Institutional versus Human Values
Common human values include loyalty, compassion, kindness, integrity, selflessness, spirituality, and humility. On the other hand, institutional values include efficiency, reliability, flexibility, status, cost-effectiveness, and aesthetic appeal. Since institutional values are designed based on long-term agendas and goals for the wider society to accommodate diverse stakeholders and resources, unlike these economically-driven values, human values are limited to loved ones and those close to us. Therefore, it is common for conflicts of interest to occur as the parties prioritize different targets.
Common Conflicts in Healthcare
Conflict in healthcare often arises from diversified priorities or poor communication. For example, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare providers shifted their priorities and best approaches for attending to the overwhelming patient influx due to fatigue and understaffing. During India’s turn as the epicenter of the pandemic, up to half a million cases were diagnosed daily, thereby straining and overwhelming the practitioners (Dhar et al., 2021). Tempers were high as families sought to save the lives of their loved ones with minimal chances of finding oxygen and the attention of the few doctors present.
Conflict of Values
In the case of India’s hospital crisis, economic values such as the efficiency of the human resources available and the cost-effectiveness of the required medication were not aligned with human values such as; kindness, selflessness, and compassion. Despite their willingness to help the masses of needy families, they were not capable of treating the patients without compromising their health or retaining adequate opportunities for others. While covid-19 pandemic was an extreme case experienced around the globe, the conflict between providers and recipients is a common phenomenon in the healthcare sector both in developed and third-world countries.
Reference
Dhar, R., Pethusamy, K., Jee, B., & Karmakar, S. (2021). Fault lines in India’s COVID-19 management: Lessons learned and future recommendations.Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 14, 4379. Web.