Agencies Deal and Ethical Issues

Discussion
For our discussion this week, we are going to look at how your agencies deal with ethical issues. In healthcare, patients are the center of almost all ethical and moral debates and dilemmas. While most hospitals have ethics committees, not all do and few public and home health agencies have one. Outpatient and urgent care clinics rarely have an ethics committee.

So, who does make these decisions, whether on an ethics committee or in an agency that does not have an ethics committee? How do hospitals that have ethics committees decide if a case should be brought before them? Who makes the final decision if, say, a patient in a dialysis center decides to discontinue treatment or an HIV-positive patient continues to have unprotected sex and tells you he or she does? Are the laws always right when protecting patient confidentiality? When do we say patient determination should end in a case where the patient is “competent”, but making what might be considered the wrong decision?

1. With these thoughts in mind, for this week share with your colleagues the following:
   o How are ethical issues addressed in your agency?
   o If they are not addressed formally, how should they be?
   o Do you agree with the process?
   o How could it be improved?
   o How does it mesh with what you learned last week about ethics and morals and ethical principles?
2. Respond to three or more of your colleagues, addressing such things as:
   o Do you agree with the concepts expressed?
   o Is there something that needs clarification?
   o Can you support what your colleague posted?
   o Challenge your colleague to a different view or deeper insight.
   Remember the basic rules of posting:
3. Emotion and intent clearly come through in this medium.
4. Be courteous, non-judgmental, and supportive, even when you disagree.
5. Postings must have substance: “I agree” or “Good posting” are examples of postings that do not meet this criteria and will not count as a required posting.
6. Always check the grading rubric as you reply to ensure you meet all criterion and earn all the points possible.
7. Review the grading rubric to ensure you are meeting all criteria.
   Note: As always, all discussion postings must be in APA format, as much as possible, and use proper citations. The initial reply to the DQ must contain a minimum of two citations, one from the assigned weekly readings, and one from an additional scholarly source.