Ethical Codes of Conduct in the Healthcare Profession
Introduction
Most of the health care facilities experience different kinds of ethical issues. A large section of health care professionals are not able to abide by the rules set by the organization and this has led to various problems in the organization. For example, most of the health care facilities are not able to handle patients well. The health care professionals do not accord patients the right care and respect the patient autonomy. Moreover, the health care professionals are not to work together and hence lead to conflicts. This in turn affects the productivity of the employees in the organization.
They also find it hard to associate with patients. This has in turn affected delivery of care to patients. It has also affected the productivity of the organization as the organization is not able to attain its goals. Organizations need to have ethical codes and standards so as to be able to attain their goals. The code guides employees and other stakeholders in the organization. This in turn makes it easy to deliver quality services. This paper prepares ethical codes for a health care administrative office.
Discussion
Organizations adopt ethical codes so as to help people in the organization make decisions that are right. It helps people in the organization understand what is considered right and wrong in the organization. Then apply the concept to their decisions. A code of ethics concentrates on social issues. For example, the code of ethics set principles that govern various things in the organization like privacy, quality and mission. It also sets principles that govern the environment.
In addition, the code of ethics identifies procedures that are used to determine violation of the rules set. It also identifies remedires that can be imposed on those who do not abide by the law. The effectiveness of the code is determined by the management. The management should support the implementation of the code through sanctions and rewards.
The ethical code for the health care administrative office will govern various people in the organization. For example, the ethical code will guide health care professionals, patients and board of directors in their duties. In addition, it will guide the management and the administration (Westrick &Dempski, 2000).
Code of ethics of conduct for health care professionals in the health care facility
First, health care professionals are supposed to deal with patients honestly. The health care professional should not misinterpret himself in any kind of communication. For example, he should not give information that is misleading to the patients. This is because giving misleading information can affect the relationship between the patient and the communication between the two parties. In addition, the health care professional should not act in a deceptive manner. The health professionals should ensure they act honestly all the time so as to provide quality care (Westrick &Dempski, 2000).
In addition, the health care professionals should be able to maintain medical competence by studying to improve their medical knowledge and skills. This will in turn improve delivery of health care services. Also, the health care professionals should behave well. Any behavior that affects the capability of the health care professional to deliver quality services should be addressed immediately and the right actions taken. This will help improve the capability of the health care professionals including physicians, nurses etc.
Moreover, the professions should use the right channel when addressing unethical behaviors in the organization. Different employees in the organization show different types of unethical behaviors and so the employees should use the right procedures to solve the issues. This will help prevent conflict between the health care professionals. Further, the health care professionals should avoid conflict of interest. Conflict of interest is common in health care industry and facilities.
Different professional have different interests and this results to conflict of interest. For example, the health care professional has conflict of interest with their outside activities. That is activities that are not linked with organizations functions. The conflict of interest influences the professionals in different ways. For instance, they force employees to act contrary to the interest of the organization and patients. Thus, this affects the quality of care offered to patients. Professionals should enhance the interests of the organization and the patients and also protect the interests.
In this case, the health care professionals should not involve themselves in activities that benefit them instead of the organization and patients. They should also not engage in activities that benefit other people or harm the organization in any way. Also, the health care professionals should not use their positions to benefit themselves or other people at the expense of the organization. Instead, they should use their position to help the organization attain its goals.
Additionally, the professionals should avoid situations that can lead to conflict of interest. Avoiding such situations will make it easy for the professionals to serve the patients and the organization. Incase of conflict of interest, the professionals should report the conflicts to the management. They should report any kind of conflict even if they are not sure whether it is a conflict or not. This will make it easy for the management to handle the conflict and ensure productivity in the organization. Apart from health care professionals, the other professionals in the health care facility should not take advantage of their position for personal gain. For example, when they are dealing with suppliers and other people they should act according to the law (Westrick &Dempski, 2000).
Further, the health care professionals should not disclose patients’ information or business information to any person without permission. The professionals might learn various things when carrying out duties like financial information or patient information. In this case, professionals should not disclose the information to any one outside the organization or people inside the organization unless they are allowed to access the information. There are different types of information that is available in the organization.
For example, law suits that involve the company, earnings of the company and fee schedules. Disclosing the information in the organization might affect the functioning of the organization and thus professionals should keep the information confidential. Employees in the organization including doctors and nurses should not use the information obtained from the organization for personal gain. The professionals should seek permission from the management before using the information (Lo, 2009).
The health care professionals should always keep patient information confidential. Health care facilities gather different kind of information from patients. The information collected is used to treat the patient and carry out research. The information collected is always sensitive. The professionals should not disclose the information collected expect when they are authorized by the management. They can also release the information gathered when required by the law. In addition, the health care professionals should only disclose the information if they get consent from the patient.
Disclosing the information can affect the organizations commitment to provide quality care to patients. This is because it affects the privacy of the patient. Most organizations are committed to offering quality care and maintaining patient privacy. When disclosing the information, the professionals should ensure they disclose the information well so as to avoid infringing the privacy rights of the patient. Health care professionals should only access information that is related to their duties so as to be able to perform their duties. The information accessed should be used to prompt access to quality care. Patients expect organizations to promote privacy by keeping their information confidential.
Lastly, the health care professionals should respect the rights of the patients and other health care professionals when carrying out his duties. For example, the physicians and nurses should respect the patient’s right to make decision. Patient autonomy has become a major issue in many health care facilities. This is because physicians do not allow patients to make the right decisions. This in turn affects the relationship between the patients and the physician. It also affects the autonomy of the patient. The health care professionals should allow patients to make their own decision. This will ensure the patients get the right kind of care. It will also help the professionals offer quality care to the patient (Lo, 2009).
The health care professionals should not encourage discrimination when offering health care services. All patients should be able to access quality care regardless of their race, gender and ethnic group. Discrimination affects the quality of care offered to patients. This is because some patients get quality care while others do not. So, the health care professionals should promote equality in health care access. The health professionals have societal responsibilities. They should participate in activities that promote the community. They should also respect the laws that are established by the society so as to be able to benefit the society (Lo, 2009).
Ethical codes of conduct for patients
Most hospitals have developed code of ethics for patients. The code of ethics guides the patients when making decisions. Patients are required to make decisions about the kind of care they will get. Most health care facilities allow the patients to make independent decisions and this helps respect patients autonomy. Though allowing patients to make decisions has several advantages, it has some harm. This is because patients might not be able to make ethical decisions regarding treatment and this affects their health and the quality of services offered in the health care facilities. Patients should always follow the rules set below (Veatch, 1991).
First, patients are required to act honestly. Patients should tell the truth when communicating with nurses and doctors. For example, they should be able to give honest information about drugs as false information can result to poor healthy. For example, the patient should tell the nurse and doctor which medicine they are allergic to and which ones they are not allergic. Like health care professionals, the patients should ensure the communication is effective so as to improve quality of care. Also, patients should maintain good relations with the health care professionals.
The patients are not allowed to involve themselves in activities that affect the relationship between the patients and the doctors. Physicians and nurses are supposed to have a close relationship with the patients. Having the right relationship makes it easy for the doctors to offer the right services. There are different ways that physicians can use to improve their relationships with patients. For example, they should ensure the communication is clear so as to avoid conflicts. They should also keep information provided by the patient confidential so as to avoid affecting the privacy of the patient (Larsen &Runzheimer, 2010).
Moreover, the patients should be able to trust their doctors. Failure to trust the doctors affects quality of care offered to the patients. Most of the patients might find it hard to trust the physicians and nurses and hence fail to give correct information. The physicians should be able to win patients trust. The physicians should encourage open communication. Communication plays a vital role between the patient and the physician. This is because it affects their relationship in different ways. Poor communication in the health care facility leads to distrust and this makes it difficulty for the patients to trust the health care professionals.
On the other hand, good communication in the health care facility makes it easy for the patients to trust the health care professionals. Also, the physicians should be able to keep information gotten from the patient confidential so as to enhance trust between the two parties. The patients should respect the health care professionals so as to strengthen their relationship. Respect is important in provision of care as it ensures patients get adequate care. The physicians should respect the patient and vice versa. Patients expect doctors to act professionally and also observe secrecy. The information gathered is supposed to be kept well to avoid unauthorized access by other people. This helps boost patients’ confidence towards the physician or nurse.
Lastly, patients should not misuse various rights accorded to them. For example, they should not use the right to make independent decision wrongly as this can hinder provision of proper care. They should also not use their right to quality care and privacy wrongly. They should ensure any transactions between them and the physicians or organization is honesty. Thus, they should avoid bribery and other activities that can affect the interest of the organization and their own interest. The patients should not be involved in activities that benefit them at the expense of the health care facility. Instead, they should promote their interest and interest of other people in the health care facility and interest of the health care facility (Greenberg, 2001).
Code of ethics of conduct for the management staff, administrative staff and executive staff
Like other stakeholders in the health care facility, the management should act honestly. The managers should not use their position for their own selfish gain. Instead, the managers should only use their positions and power to enhance the interest of the organization and other stakeholders. In this case, the managers should avoid involving themselves in activities that promote conflict of interest in the organization. This will help the managers manage the organization well and help it achieve its goals.
The managers should be able to solve any conflict of interest raised by the employees so as to avoid affecting provision of services. The management should be responsible and show ethical behaviors. The managers in the organization should act as role models to other employees. The managers should promote the right culture in the organization. For example, they should encourage honesty, respect and integrity in the health care facility. They should be able to enhance team work in the organization (Greenberg, 2001).
The managers should not disclose confidential information in the organization. Like the health professionals, they should ensure any information in the organization is kept secret. The information should only be used for the right purpose. The managers should not use information provided by the patients or any other information for their own interest. For example, a manager should not use the financial information in the organization without the consent of other managers in the organization.
In addition, the managers should not misuse resources in the organization. The financial resources and other resources in the organization should be used well. This will help improve the quality of care in the health care facility and also access to care. The managers should act in ways that promote patient care. The information available in the health care facility should only be disclosed when it is required by the law or when other stakeholders in the organization approve it(Saks &Allsop, 2002).
Ethical code of conduct for Board Members
First, the board of directors should act in an honest manner. The directors should tell the truth always, In addition, the directors should always protect the interest of the organization and stakeholders. The directors should not have conflict of interest. They should ensure their activities do not conflict with the activities pf the organization. This will make it easy for the board of directors to enhance the interest of the organization and stakeholders. Incase, the interest of the directors and organization conflict, the directors should choose to promote the interest of the health care organization and stakeholders like patients (Greenberg, 2001).
They should also guide other leaders and stakeholders in achieving the organizational; goals and objectives. Hence, they should act as role models. They should also encourage faurness in the organization. The directors should treat every person in the health care facility equally. They should not encourage discrimination by choosing some people over others. This will affect the organization and make it hard to meet its objective.The directors should demonstrate accountability and integrity when carrying out their duties.
For example, when handling financial details they should show accountability and honesty. They should not encourage misuse of resources in the organization by other people. They should not use the resources for their own interest. Instead they should use their resources for the benefit of the organization. The directors should ensure their actions are inline with the laws established by various organizations. For example, they should obey the laws set by the government to govern provision of health care services (Saks &Allsop, 2002).
The code of ethics will be implemented in different ways. Different people will be involved in the implementation of the code of ethics. For example, the employees, health carte professionals, management and administrative staff will be involved in the implementation process. Also, the board of directors will also participate in the implementation process. The organization will be required to allocate enough resources to implement the plan. For example, it will be required to have enough financial resource and man power. The first step in implementing the plan is identifying areas that will be implemented and allocating time. Then identify people involved. After that the organization will implement the plan. The plan will be implemented within one year.
The code of ethics established above addresses different types of legal issues. For exampke, the ethical code of conduct solves issues that are related to patient autonomy and patient safety. In addition, the ethical codes of conduct solve issues that are related to patients’ privacy. Most of the health care organizations have been accused for violating various rights accorded to patients like autonomy and privacy. Thus, the code of conduct will help eliminate such issues. In addition, the code of conduct will eliminate social responsibility issues.
Social responsibility issues affect the operation of the health care functions. For example, it affects the relations between the health care facility and its customers. This is because the patients do not trust services offered by the organization. The enforcement of the code of conduct will affect the bottom line of the organization in different way. For example, it will ensure the patients and other stakeholders are treated well (Hendrick, 2000).
Failure to comply by the code of ethics above will lead to the following disciplinary measures. First, health professionals who do not comply with the ethical code above might be deregistered and their licenses provoked. In addition, the health care professionals can be fined or asked to compensate the patients for damages. In case of directors, management and executive officials, they can be disqualified for not abiding by the code of conduct. Also, the stakeholders listed above can face criminal charges if they do not follow the code.
The health care facility should develop the right organizational culture so as to encourage the stakeholders to obey the laws. The organizational culture can affect the effectiveness of code of conduct. Poor organizational culture leads to ineffectiveness of code of conduct. In addition, putting the right management can encourage stakeholders to follow the code. The code should be reviewed within one year. The directors and the management should review it. The directors and the management should identify the shortcomings of the code and then change the code of conduct (Baker,1999).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the code of conduct will guide various stakeholders in the health care organization ion. For example, the code will govern the actions and behaviors of the professionals, management staff and executive staff. They will also guide the board of directors and the administrative staff. The code of conduct will help eliminate ethical issues and legal issues in the organization. For example, it will help eliminate issues related to patient autonomy and privacy. In addition, it will eliminate issues that affect the community as the healthcare facility and the stakeholders will act in the right manner. For example, the organization will offer quality services to the patients.
References
Baker,R.(1999).The American medical ethics revolution: how the AMA’s code of ethics has transformed physicians’ relationships to patients, professionals, and society. JHU Press
Hendrick,J.(2000).Law and ethics in nursing and health care. Nelson Thornes
Greenberg,J.S.(2001).The code of ethics for the health education profession: a case study book. Jones & Bartlett Learning
Larsen,L.,&Runzheimer,J.(2010).Medical Ethics For Dummies. For Dummies
Veatch,R.M.(1991).The patient physician relation. The patient as partner. IndianaUniversity Press
Lo,B.(2009).Resolving Ethical Dilemmas: A Guide for Clinicians. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Saks,M.,&Allsop,J.(2002).Regulating the health professions. SAGE
Westrick,S.J.,&Dempski,K.(2000).Essentials of nursing law and ethics. Jones & Bartlett Learning
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