HLT 520: Ethical Dilemmas In Health Care

Ethical Study Review
Kristy Saint
Grand Canyon University: HLT 520
February, 19, 2014

In the health care field there will always be ethical dilemmas to contend with and the majority of these are the most difficult to imagine. In this case, a 96 year old male cancer patient is receiving naturopathic treatment from his daughter who happens to be a physician in that field. This has caused conflict between the daughter and the regular physicians due to the fact that they feel she may be causing her father unnecessary pain as well as speeding up his death. The scope of healthcare ethics encompasses the decision making process and how it relates to what is right and what is wrong. Therefore it is important
According to Pogzar (2012), in the healthcare setting caregivers demonstrate beneficence by balancing benefits against risk. Although the daughter is educated on the treatment she is administering and feels it will improve her father’s condition, the facility physicians feel that it is too risky and is causing the patient unnecessary pain. The physicians in this case should make it clear to the daughter that as long as the patient receives his treatment at their facility it must be within the guidelines of what they feel is in his best interest. The physicians have an obligation to the patient and must be compassionate in the care that he receives. In the healthcare setting, it is extremely hard to practice beneficence. Patients enter a healthcare facility with the confidence that they will be treated with kindness. One of the specific norms that arise from this principle is for caregivers to appreciate the complexity of life and make sound decisions for the good of others. The next ethical principle in this case is non-maleficence which requires caregivers to do no harm. This concept is the basis of the Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians. This principle is not concerned with improving a patient’s well-being, but rather avoiding the infliction of harm to a patient (Pogzar, 2012, p. 371).
No matter what their personal beliefs are they must act in the best interest of their patients. Four aspects for caregivers to consider when making these decisions are welfare, interests, moral status, and social mores. In the case of the terminally ill cancer patient, it is important to realize that he is 96 years old. Should he be put through unnecessary pain or just made comfortable? It is very important to consider his overall welfare. As far as interests go, all caregivers in this scenario must resolve their conflict and focus on the best outcome for the patient. It is apparent that the daughter in this case feels that her naturopathic treatment will help her father in some way. This is her father, and like any child, her focus is on keeping him with her as long as possible. However, is this in his best interest? That is most likely not the case here. There is no question about the moral status of the patient in this case. Although he is disoriented and confused, he is very much alive. That is what is so important in this case. Morals are ideas about what is right and what is wrong; for example, causing pain is wrong and easing pain is right (Pogzar, 2012, p. 370). The primary physicians know that it is unnecessary for the daughter to inflict any more pain onto the patient when their main focus is to make him as comfortable as possible. And lastly, social mores