Professional Behavior in Medical Ethics PDF

Professional Behavior Dr/Yasmin El-khateeb Professional behavior meaning professional or professionalism came from profession. Profession is generally de ned as any type of work which needs a special or pa icular skill. Behavior refers to the actions or reactions of an object o...

Professional Behavior Dr/Yasmin El-khateeb Professional behavior meaning professional or professionalism came from profession. Profession is generally de ned as any type of work which needs a special or pa icular skill. Behavior refers to the actions or reactions of an object or organism, usually in relation to the environment.  e most common criticism made at present by older practitioners is that young graduates have taught a great deal about the mechanism of disease, but ve little about practice of medicine – or, to put it more bluntly, they are too “scienti c” and do not know how to take care of patient.’  Ethics “ e branch of philosophy that de nes what is good for the individual and for society and establishes the nature of obligations, or duties, that people owe themselves and one another”. A more simple de nition is that: “ethics can be considered the moral standards by which people judge behavior.”  Morals Morals are based on principles of Right and Wrong;. Moral values can occur at many di erent levels such as: Personal morality: is the Vi ues or Values & character traits of who you are. , Group morality: is the way people tends to communicate with and behave towards members of other group. , while , Societal morality:is the shared beliefs about (values or duties) adopted by culture or society. Values in Medical Ethics Six values that commonly apply to the medical ethics, a) Autonomy : the patient has the right to refuse or choose their treatment. b) Bene cence: a practitioner should act in the best interest of the patient. c) Non-male cence: rst do no Harm”. d) Justice: the decision of who gets what treatment and distribution of health resources. e) Dignity: the patient and the person treating the patient have the right to be treated with dignity. f) Trustfulness and Honesty. WHAT IS PHYSICAL THERAPY ETHICS? e word “ethics” is ambiguous and hence so is “physical therapy ethics.” We distinguish several prima senses, both normative and descriptive ones. Normative ethics morally justi ed conduct, beliefs, and character. It is how we ought to act? Examples; a. It is wrong to kill people just because they make you ang. b. Also, we should give charity to those in need even if no reciprocation (favor returned) should be expected.  Descriptive ethics Refers to facts about what people believe in moral matters and how people actually act, regardless of whether their beliefs and actions are justi ed. How societies regulate behavior (as punishing people for doing ce ain actions as a social pressure). Usually based on the culture we live in. Example; when a man should steal a drug to save his wife because he has no money or avoid this action but this will lead to his wife’s death.  If we say that morality is simply obeying the law and other dominant customs, following the customs of the group or society to which one belongs, called ,ethical relativism. Example ,slave in USA two hundred years ago was normal. If we say morality is simply following what is good for ourselves and self interest, we are embracing ethical egoism. If instead we say that morality is producing the most good for the most people, called utilitarianism.  If we say that morality is about respecting human rights, called rights ethics.  Examples; right to have religion of choice, life , libe y , follow happiness & free of speech. RELATIONSHIP-CENTERED CARE “ e phrase ‘relationship-centered care’ captures the impo ance of the interaction among people as the foundation of any therapeutic or healing activity.”  e prima relationship is between the health-care professional and the patient. it plays a key role in the healing process. Crucial, too, are relationships among health-care professionals who work in interdisciplina teams. So are relationships with wider communities, whether the community is de ned as a hospital or the profession itself. Regarding professional-patient relationships, concern is directed for patients, sensitivity to their needs, empathy for their su ering and respect for their rights. ere are several meanings and dimensions of patient care: (1) care-giving, that is, providing health-care se ices (taking care of patients); (2) exercising due care, that is, meeting appropriate standards in providing health care; (3) caring for patients as persons by providing professional se ices with attitudes and values of concern for patients, and (4) manifesting the vi ue of caring. CHARACTER AND THE VIRTUE OF CARING Vi ues are desirable features of character. ey are habits or tendencies to feel, act in morally valuable ways—ways bene cial to others and to oneself. Example, an honest person acts in ce ain ways—avoiding lying, cheating, and stealing—and in addition routinely tries to be truthful and trustwo hy because relationships of trust are valued. In contrast, vices are morally undesirable features of persons, such as dishonesty, sel shness, and cowardice. CASE.1 Refusal to Rescue In 1998 Ma in Dyck man retold the sto of an event in his home state of Florida. A man, self-repo ed to be a good swimmer, watched a young boy drown in a canal. e man looked over his back to make sure no one obse ed him doing nothing when a rescue would have been so easy. He later stated that he let the boy drown because he hated all people of that color, regardless of any other consideration. WHY BE MORAL? For example, suppose the question is raised about why a person should avoid cheating or paying a bribe, even when other people are doing so. e answer might be that pa icipating in such practices would adversely a ect character. It would make a person dishonest rather than a person of integrity. In this way, the question about why one should pe orm ce ain obligato actions is answered by : ‘Attracting to the vi ues de ning good character’.  e prima reason for doing what is required as a morally responsible professional is that health providers will be responsible persons in the professions. ey will be persons of integrity. ey will be decent and compassionate healers.  Plato, attempted to show that the moral person will be happier than the immoral person and, hence, that morality pays. ETHICAL DILEMMAS Situations in which moral reasons come into con ict.  When choosing one “good” clearly violates another principle or allows a negative consequence. When you cannot avoid the con ict of two competing principles.  e following steps are typically involved in responding to ethical dilemmas: 1. Moral Reasons. Moral reasons take many forms. ey include responsibilities (obligations, duties), rights (both general human rights and speci c rights created by contracts), good and bad consequences, valuable relationships, ideals, and vi ues (good features of character). 2. Facts. is includes the applicable laws and policies. Identify the relevant stakeholders—that is, people and groups directly a ected by how the dilemma is resolved. 3. Options and Outcomes. Identify the realistic options in resolving the dilemma and their likely outcomes. 4. Deliberation (Discussion) and Decision. Make a reasonable decision by deliberating to discover the option that most reasonably balances and integrates the moral reasons. (Occasionally more than one option can provide a reasonable solution.) 5. Action. Take action; implement your decision. 6. Review. Re ectively review your process, and assess the outcomes. Look for ways to improve the process by identifying procedural barriers, and assess if procedural changes are needed for the future. Quiz: 1) What are the steps needed in responding to ethical dilemmas? 2) Mention the values in medical ethics? 3) De ne meaning of (Ethics) & (Morals)?