The need for public health ethical principles - Assignment Example

? Principles Discussion The Need for Public Health Ethical Principles The world of public health lacks a reasonably explicit set of ethical guidelines or principles to control the actions of the people serving within the public health sector. Those opposed to public health having specific ethical principles argue that the field had not gained its identity and therefore should rely on the principles established for related professional fields such as the international Code of Medical Ethics. The lack of reasonably explicit set of ethical principles in public could be attributed in part to the broad diversity of professional identities found within the field of public health (Public Health Leadership Society, 2002).. Although public health physicians may draw upon medical ethics for guidance, there is a need for occupational groups central to public health, which are still evolving including nutritionists, biostatisticians, health system managers and epidemiologists among other to have specific to such areas in line with the activities undertaken. Professionals within the Public Health encounter different ethical dilemmas in the different areas of practice which may require specific ethical principles to assist or guide the practitioners in resolving such dilemmas (Public Health Leadership Society, 2002). This justifies the need for development of public health ethical principles to ensure that professionals carry out their roles in a ethically responsive manner. To achieve this, the sector needs to identify ethical issues applicable to the field and work towards providing reconcilable ethical principles capable of serving as guidelines within this area of practice. Most public health activities are targeted at providing certain services to the society or public and therefore, specific ethical principles should be coined from the expectations of the public and protection of the public interests. In conclusion, indeed public health needs a specific code of ethics despite arguments that public health lacks identity and coherence present in other professional fields such as medicine. Principles of the Ethical Practice of Public Health One of the 12 public health principles is the need to address the root cause of disease and health requirements with the main aim of preventing any possible adverse health outcomes. In this case, a public health officer dealing with the problem of teeth decay among children must identify contributing factors such as high concentration fluoride levels in drinking water and introduce ways or a program for water purification or provision of sealants to prevent further decay of teeth in the identified population. Therefore, the public officer dealing with this health problem has an obligation to discover the root cause of the increased tooth decay and offer amicable solution to the health problem (Public Health Leadership Society, 2002).. Another principle is the need for public health to drive community health improvement in a manner that upholds respect for individual’s rights. For example, in the process of implementing a community health promotion program or conducting an epidemiological study, there is a need to respect individual rights of participants such as right to informed consent, confidentiality and autonomy (Weed & McKeown, 2003).. As such, it would be unethical for a public health officer to conduct a research activity on some individuals within the community without inquiring about their willingness to participate in such studies or disseminating the research findings without taking into account confidentiality matters. The third public health principle demands the community participation in the development of public health policies, programs as well as setting of priorities in public health activities. This is particularly important in ensuring that the views of the people are taken into consideration through participation in the crafting of the policies or designing of programs (Ivanov & Blue, 2008). For example, dental health care policies aimed at improving general oral health of a given population or community must provide an opportunity for community representatives to present the views of the community, from the public policymaking initial stage or the agenda setting stage in order for such policies to represent the wishes of the affected populations. The fourth principle requires public health to work towards ensuring empowerment of less fortunate or disadvantage populations in the society through appropriate allocation of resources and ensuring accessibility to health care services to all people. For example, public health officers must come up with public policies that support the allocation of health resources to underserved populations as well as taking the essential services to such population (Thomas, 2004). Such policies may include strategies for caring for the elderly people or people with disabilities in the society. The fifth public health policy revolves around ensuring gathering of adequate information necessary to guide a successful creation and development of a public or community program as well as policies. For example, development of a program or policy should be guided or supported by evidence collected through surveys by the public health professionals. This ensures that the views and needs of the target populations are taken into account to guarantee limited resistance to the implementation of programs or public policies. The sixth public health principle emphasizes on the need for the community to be provided with adequate information prior to their participation in policymaking or program creation. This is particularly crucial in ensuring that the community or participants offer their consent for the implementation of any policy or program after assessing the potential impact of the policy or program on their livelihood (Ivanov & Blue, 2008). For example, the community has to make the decision to either support or object the introduction or implementation of community programs based on the information that has been provided or served to them by the public health practitioners pushing for such as policies or programs. The seventh public health principle requires public health organization to act swiftly on the information provided to them and within the available resources. The institutions must also act within the mandate provided under the legal provisions. For example, in case a diarrhea epidemic reported to the public health institution, the institution must act upon such information to address the problem within its resource capability. Therefore, such institutions may held accountable for failure to act on information relevant to the safety of the public. The eighth principle emphasizes on the need for public health programs and policies to accommodate the varied values, beliefs and cultural differences in the community. In this case, it is important for any programs to have diverse approaches capable of allowing manipulations necessary to accommodate diversity (Public Health Leadership Society, 2002). For example, a dental health promotion program targeted at the Indian Americans as well as other Americans must be drafted in a manner the allows accommodation of the differences in belief about oral health between the two groups. The ninth principle deals with importance of factoring in physical and social environmental factors in the development and implementation of public health programs and policies. As such, the implementation process of a program or a policy should promote environmental and social wellbeing. For example, the water fluoridation program should be carried out in a manner that the process of water purification does not harm the environment as well as ensure sustainability or promotion of social wellbeing of the target population. The tenth principle emphasizes on the issue of confidentiality in which public institutions and public health officials are mandated to maintain high standards of confidentiality in regard to community or individual information regarded as confidential (Weed & McKeown, 2003). In case such information must be disclosed, it should entail proper consultation and justification. For example, in a research conducted to inform the policymaking process, confidential information should only be disclosed with consent of the informer to avoid any legal action against the institutions or parties involved in the collection of the information. The eleventh principle on the other hand emphasizes on the issue of professionalism and competence in providing public health services. This should be facilitated by the public health institutions. For example, public health institutions must ensure that they bring on board the right talent and qualified employees through their recruitment process to safeguard the public from the risks associated with incompetence in this area of practice. Finally, the last principle requires public health workers and institution to promote effective collaboration to enhance the effectiveness of their activities or service to the public. The collaboration also enhances building of trust among the public. For example, employees in different areas such as epidemiology, policy formulation, and program manager must collaborate in order to achieve a successful implementation of a public health program (Thomas, 2004). Institutions dealing with different public health issues can also collaborate to achieve a general wellbeing of a community. References Ivanov, L & Blue, C. (2008). Public health nursing: Leadership, policy, & practice. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Public Health Leadership Society. (2002). Principles of the ethical practice of public health version 2.2. Retrieved from http://www.apha.org/NR/rdonlyres/1CED3CEA-287E-4185 9CBD-BD405FC60856/0/ethicsbrochure.pdf Thomas, J. (2004). Skills for the ethical practice of public health. Retrieved from http://www.asph.org/userfiles/DrPH_Skills%20for%20the%20Ethical%20Practice%20 %20Public%20Health.pdf Weed, L & McKeown, E. (2003). Science, ethics, and professional public health practice. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 57(1), 4-5. Retrieved from http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1732265 Read More