Ethics of Medical Professionals - Essay Example

Ethics
The full revelation of patients’ medical backgrounds and conditions enables physicians to diagnose the ailments of their clients. In addition, the patients receive the correct treatment. However, dilemmas around confidentiality when it privacy conflict with ethical principles such as avoiding danger to patients and the public. Therefore, there are exceptions, which compel health professionals to breach confidentiality. To start with, a breach of confidentiality occurs when health professionals feel that the actions of their patients can put the public at risk. Second, health professionals can release patients’ information if they think it can cause harm to their clients. It is possible for patients with severe medical conditions such as HPV and HIV AIDS to contemplate committing suicide. Lastly, physicians can expose patients’ information when in order to get the right follow-up of their medical condition (Buppert, 2011).

The breach of confidence has serious ethical implications. To begin with, breach of confidence stigmatizes patients. With the knowledge that certain patients have a particular disease, the public is bound to segregate such sick people. Segregation can direct patients to commit repugnant actions such as committing suicide. For instance, cervical cancer, which has affected Andrea in the article in question, can lead to having detrimental effects when she realizes that nurse Hathaway has revealed her medical condition. The fear of stigmatization may compel Andrea to think of ways to avoid public. This can go to the extremes of taking away her life. Second, revealing patients’ medical information fosters disrespect. The basis of the relationship between patients and health professionals is respect and trust. The two virtues allow sick people to share their medical information freely with health care providers. Therefore, when the medical professionals violate the confidentiality deal depicts disregard of patients’ autonomy (Guido and Watson, 2010). This can lead to mistrust of patients in health professionals. This is because patients feel that health caregivers have broken the promise they had with them. Third, ethical matters may compel health professionals to disclose patients’ medication information. For instance, in cases of severe diseases such as HIV AIDS, physicians may make it public that a particular patient suffers from a deadly disease. This will enable the sex partners of such a patient to take action to know their status and minimize the risks of infections. In addition, revelations of patients’ information deter affected patients from infecting future sexual partners. Weighing the ethical implication of the patients and the public, I believe that it is sometimes prudent to disclose patients, medical conditions. This is because of the dangers, that lack of disclosure may bring to the public.

The action of breach of confidentiality borrows a lot from the theory of consequentialism. This theory considers the consequences of breaching and failure to breach confidentiality. On the one hand, contravening confidentiality may make patients lose trust in health professionals. This can limit patients’ freedom to access health care in the future. On the other hand, failure to disclose patients’ medical conditions may deny parties important information that would have detrimental implications for treatment and health. Thus, disclosure of patients’ information would save a large portion of the population from perishing due to the contraction of communication. The principle of nonmaleficence supports the actions of health caregivers to breach confidentiality. The principle holds that patients’ should not harm others. Disclosure of the communication between patients and health professionals is therefore in line with this principle (Guido and Watson, 2010).

The consent of patients should solve the dilemma of whether to disclose patients’ medical conditions or not. Medical facilities should enact policies that have detailed guidelines to inform patients on when the health professional would breach confidentiality. The knowledge that health caregivers can disclose the medical condition of the patients will have little harm to the clients.