Ethical Code of Conduct - Thesis Example

?Running Head: Ethical of Conduct Ethical of Conduct [Institute’s Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Facility Background 4 Organizational Structure of the Facility 5 (Britt, Trunkey, & Feliciano, 2007) 6 Duties / Responsibilities of the Management and Professional Staff 6 Possible Encountered Ethical Dilemmas 8 Ethical Standards for those in Governance, Management, and Professional Staff 9 Ways to Implement the Ethical Code of Conduct 10 Consequences of Violation of Code of Ethics 11 Conclusion 12 References 14 Introduction With the technological innovations and advancements in the other sectors of the world, health has become one of the primary and significant sources of concern for an individual in the twenty first century. This is due to the reason that health enormities are escalating with the globalization that the world is experiencing in the contemporary world. However, with the emergence and development of the health care organizations, much awareness has come under creation for an individual. These health care organizations are key responsible for diagnosing, and treating the diseases, illness, injury or other physical and psychological harm that a person may encounter during his life. The health care serves as a promoter and upholds the healthiness, fitness, and wellbeing of the entire populace around the world as its fundamental purpose. Moreover, the key highlighting point of health care profession is to sustain, improve, and enhance the quality of life on whole of the general population. However, several code of ethical conduct needs to come under implementation for those in governance, management, and professional staff of the health care organizations. Since time immemorial, health care is one of the areas of interest that have come under association with a high level of ethical code of conduct and behaviors in order to ensure that patients have complete trust in them (Pera & Tonder, 2005). The ethical code of conduct in a health care defines how the people governing, in management and professional staff should behave or act and emphasize on their responsibilities or duties that needs to come under performance so that the patients can come under well treatment. Moreover, the ethical code of conduct also provides with the principles or the guidelines that can be set as a foundation for resolving the ethical dilemmas that can come under occurrence. In other words, ethical codes are the core values that grants the related people with the necessary actions that needs to come under performance in normal circumstances as well as when a conflict occurs. Value for people, reliability, commitment, devotion, and excellence should be the foundation stones while setting up an ethical code of conduct (Pera & Tonder, 2005). One of the health care organizations that will come under discussion is Acute Care hospital, which is a subdivision of secondary health care. Here, the professional staff provides the patients with short-term care or support. However, the patients come under treatment for their serious illness, severe injury or during the recovery from surgery (Green, 2009). Facility Background Acute care facility comes under the division of secondary health care where immediate care comes under provision for the patients suffering from trauma, serious injuries or illness, or recovery from surgery. It is a care provided on a short-term basis, where the hospital facilities send the patients to their home or other medical treatment centers such as rehabilitation center, nursing home and few others when they see stableness in the health conditions of the patients. In addition, the patients come under treatment by the team of health care professionals ranging from medical to surgical areas of expertise. “Hospitals, emergency departments, dialysis centers, clinical laboratories, urgent care centers and few long-term-care hospitals and facilities are all types of acute care facilities that come under offering” (Green, 2009). Emergency or urgent circumstances that take account of heart attack or stroke, accidental harm or wound, infection control, infirmity, or sickness occurred due to high fevers that needs immediate actions are all the cases in point that comes under treatment by the acute care hospitals and facilities. The patients in an acute care facility or hospitals get an uninterrupted and constant treatment and care by the professional medical staff. “Physical therapies, respiratory therapies, and surgical teams are also the prominent facilities that the patients can make use of” (Green, 2009). Organizational Structure of the Facility The organizational structure of the acute care facility should comprise of the board of trustees or the people in governance who would manage the overall administration of the hospital. Moreover, these people would also be involved in developing policies, standards and code of ethics, provide financing and oversee personnel standards. Therefore, the first level leadership people administer the quality issues relating to acute care. The administrator or the CEO should be the key responsible person in charge of the hospital, supervise, and manage the day-to-day operations and the chief accountable person to the governance people. The departments are liable to look out for their respective jobs and duties and provide complete support to the patients. Moreover, they provide and ensure that the patients receive quality health care at the acute care facility. However, below is the Organizational Chart that would more or less define the structure of the facility that should come under pursues: (Britt, Trunkey, & Feliciano, 2007) Duties / Responsibilities of the Management and Professional Staff All the professional staffs that include nurses, physicians, and other medical officers have a set of duties and responsibilities that they are accountable to perform. The management or the governing bodies should provide the staff with a working environment where they should support and uphold the ethical codes of conduct. Moreover, the management should provide the staff with a free environment that persuades the exchange of ideas addressing such concerns. The management should ensure that the discrimination is firmly discouraged amongst the professional staff and should provide with a safe and healthy working environment (Britt, Trunkey, & Feliciano, 2007). The professional staff or the health care executives should maintain and uphold the ethical codes of conduct in an appropriate manner with honesty, reliability, integrity, respect, and fairness. Moreover, they should abide by the rules and regulations relevant to health care as well as continue practice with proficiency and competency. The professional staff should provide the patients with quality care and services; indeed, they should evade practicing that involves discrimination with the patients. Furthermore, the executives should practice the events that facilitates on working on the resolution in case if conflicts arise. Besides, the executives should ensure that the privacy and confidentiality of the patients are taken care. The ethical codes of conduct also enlighten the health care executive to respect the viewpoints and opinions of the patients and listen to them with patience. Their communication should articulate accurate and correct information, instead of broadcasting false, misleading, or deceptive data to the patients (Britt, Trunkey, & Feliciano, 2007). In addition to the specific, precise, and detailed elucidated responsibilities, the hospital manager is also accountable for providing an environment that is clean and safe; the food provided to the patients should also be safe and hygienic. In addition, ensure that the sterilized and germ-free water or clean water for drinking is available for all together with the facilities for hand washing. Moreover, and make sure that the air supply is properly available for the surgeries (Britt, Trunkey & Feliciano, 2007). The management and the administrative personnel should conduct educational programmes such as infection control programs and others or provide with manuals related to critical infections and their control policies particularly for the lower staff members so that they can get an apparent understanding and have a clear line of responsibility (Britt, Trunkey & Feliciano, 2007). Possible Encountered Ethical Dilemmas While working in a health care organization or acute care facility, several dilemmas can come under happenings. One of the possible ethical dilemmas that may come across or arise in acute care facility is in the quality improvement. This is due to the reason that while making an endeavor to improve or enhance the care for some patients might cause harm to others unintentionally or accidentally or might even benefit them. Such kind of ethical issues arise in the areas where the patients come under employment as a subject used in medical researches (Bankert & Amdur, 2006). In an Acute Care facility, changes coupled to speech-language pathology practice may encounter reimbursement problems. This is due to the reason that health care developments come under the direction to reduce the cost. However, as an outcome of it acute care hospitals have undergone changes in the way they reimburse. The acute care facilities normally negotiate with the insurance companies so that they can acquire acceptable payments from the patients for the care and services. However, the majority of the pathology services of speech-language do not come under direct reimbursement by the acute care facilities. The amount comes under reimbursement based on patients’ diagnoses. Therefore, hospitals face a decrease for reimbursements as they encounter an increased risk for the facility to lose money with the increase in patients’ services (Johnson & Jacobson, 2007). Ethical Standards for those in Governance, Management, and Professional Staff The ethical standards for the people in governance, in management and the professional staff would be the guidelines that they should follow so that they can practice the decision-making process in an ethical manner. The professional staff must come under preparation for the challenges that include the assessment and review of the ethical dilemmas and values of conflicts. Moreover, they should also be able to identify and acquainted with the widespread and complex considerations related to the right to refuse the treatment by the patient or others of such sort. While developing interventions and planning for the treatment the professional staff should incorporate complete and extensive information allied to it and make the evaluations and assessments as their foundations (Daniels, 2004). Sympathy, care, concern and sensitivity should be the attitude of the professional staffs’ that they should always exhibit towards their patients, while being sure to respect the patients’ rights of self-esteem and freedom. Moreover, the professional staff should distinguish and be conscious of their own values and beliefs and should take notice of their personality that can act as an influential body during their practice. The professional staff of the acute care facility should promote and support the patients’ rights, needs, and decisions. Moreover, the staff should ensure that the patients get equal access to the resources that meet their requirements by getting themselves involved in the social and political actions (Daniels, 2004). Documentation is one of the prime important aspects that needs to come under strict practice by the staff and should have a comprehensive information of the medical record of the patient either in the form of electronic record or hand-written record. The staff should also persist and carry on developing the knowledge and understanding about the history, traditions, and values about the organization and the cultural competence (Daniels, 2004). The people in governance and management should develop a formal process for all the procedures for the professional staff in order to ensure that by following the principles and standards, the acute care center promotes the well-being of the patients. Moreover, they should also design procedures that deal with the ethical issues, dilemmas, and concerns. The management should provide the staff with guiding principles that can facilitate them in making decisions with relation to the ethical concerns and dilemmas (Daniels, 2004). Ways to Implement the Ethical Code of Conduct Providing professional staff with proper and appropriate education of the cultural norms, standards, and ethical code of conduct is one of the finest methods that can come under usage for the implementation of the ethical code of conduct. In other words, by educating, the management would be able to create awareness and familiarity with the standard procedures of how to behave and act with the patients, colleagues and other members of the acute care facility (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 2010). Distribution and circulation of the ethical code of conduct in the printable version is another way of implementation. However, the professional staff should come under provision with a certain time so that they can grasp the values and standards that the acute care facility asks them to have. Moreover, a feedback or comments from them in this regard would prove to be fruitful for the improvements or making some amendments in it (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 2010). Means of putting the ethical codes of conduct into effect should come under development. In addition, the consequences should also come under design if any of the members of the acute care facility comes under violation of these conducts. Have an inspection or evaluation systems in order to ensure that the ethical codes of conducts developed by the management of the acute care facility is coming under correct practice (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 2010). Consequences of Violation of Code of Ethics The ethical code of conduct or the code of ethics should come under appropriate implementation by all the members including the professional staff of the acute care facility. However, if violation of the code of ethics comes under observation, the professional staff must come under its consequences that should be standard for all. Impositions of fines, dismissal for a certain period or cancellation of licenses amount of salaries are the few cases in point that can come under implementation if any member comes under surveillance violating the ethical code of conduct (Wywialowski, 2003). The act of violation should also come under definition in the ethical code of conduct and the procedure that would come under follow should be a part of it. This would create the awareness about the actions and behaviors that come under the act of violation and the members would come under obligation to abide by it. Moreover, the consequences in the written form would also provide the members with the idea about what would happen with them if they breach the rules (Wywialowski, 2003). Nevertheless, the management should make sure that the possible outcomes of breaching the standard codes of ethics are clear and apparent to all the members as making it a part of the code of conduct will help to great extent. The management is the principal body that can support to which extent the ethical codes of conduct are efficient and successful by offering with rewards and punishments (Wywialowski, 2003). Conclusion The ethical code of conduct is the set of procedures and standard values that defines how a person should behave, have his actions and their responsibilities in particular circumstances or situations. However, acute care facility that is a branch of health care organization, the ethical code of conduct would come under the practice by the people in governance, in management and the professional staff. Since Acute Care facilities provide the patients with the treatment on short-term basis for the serious illness and injuries. The Acute care hospital provides with faculties such as hospital, dialysis centers, clinical laboratories, urgent care centers and several others where the patients can get a treatment for their severe illnesses. Here the patients get a continuous treatment until they get a stable health condition. Like all organizations have an organizational structure, Acute Care facility also needs to have the proper structure in order to run the facility in a manner that can help the patients to fullest. However, the organizational structure defines that the governing body should comprise of the board of directors who would manage the overall hospital facility. The CEO or the administrators should be the subsequent person in charge who would be the key responsible person for the overall management. The departments would then follow who would ensure that the patients get quality health care by the professional staffs. Every person in the acute care facility would have precisely defined role and responsibility that should properly come under exercise in order to provide the patients with the quality treatment and care. Moreover, the ethical code of conduct and standards should come under proper implementation by all the members. If anyone fails to abide by the code of conduct or violates it, then he or she must be liable for its consequences. This would ensure that all the members are following the codes and the quality is being maintained. Even though the codes of conduct have come under definition, in few cases ethical dilemmas can come under exercise, which should come under resolution. References American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. (2010). Best Practices for Hospital & Health-System Pharmacy 2010-2011. ASHP. Bankert, E. A., & Amdur, R. J. (2006). Institutional review board: management and function. Jones & Bartlett Learning. Britt, L. D., Trunkey, D. D., & Feliciano, D. V. (2007). Acute care surgery: principles and practice. Springer. Daniels, R. (2004). Nursing fundamentals: caring & clinical decision-making. Cengage Learning. Green, M. A. (2009). 3-2-1 Code It! Cengage Learning. Johnson, A. F., & Jacobson, B. H. (2007). Medical speech-language pathology: a practitioner's guide. Thieme. Pera, S. A., & Tonder, S. V. (2005). Ethics in health care. Juta and Company Ltd. Wywialowski, E.F. (2003). Managing client care. Elsevier Health Sciences. Read More