the idea that smoking marijuana is more dangerous than drinking alcohol. Though we know that alcohol and marijuana are both bad for the human body, they also have some positive impact. Though these two substances have some positive impacts to the body once consumed, it has been shown that marijuana has a more positive impact to the human body when compared to alcohol. Alcohol is one of the most used and misused drugs and over consuming it is very dangerous to the body, but what are its effects when consumed at rational levels. When consumed in reasonable levels, alcohol has some positive impacts to the body. Cynthia Kuhn (PhD) a professor of pharmacology, Scott Swartzwelder (PhD) a professor of psychiatry and Wilkie Wilson (PhD) a professor of prevention science at Duke University, wrote in their book â€Å"Buzzed† that people drink alcohol for â€Å"the feeling of relaxation that accompanies an occasional drink of alcohol†(Kuhn 66). These occasional drink â€Å"†¦can help to reduceShow MoreRelatedMarijuana vs. Alcohol in the United States Essay843 Words   |  4 PagesMarijuana vs. Alcohol In The United States Marijuana and alcohol are the two most threatening drugs used in America today. Marijuana is the most illicit drug while alcohol is the most abused. 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