Patient-Physician relationship - Assignment Example

Patient-Physician relationship According to Kant, humans have an innate value and self-worth incomparable to any other animal. As such, humans deserve a degree of value arising from the mere fact that they are humans. Additionally, they deserve ethical treatment from other humans owing to the value of their life. Kant proposes both humanity and value in assessing the dignity of humans thereby curbing the use of humans as an end. Kant argues that humans are never an end since one cannot treat humans as a commodity with a commercial value. The dignity in humans prevents the commodification. This sets humans apart from any other animal that humans may use as commercial commodities. This way, Kant sets humans apart thereby influencing the formation of ethical values. “Human beings are above any price” is a phenomenal explanation in Kant’s explanation of human dignity. As explain earlier, Kant argues that human life is special and has value that sets it apart from any other form of life on earth. Other animals both wild and domestic have life just as humans. However, they lack dignity. Humans on the other hand occupy a dignified position in the society and have authority over other animals. As such, humans can use the other animals as commercial commodities thereby obtain financial benefits. However, a human can never use another as a commercial commodity owing to the similarity in the value of human life. This therefore limits human interactions since each human has a dignity. A personal approach to public health ethics Personalism is a fundamental school of thought in philosophy that explains the uniqueness of God and that of humans. The concept of personalism compares humans to other animals and establishes that humans are superior beings that have both dignity and free will. The two are fundamental features in humans that help set them apart from other animals thereby establishing the relationship that humans have with God, the creator. Self-consciousness is a unique human feature that influences human activity and their pursuit for happiness. The concept of personalism is therefore important in the formulation of ethical principles since it seeks to influence human interactions. Self-consciousness, free will and unique values are basic features that influence human interactions. Humans must relate with others respectfully. The interactions among humans are different from an interaction between humans and other animals owing to the understanding of the concept, which helps, formulate such ethical principles or respect and human dignity. The two fundamental and inalienable values according to the concept of personalism are the unique human value and free will in humans. The unique value influences the dignity that every human deserves. Free will on other hand implies that humans are self-conscious and therefore enjoy the liberty to act freely without compulsion from anyone. The two values influence human dignity that sets humans apart from other animals. The concept of personalism is similar to Kantian explanation of human dignity, which also refers to the innate value of human life. This safeguards respect for humans. Readings on personalism Evangelium Vitae extends to death thereby establishing value for human life even after death. According to the encyclical, every human has an “incomparable worth”. This implies that while every human life is dignified since they have value, the value varies from one to another especially based on the relationship that humans establish with the transcendental order. God created the universe and relates with every human. Humans must therefore develop a cordial relationship with God in order to secure the longevity of their lives even after death. The nature of one’s relationship with God therefore influences the value of his or her worth. Faith provides explanation to some of the most complex features of life most of which challenge normal human reasoning. By considering both reason and faith, the Catholic Church seeks to obtain a holistic understanding of human behavior thereby approaching every case uniquely. “Integral vision” helps the church adopt an objective analysis of every human action thus developing appropriate teachings for every case. HCE Chapter 3 The relationship between a patient and physician relies on a set of ethical principles. Ethics provides basis for the relationship thereby reducing the harm that either party would cause thereby hastening the healing process. Both the patients and the physician have specific ethical responsibilities to help expedite the treatment process. However, the physician controls the nature of the relationship and therefore has more responsibilities that are ethical. A physician must observe specific codes of conduct in order to ensure the healing process takes places. Such features as honesty, integrity and confidentiality are basic ethical principles that a doctor must observe in the relationship. Confidentiality is a fundamental obligation that every physician must meet in order to secure the quality of healthcare. A patient trusts a physician with some of the most pertinent information that the physician must treat as confidential and share only with specific individuals who contribute to the treatment process. Sharing such information with any other third party breaches the confidentiality obligation and hurts the patient. Such acts of negligence may affect the treatment process since the patient suffers some hurt. Question from the video I. Responsibility, principle of universalizability II. Immoral III. Moral and immoral Ethical personalism refers to ethics that preserve the dignity and free will of a human. This incorporates the individual, his or her spirituality and relationship with the transcendental order, which should influence the decisions and actions of the individual. 1. “Giving one’s self away” refers to the ability of an individual to uphold ethical values some of which may require one to supplant his pleasures in order to uphold the universal good thereby creating space for coexistence with others in the society. Such values often have religious connotations and encourage people to suppress some desires that would otherwise cause harm to others. 2. Tending to the bodily and mental health of others, helps sustain the life of others thereby sustaining the desires of God. God is love and love includes sharing. Tending to the bodily and mental health of others is a way of sharing a feature that helps enhance the life of others in the society. Vocabulary Autonomy- Is the independence of an individual. The independence arises from the fact that humans have free will (Carlo & Sabina, 2008 Pg. 624). Disability- Incapacity of an individual (Carlo & Sabina, 2008 Pg. 626) Freedom- Is the liberty of action enjoyed by every human (Bandman, 2003. Pg. 212) Health care ethics-Refers to the moral conduct required in the practice of health care (Bandman, 2003. Pg. 112) Narrative ethics-Is an approach of ethical studies that focuses on the events in a community or individual’s life story to help develop identity (Downie, Calman & Schröck, 1994. Pg. 77) Discussion 3A Deontological ethics are unique in that they restrict the behavior of an individual to a set of rules, which in turn have consequences. Mary is old and sick. She treats Wanda with love and affection often giving her tips and gifts for her children. Wanda observes a set of rules and should therefore relate with Mary based on such. Wanda is influencing Mary’s actions. Through the gifts’ she seeks to win Wanda’s affection. While such are honorary acts, they are wrong since Wanda has an obligation to serve Mary. Mary often involves Wanda in her personal affairs, which is indeed appropriate. However, she lies and strives to influence Wanda’s judgment of her condition. This eliminates objectivity in Wanda’s duties. Discussion 3B Students who cheat in their exams are not ethical and do not deserve a license. Integrity and honesty are fundamental ethical concerns in the practice of nursing. By cheating in their exams, such students do not pass their exams faithfully and do not therefore possess the technical knowhow of the practice. Additionally, they lack virtue, which will most likely affect their service delivery in the industry. Denying them a license saves the industry by eliminating dishonest individuals who are likely to lie to their patients in order to cover up their mistakes. Such actions will endanger the lives of their patients. Students who witness such acts of cheating in examination have a responsibility to report them. Failing to report is an act of cheating. Reference Bandman, B. (2003). The moral development of health care professionals: Rational decisionmaking in health care ethics. Westport, Conn: Praeger. Downie, R. S., Calman, K. C., & Schröck, R. A. K. (1994). Healthy respect: Ethics in health care. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Carlo, P. & Sabina, G. (2008). A personalist approach to public-health ethics. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 86:624–629. Read More