Ethical Issues In Healthcare Essay

It is a cold and snowy Friday night. The emergency department (ED) waiting room is full to overflowing. The seasoned ED nurse knows half the people waiting to be seen are not there for a true emergency health crisis. Some are drug seeking. Some are folks that do need care, but not emergent care. Yet, it remains a constant. These patients sitting impatiently are not “taking ahold” of their healthcare. Most are not the least bit able to initiate, educate, or make serious healthcare decisions for themselves. Perhaps society as a whole or a flawed healthcare system is to blame for this deficit, but regardless, the gap exists. To be discussed and challenged is the theory presented by Eric Dishman on Intel and their idea of a “personal healthcare system”.
Agreeable is the statement presented that the healthcare system is globally flawed. Physicians both primary and specialty alike too often work
Patients being active in selecting unique healthcare goals for themselves is ingenious. As pointed out, quality of life holds different meanings for everyone. Setting individualized self-selected goals with the whole healthcare team recognizing and molding care around these goals should be the new standard. Although quality measured goals play an important part, these standardized goals do not view the patient as a unique individual. Creating a healthcare system that is aimed at personally focused on the individual needs of the patient is one that should be implemented. Patient selected goals not only assures a realistic plan to implement, it also encourages patient compliance. After all, it is the patient’s own life and not the life of the healthcare team. Patients should make their own decisions. Although this leads to a slippery slope. When healthcare decisions lie solely in the hands of the patient, misconceptions and misguided health decisions can occur. As with all areas, finding a balance is