Ethics in Healthcare: University of Miami Hospital - Research Paper Example

Ethics in Healthcare: of Miami Hospital (UMH) The of Miami Hospital (UMH) has a mission to provide a high-calibre health care facility to patients. For this purpose, it has developed certain values which are used to meet the standards of high calibre health care facility. In addition, the UMS has been practising certain values such as excellence, compassion, discovery, collaboration and leadership for ensuring the higher quality health care facility. Introduction Ethics refer to beliefs and values (Babu, 2007, p.1). More clearly, ethics are standards reflecting morally right and wrong personal and organizational activities (Corrigan and Farrell, 2010. p.43; Rae, 2000. p. 15). In other words, ethics are those values and principles which are highly essential for identifying personal or professional activities within or outside organizations. Keeping this view in mind, the UMH has developed vision and certain values that are normally practiced by staff and management of the UMH. In this regard, it is important to mention that certain medical ethical principles have also been included in the paper for the purpose of understanding and evaluating their practical application with the values which are being pursued and implemented by the management of UMH. What are the organizations goals? The University of Miami Health (UMH) has both vision and mission for delivering quality health care services to patients. The mission of the UMH is to provide high-calibre health care facility, make advances through applied research in medicine and deliver medical education to the next generation and subsequently contribute to healthier world (About Us, 2014). In addition, the UMS has developed and practised certain values: excellence, compassion, discovery, collaboration and leadership (About Us, 2014). These values separately address the different expectations and requirements of stakeholders (i.e. patients, hospital management, staff members, regulators and wider social community). For example, the excellence and compassion values are patient-specific in which patient’s medical, physical, psychological and emotional needs and expectations are addressed and satisfied as well while the leadership value is related to retention of the quality staff members and medical professionals (About Us, 2014). How are they tied to its ethical principles? The ethical principles and objectives of the UMH are closely related. For example, providing high-calibre health care cannot be carried out without having full understanding of beneficence. More clearly, if a patient requires treatment for allergy, it is highly required that the health care provider must diagnose the medical problem including symptoms, causes and effects as well. Without properly establishing the causes of allergy, it would be highly risky to provide general or common medication to allergy. Consequently, the provided medical treatment would not ensure high calibre health care facility to the allergy patient. Describe the role and importance of the corporation ethical values. Ethical principles can be defined as those social, personal or professional acts which are seen from the moral prism to describe whether they are morally and medically wrong or right. Runzheimer and Larsen (2014) describe four basic principles of medical ethics: beneficence, autonomy, justice and non-maleficence. The ethical principle of beneficence is related to health providers. According to this principle, the health care providers are morally required to put their best efforts to improve patient’s medical condition and health whereas non-maleficence ethical principle expects that the health care providers must not harm to patients; and before taking any measure, they should be professionally confident that the related and effective treatment is being provided to patient; similarly, justice principles reflects fairness in which every medical action should be justified in every medical condition (Runzheimer and Larsen, 2014). Here, autonomy is related to patient who is morally and medically authorised to agree or refuse taking drugs, treatments and other medical care; in other words, this ethical principle addresses the concerns and expectations of patients (Runzheimer and Larsen, 2014) What is the relationship between the organization, culture and ethical decision making? Organization, culture and ethical decision making are closely related. Physically, organization provides boundary and building in which organizational activities are carried out. Similarly, the role of culture is to develop a sense of ownership among staff members working within the boundary of that organizational building. And ethical decision making is a process in which ethical decision makers take into account certain organizational issues and matters and take the related decisions. For example, organization, culture and ethical decision making have strong relationship. If a department head does not implement or consider the importance of ethical principles before going to treat a patient, this process would send a negative signal towards the staff working in the hospital and that unethical decision making would also negatively affect the culture and organisational practices of the hospital. For example, if a doctor does not obtain patient approval or consent before treating the medical condition, this would severely violate the autonomy of patient; consequently, this action would bring negative ramifications for others as well. For example, staff working under that the supervision of the doctor would also follow the same practice; and there are chances that the patient may not receive the correct medical treatment and which could bring legal and medical consequences for the hospital as well in which the repute of the hospital may be severely affected by that type of unethical practices in the hospital. Is it important that the organization ethical values support your values? Explain. The unanimity between general ethical principles and organizational values should always be supported and existed as well. The general ethical values include beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy and justice whereas the organizational ethical values include compassion, excellence, collaboration, discovery and leadership as well. In a greater analysis, it will be highlighted that each general ethical principle is closely related to the organizational ethical values. It is highly important that the organizational ethical values must be in agreement with the general ethical principles. First, if both ethical values are promoted and practiced, the chances of medical error would be diminished and which would benefit and increase external goodwill of the hospital. Second, the current patients will be highly satisfied with the type and level of health care facility of the hospital. Consequently, the satisfied patients will generate a positive and constructive opinion about the quality of health care facility and services of the hospital and this will increase the image and positive perception about the hospital’s overall performance and level of health care for the patients. Third, the collective application of both values will also increase revenue for the hospital as well. It has been seen that the satisfied patients share their positive experience with their friends, relatives and neighbours as well and that sharing encourage new patients to avail the health care services from the hospital. Consequently, the rising volume of patients will put positive effect on the revenue of the hospital which will enable the hospital management to put additional amount for improving their health care facility. Is there a social responsibility for the organization in the community? Explain and provide examples Within the context of hospital and health care services, social responsibility means providing health care services without charging any fee or giving 50 per cent or more discount to the current and potential patients living near to the hospital. In other words, social responsibility is a way to give a charitable contribution to community. This contribution can also be provided to the staff members, patients, a particular group or community based on social, cultural, religious or any other grounds. In this regard, it is important to mention that the purpose of social contribution is to promote a socially responsible demeanour of hospital or any other care health institution because in the recent times it has been expected that organizations are required to be socially responsible as they earn a considerable amount of money from the community and society at large. Hence, the society and the community expect that the health care organizations should not only be earning huge profits and money but they should be giving some sort of social contribution for the betterment of community and society as well. For example, if the UMH provides a one hour free medical check-up facility for eye patients living near to the hospital, this example would demonstrate that the UMH has become a socially responsible health care facility for the community. In addition, if the UMH operates 5 free eye operations in a week, again this example would also highlight that the UMH is contributing towards the society and community as well by not charging the standard fees which are normally charged from the patients. Conclusion Ethical principles have become highly essential for the UMH and other health care providers. Generally, the ethical principles encompass beneficence, non-malficeince, autonomy and justice as well. For the UMH, the values include compassion, leadership, innovation, excellence and so on. Each has its own relevance for the organization and has been developed separately for patients, doctors, management team members and regulators as well. In addition, for retaining and implementing such ethical principles, the UMH is required to ensure their appropriate and relevant application for different patients. And the social responsibility of the UMH can be demonstrated if the UMH provides free medical eye check-up to the communities living near to the hospital. References About Us, (2014). Mission/Vision. University of Miami Hospital, Retrieved: http://www.umiamihospital.com/about_us/mission_vision Babu, S.D. (2007). Professional Ethics and Human Values. New Delhi: Laxmi Publications. Corrigan, R.H., & Farrell, M.E. (2010). Ethics: A University Guide. Gloucester: Progressive Frontiers Press. Rae, S.B. (2000). Moral Choices: An Introduction to Ethics. 2nd edn. Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Runzheimer, J. &., Larsen, L.J. (2014). Basic Principles of Medical Ethics. Retrieved: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/basic-principles-of-medical-ethics.html Read More