Ethical Issues of Paramedics Contamination - Essay Example

Ethics: Paramedics Contamination/malpractice Name Institution Date Ethics: Paramedics Contamination/Malpractice Introduction Health professionals engage in the provision of health services in general. Paramedics are usually involved in the provision of emergency health care services. During the emergence of a crisis for instance accidents or terrorist attacks paramedics engage in the provision of emergency services to the victims. Contamination is regarded as a global problem among paramedics. In many cases paramedics as professionals are allocated to perform duties in potentially contaminated environment (O’Meara, 2009 p.56). Such duties support patient care that encompasses patient’s decontamination that risks the wellbeing of the health care provider. Thus paramedic contamination refers to the risks that health professionals encounter in the course of discharging their duties in the provision of health care. In the process of provision of health care paramedics are generally directed by law and code of ethics. A breach of such code of ethics may lead to medical malpractice. The paper aims at discussing the legal and ethical repercussions of contamination in paramedic (Freegard, 2007 p.34). Legal and Ethical Implications of Contamination in Paramedics According to Roberts (2004 p.80) legal and ethical principles comprise the moral standards that govern the provision of health services by health professionals and paramedics. A breach of the legal and ethical standards leads to medical misconduct or professional slackness. Thus medical malpractices arise in situation whereby the health professional perform unlawful actions that may inflict injury on the patient and endanger the patient’s life. Therefore paramedics should apply the level of skill and care as professionals in the medical field. The code of ethics dictates that a paramedic has the sole duty to positively contribute to the wellbeing of patients and respect the patient’s autonomy. However more often paramedics find themselves in environment that would endanger their own life in the process of saving the patient’s life (Roberts, 2004). For instance during the 2001 USA bombing paramedics had a duty of saving the victim’s lives while at the same time endangering their own lives. The risks of contamination during such emergency situations are very high. This is due to the fact that paramedics engage with victims who possess fresh injuries and wounds whilst working in a dangerous environment (Stacey et al., 2004 p.77). In the course of discharging their duties paramedics need to make certain judgments that are generally directed by ethical standards and upheld by law. The main ethical principles include autonomy, non maleficence, beneficence and the principle of justice and fairness where patients need to be treated in a fair and just manner. The judgments paramedics make in respect to the ethical and legal code of conduct may lead to the occurrence of paramedic malpractice in the process of evading paramedic contamination (Kerridge, 2005 p.127). Historically in emergency situations the principle of autonomy of the patients has been constantly been breached since the victims are not in a position to make informed consent about their health needs. In the case of terrorist attack in USA in 2001 the victims had no autonomy since the paramedics had to come in the rescue mission in order to save lives. The duty of the health professionals is to protect lives and in such circumstances autonomy of the patients/victims is not sought. In the case of a terrorist attack and the paramedics are called upon may lead to contamination and a medical malpractice being experienced. During such attacks the victims usually lose a lot of blood due to the injuries sustained. As an emergency solution there may be need for a blood transfusion to be conducted be the paramedic without the consent of the victims since the paramedic duty is to save lives (Reynolds, 2004 p.5). The process of decontamination among patients involves a variety of risks that paramedic have to put themselves in. Due to the nature of the process the paramedics may lead to contamination paving way for a multi practice to occur (Halbert & Ingulli, 2011p.44). Paramedics are engaged in offering emergency services during crisis situations. Thus emergency situations may comprise covering and cleaning of wounds that may put the health of the paramedics at risk. Within the course of paramedic duties there are also many possible contamination sources. Contamination may occur as a result of needles that may put the paramedic at risk and also poor disposal of other medical wastes. In crisis situations paramedics come across open wounds that may lead to contamination. For instance in the course of paramedic duty they may sustain an injury or come to contact with a patient of hepatitis C that may lead to paramedic contamination. Thus the course of paramedic duty put their own health at greater risks of contamination (Eburn & Bendall 2010 p.6). Australia has experienced the outbreak of various communicable diseases in the past. In the process of treating these diseases the paramedics are involved in the risks of contracting such diseases. At the same time the paramedics have the duty of offering their service while upholding legal and ethical conducts. As a result of the risks involved in the treatment of these communicable diseases a lot of medical malpractices may occur due to the dilemma of the health professional on whether to protect the own lives at the expense of the patient’s life. According to Mick and Sanders (2011), whenever there is an outbreak of any type of communicable diseases in Australia paramedics are called upon so as to avoid further infections and crisis. The consent of the patients during the process of immunization or quarantine is not sought. This is usually done to avoid further infections and save lives. During such exercises the paramedics are prone to infections and contaminations in the course of their duties (Smith, 2009 p.59).  In the process of considering the legal and ethical framework that surrounds paramedic practice it is important to create a standard upon which to measure decisions and judgments. This measurement of judgment may take place spontaneously in cases of emergency situations. Paramedics usually find themselves making decisions in the course of their duties that highly contravene their legal and ethical code of conducts. For instance a paramedic arrives at the scene of a grisly accident and finds the victim conscious but bleeding heavily as a result of the injuries sustained. After successfully controlling the bleeding the victim’s blood pressure drops drastically and becomes unconscious. Before falling unconscious the victim informs the paramedic that as a result of his religion blood transfusion is not allowed. Therefore the case displays the intricacy of legal code and how its application in clinical practice (Foundations of paramedic care, 2009 p.102). In such situations the paramedic is faced with a dilemma in regards to the type of decision that will be made. Townsend and Luck  (2012 p.101) note that if the paramedic goes ahead and conduct a blood transfusion notwithstanding the patient’s negative response to it the paramedic will be committing a legal act that may warrant his arrest. However if the paramedic declines to offer a blood transfusion a ethical code of conduct will be registered since the paramedic will be inflicting harm or injury to the patient. Therefore the paramedic in the course of their duties and the decisions they make may lead to a medical malpractice being experienced (Sheather, 2009 p.69). Conclusion The nature of work of paramedics put their own health at risk and makes them prone to constant contamination. While at the same time health professionals should uphold the code of ethics in their profession the issue of contamination in most cases leads to malpractices in the medical field. Thus contamination is not only regarded as a major issue in Australia but also a major global problem that needs to be addressed so as to protect the paramedics against any form of contamination in the process of provision of health care and emergency services. More often than not paramedics find themselves in a dilemma on the kind of decisions to make in order to protect lives. Hence a paramedic may make a decision that is unethical or not legal to for the sake of protecting lives. These judgments that need to be made in emergency situation may lead to a medical or paramedic malpractice. In Australia for instance paramedics are provided with protective measure and trained on how to handle certain emergency situations that may arise and avoid any possible contamination. In emergency situations paramedics play an important role in saving lives. Thus their own safety should also be upheld. References Freegard, H. (2007). Ethics in a nutshell. In: Freegard, H. (ed). 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