Ethical Issues: Justice and Allocation of Resources - Essay Example

Decision Making a) Informed Consent: This term commonly refers the phenomenon involving the recognition that all the persons have unconditional liberty to determine his/her own path whether agreement or disagreement regarding any issue. In other words, it is the process, in which any participant is well informed about the procedures, risks and benefits before starting research or project (CCTS). There are many ethical issues which are related with informed consent process. When making someone to decide over some dilemma all the ethical and moral issues related to it should be explained to the person taking that decision. In organizational structures some decisions are taken by upper management that can be harmful to the objective of organization. In such a situation it is a moral responsibility of the person to inform the authorities about the risks involved in their decisions. If issue is related in providing positive or negative impacts to society to public and management does not agrees with the individual than it is responsibility of that person to inform law enforcement agencies about the situation (IRB) (McCarrick). b) Confidentiality: A relationship in which all the communications done between individuals or departments is kept in secret is called confidential relation; and the phenomenon behind this is known as confidentiality. In other words, confidentiality or confidential information generally refers to information or communication done between individuals, departments including trade secrets, production and customer details, partnership and information that are held by departments as a secret for national security or other issues. Confidentiality does not harm individual freedom or liberty a person has in the society or in law. Normally an individual is considered to have freedom or liberty when it is concerned to make decisions that are related to personal life of an individual. But this liberty or freedom of actions and expressions should not harm the common interest of community or society. In public sector departments for security purposes or for the greater good of a society communications are made confidential. For example, a place where any action has to be taken is kept secret by law-enforcement agencies until that specific action is taken. There are confidential partnerships that exist between foreign offices of countries also like criminal data sharing, intelligence sharing and even nuclear tests details. Regarding health issues medical details regarding a patient especially psychiatric analysis are kept confidential for achieving the goal of patient’s health (CLEMSON), (McCarrick). Ethical decision making and ethics committees for hospitalized patients Hospitals now days require ethics committees to provide hospitals solutions and ethical consultations regarding different ethical issues. These committees consist of personals from different background in a society. Ethics committee provides clinical ethics consultation, hospital policy and educating about issues regarding clinical ethics. Ethical committees have a common goal like: a) Promoting rights of patients. b) To promote shared decision making between patients and their clinicians. c) To enhance ethical environment for health professionals in different health care institutes and private clinics. A case is considered to be consulted from ethical committee if you conclude that there is an ethical dilemma involved in the treatment of patients. Health care professionals of hospital are unable to establish a relation that is agreed upon by the patients and clinicians. Communication breakdown is the major cause of most of the ethical dilemmas. The policy making of hospitals and ethical issue related to it, like visiting hours, family interference in the treatment, communication barrier existing between health care professionals and issue regarding unpolluted environment for health professionals and patients. These all issues are resolved by ethical health committees present at the hospitals. Financial and health insurance problems faced by patients; this main issue can be resolved by ethical committees acting as bridge between patients and insurance companies. 5 elements of informed consent: Five elements of informed consent are as follows: a) A statement which involves research, an explanation of purposes of research and expected duration of partition of an individual in the research/project, clear description of involved processes and identification of experimental processes. b) A description of any harm physical, mental and financial that might happen to the participating individual or subject. c) A clear description of all the benefits to the individuals or to others like community that can happen as a result of intended research or project. d) A disclosure of any alternative option if exists that is available in place of the intended research or project, in case of treatment alternative course of treatment available to patient. e) A statement which is describing the measure to which confidentiality of the records including identification of subject is explained. These all elements are defined in federal laws section 46.408 of 45 CFR 46. The consent deed or form should be signed by parents, guardian or any other responsible person or authority that is available if research/project involves a minor or a person who is unable to make a decision. Factors involved in judgment of issues involving informed consent include age, maturity and psychological state of the subject. Also anticipated circumstances under which an investigator can eliminate the contribution of subject without consent of the subject are considered a part of deed now days (CCTS; IRB). Euthanasia definition and differences between active and passive Euthanasia Euthanasia commonly refers to the intentional killing of a human being that is dependent and goal of the process is relief from pain of the victim. A person allows killing him or herself voluntary or involuntary. This results in division of Euthanasia into two types, active euthanasia and other is passive euthanasia. Assisted suicide is a term related to both types of Euthanasia which involves the phenomenon due to which an individual is provided with the knowledge, training and ways to take his or her own life. When a doctor or physician helps in this type of killing it is called “physician or doctor assisted suicide”. Active or Willing Euthanasia: This term commonly refers to phenomenon when one willingly kills another person. Attentions are off course according to definition of Euthanasia is to help the killed person. For example, a patient that is in comma for a considerable amount of time and there is no medical way to get the patient out of it. It is devised by doctors to kill the intended patient as a waste of different life saving facilities is happening due to that patient. Passive or voluntary Euthanasia: It is defined as removal of life-sustaining medical treatment on the request of patient itself. Death is caused on the consent of a responsible authority. This type of Euthanasia is considered to be more ethical as agreement of victim is also available. Giving poison for relief from extreme caused by gun battle by colleges is an example (Euthanasia). Formal and Material Justice Systems: Formal justice system normally refers to a system that is based on moral and cultural believes that are present in society. Material Justice System is a distributive justice system in which judgments are made on the basis of social status of the individual or organization. Both systems were and are used in different parts of the world. Laws written on the basis of Formal Justice System are easy to understand every one and implemented without any main resistance from society. I call Material Justice System as a system which is based on the principle of necessity (Missouri). While addressing any ethical problem I will prefer formal justice system. This system of justice is believed by main sectors of the society and can be implemented easily all over the society. Most of these systems are based on the concepts that use religion as their basis. As religion is the accepted doctrine of law by society naturally. Also socially people are more attached to religion emotionally and socially. Many judicial systems on the world are based on the religions like catholic and Islamic laws. One should take care of violence if it is present in some formal judicial system. Laws for crimes like murder are mostly violent as it is demanded life in place of life taken by most of the system. In modern times age factor is also a big factor while giving punishment. Punishments are and should be different for adults and children in my opinion (Rachels). References CCTS. "Informed Consent in Research." OSU CCTS. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. CLEMSON. "Confidentiality." Clemson University, South Carolina. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. Euthanasia. "Definitions on Euthanasia." Catholic Education Resource Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. IRB. "Institutional Review Board - Required Components of Informed Consent." Institutional Review Board - Main. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. McCarrick, Pat M, and Judith Adams. Ethics Committees in Hospitals. Washington, D.C: National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, 1987. Print. Missouri. Office of Research Compliance - Missouri State University. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. Rachels. Queensborough Community College. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. Stanford University. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. Read More