There is no use denying the fact that one of the phenomena that distinguish a human being from the rest of the animal world is the presence of some complicated feelings, which depend on society, and values appreciated in it. In other words, only human beings have a great number of complicated codes of behavior that are established by society and determine how a person should show his/her feelings and emotions. It should be said that ethics, as one of these codes, appeared at the dawn of civilization and had been developing along with it, obtaining new features and accomplishing various functions. Nowadays, it is a very powerful sphere that helps people to interact with each other, not hurting somebody’s feelings (“Medical Ethics” para. 5). Especially vital the issue of ethics becomes for people who work in spheres closely connected with human interaction. The healthcare sector is one of these spheres.
That is why it is not surprising that a great number of various ethical dilemmas appear in the course of work of any healthcare specialist. One of these dilemmas could be analyzed to understand the root of the problem better and make certain conclusions. A patient suffered from Alzheimers disease. He came to the hospital and was diagnosed with the first symptoms, such as short-term memory losses. It is obvious, that he was prescribed some treatment, however, the disease progressed and new symptoms appeared. The therapist outlined the necessity of care for this patient as his cognitive disorders developed and insisted on informing a patients family. However, the patient refused to do it and prohibited the therapist to inform members of the patients family, referring to the right of confidentially of treatment. With this in mind, it is possible to state that a certain ethical dilemma appeared.
Several main ethical principles are covered by this dilemma. The first one is the principle of fidelity and responsibility according to which a therapist should establish trustful relations with a patient and respect his/her needs and demands (“Ethical Issues in Healthcare” para. 1). That is why, in terms of these very relations, a specialist has no right to inform a patients family because of trust that exists between them and a patients desire to keep a secret. However, at the same time, according to the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence (“Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct” para. 3), a therapist could not but connect with close people of a patient as he could harm himself because of the nature of his disease. He could get lost or forget his way home. Moreover, he could also be dangerous to people who surround him because of the failure of some general skills. That is why a therapist faces a certain ethical dilemma because several perspectives and principles could be applied to the situation. Finally, a therapist should also respect the rights and dignity of a patient (Larson para. 5), that is why his desire to protect confidentiality should also be respected.
With this in mind, it is possible to say that the therapist faces a great dilemma. Moreover, to show the complexity of the case and to create a complete image of the situation, surrounding circumstances should also be described. A patient is a married man who has three children, residing in a big house far from the center of the city. Thus, it is obvious that he needs some help to come back home from the hospital, especially in case of the progress of the disease. Additionally, on weekends he deals with his grandchildren, devoting much time to them. One can understand that he could also be dangerous and unconsciously make harm to them. Besides, children could be scared by the sudden change in their grandfathers behavior. Resting on all these facts, the therapist outlined the necessity of informing the patients family and repeated it several times, receiving refusals. The patient explained his unwillingness to inform his family by the desire to protect them and not to suffer from excessive guidance.
Resting on these facts, it is possible to say that there are several options for the further development of the current situation. The therapist could continue to insist, trying to persuade the patient by showing a danger that he could constitute to his family and children. Additionally, their feelings in case of some accident with the patient should also be outlined. Thus, the therapist could also wait until it becomes impossible to hide the symptoms of the patient and the family will notice them without any additional interference. Finally, resting on the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence, the therapist could inform the family without the consent of the patient, just trying to protect him and his family from the manifestations of this serious disease (“Short Definitions of Ethical Principles and Theories” para. 5). Being quite controversial, these options show the complexity of the ethical dilemma that arises.
However, some of the given options should be chosen. That is why the third option could be given preference. There are several reasons for this choice. First of all, one should remember that the main task of any therapist is to help a patient and reduce his physical as well as moral pain or help to alleviate suffering (Sabatino para. 5). Being formulated by Hippocrates, these principles and aims serve as the basis of the whole healthcare sector. That is why, a good specialist is not able to hibernate, watching the suffering of a patient. Moreover, according to the principle of beneficence, a therapist should care about the patient and try to prevent or, when impossible, slow down the progress of the disease. Finally, knowing the state of patients, who suffer from Alzheimers, and their helplessness, the therapist has to inform the patients family for them to take care of him and not to let some accidents happen. Due to these facts, the chosen option seems to be the best possible variant.
With this in mind, resting on the given information, it is possible to make a certain conclusion. It should be said that specialists, who work in the healthcare sector, very often face various ethical dilemmas because of the character of their work. The situation is complicated by the fact that these specialists have to act in terms of certain ethical principles that regulate the functioning of the whole sphere. Due to this fact sometimes it is very difficult to make the right choice because of the complexity of human ethics and relations that exist between a patient and therapist. However, the above-mentioned ethical dilemma could be taken as part of the work of any healthcare specialist and he/she should be ready to face them and find the best possible solution in terms of existing ethical principles.
Works Cited
Ethical Issues in Healthcare. n.d. Web.
Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. n.d. Web.
Larson, Jenifer, Five Top Ethical Issues in Healthcare. 2014. Web.
Medical Ethics. n.d. Web.
Sabatino, Charles. Overview of Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care. n.d. Web.
Short Definitions of Ethical Principles and Theories. n.d. Web.