In public health and health care sectors, law and health policies play critical roles in controlling illnesses and reducing deaths. Therefore, it is important to include them in study of health care and public health. It is important for future healthcare and public health practitioners to understand the scope and influence of law in their field of practice (Andre, 2002). Public health law focuses on role of government in improvement of health at various levels of society.
In addition, it deals with legal issues experienced in public health practice, as well as effects on health of people (Andre, 2002). Policies and laws that aim to reduce diseases and injuries, as well as promote provision of quality health care services to people govern the health care and public health sectors. Therefore, they aid future practitioners in understanding how law and policy affects their work, as well as their role in implementing their requirements (Andre, 2002).
Bioethics refers to study of ethics initiated by advancements in medicine and biology (Andre, 2002). In addition, it refers to process of making decisions in relation to health care policy and practice. It deals with ethical questions that arise from implementation of health care policies. Bioethics is an important component that shapes and determines establishment of health policies.
Many issues arise from developments in the medical field and health care sector. The issues have varying bioethical implications on health policy, as they affect the well-being of communities (Andre, 2002). In addition, development of health policy generates ethical issues that affect delivery of health care services. On the other hand, bioethics deals with ethical implications of public policy as it relates to delivery of health care services (Andre, 2002).
The health care sector has many controversies mainly caused and resolved using health policies. Such controversies include abortion, euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, patient self-determination, and role of practitioners in safeguarding patients’ privacy of medical information. Bioethics covers controversial issues related to establishment and implementation of health policy (Andre, 2002).
Decisions related to health law and policy affect interests of many stakeholders. Stakeholders such as employers, the public, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, and researchers have different interests in health law and policy (Teitelbaum & Wilensky, 2013). Therefore, changes in health law and policy affect their interests significantly.
Choices regarding certain policies and passage or interpretation of certain laws affect interests of stakeholders immensely. For example, a court of law could make a ruling regarding requirements of physician licensing and associated duties of physicians to patients (Teitelbaum & Wilensky, 2013).
The court could rule that a medical practitioner is at will to either treat patient or decline to treat a patient despite the fact that he/she was acting as the doctor of the patient’s family. This ruling would affect many stakeholders. It would affect the patient, the family of the patient, and other medical practitioners (Teitelbaum & Wilensky, 2013). It would also affect legislation of the state because the law on licensing could have been ambiguous and therefore in need of amendment.
Another stakeholder that would be affected is the public. If such law were passed, it would affect all decisions related to health care and public health. Policy choices or passage and interpretation of law affect the interests of many stakeholders. In the foregoing example, affected stakeholders include the public, health care providers, patients, and the government (Teitelbaum & Wilensky, 2013).
References
Andre, J. (2002). Bioethics as Practice. New York: University of North Carolina Press.
Teitelbaum, J., & Wilensky, S. (2013). Essentials of Health Policy and Law. New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.