1686057162_Portyfolio_Project_Extended_Stay (1)

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Running Head: ETHICS IN HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICE 1 Case Study: An Extended Stay Thurman L. Kearney Bryant & Stratton College PHIL222 Ethics in Health & Human Services Professor Sean Riley June 6, 2023

ETHICS IN HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICE 2 Introduction Healthcare providers often face challenging ethical decisions. Because healthcare practitioners must balance patient, provider, and societal interests, these challenges arise. A 64- year-old man stays longer than expected due to medical blunders by the care team. This paper will use deontology to argue that healthcare practitioners must prioritize patient well-being. Healthcare ethical issues can occur when a patient's requests collide with a healthcare provider's medical judgment or when resources are short and difficult treatment decisions must be made. Healthcare providers must balance patient autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice in difficult decisions. Medical errors extended this stay. This raises important ethical considerations about healthcare practitioners' patient duties. Is developing a patient's hospital stay due to staff errors ethical? Should healthcare practitioners prioritize their interests, such as avoiding legal liability or safeguarding their reputation, over patient well-being? The paper will use deontology to address these concerns. Deontology emphasizes the duty of individuals to follow universal moral principles and rules. Healthcare professionals must follow deontological ethics regardless of the consequences. Deontology can help us comprehend healthcare providers' ethical responsibility to patients and what they should do in instances like this. Underlying ethical issues "An Extended Stay" raise ethical considerations that affect healthcare decision-making. First, the care team's negligence caused the patient undue harm, calling into doubt the provider's duty of care. Healthcare practitioners have an ethical and legal obligation to treat their patients well. The 64-year-old man's care staff breached their duty of care by failing to manage his breathing problems and making a prescription error. Patients trust healthcare practitioners to deliver the most excellent care, expecting them to operate competently, professionally, and in the

ETHICS IN HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICE 3 patient's best interests (Birkhäuer et al., 2017). The care staff neglected a standard treatment and made a drug error that harmed the patient. This negligence has serious repercussions. The patient and their loved ones were distressed by unnecessary harm that prolonged their hospital stay. Extended hospital stays increase hospital-acquired infections and medical problems. Healthcare professionals must treat patients ethically and legally. Medical malpractice may result from failing to achieve this threshold. Medical negligence can hurt patients, so doctors must take precautions. Second, the patient's autonomy was undermined by a lengthier stay than expected, which could have affected his quality of life. Patient autonomy is the moral freedom to choose medical treatment. This includes the right to refuse treatment and get information about their disease and treatment choices to make informed decisions. The 64-year-old guy with health concerns who was hospitalized for medical blunders lost his autonomy in various ways. First, he may have been unable to leave the hospital on time, compromising his career and family duties. A more extended hospital stay may have caused emotional distress and discomfort, lowering his quality of life. According to research, patient autonomy improves healthcare decision-making and results (Ubel et al., 2018). According to the study, participating in treatment decisions improves patient satisfaction and health outcomes. Involved patients are more likely to receive appropriate and successful treatments, which lowers healthcare expenditures. Healthcare professionals should stress open and transparent communication with patients, give clear and comprehensive treatment alternatives, and respect patients' care decisions to encourage patient autonomy. When patients cannot make their own decisions, doctors should involve family members or other authorized decision-makers while honoring the patient's wants and preferences. Healthcare professionals can improve patient outcomes by prioritizing patient autonomy.

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ETHICS IN HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICE 4 Third, the healthcare provider failed to minimize harm. Healthcare is vital since mistakes can be fatal. Healthcare practitioners must act to limit patient harm as part of their ethical duty. Healthcare providers are morally committed to protecting patients' health and well-being and preventing undue suffering and damage. Healthcare, where errors can be fatal, requires limiting harm. Healthcare practitioners must take precautions to avoid harming patients. Research shows that restricting harm improves patient safety and care quality. Medical errors are a primary cause of death and injury in healthcare settings, and better patient safety and harm reduction may have prevented many of them. Fourth, the case emphasizes healthcare decision-making transparency and communication. The medical team's inability to communicate with the patient and family may have caused unneeded therapy and prolonged suffering. Effective communication and transparency can improve patient safety, decision-making, and confidence between healthcare practitioners and patients. Fifthly, the case questions institutional rules and procedures in healthcare decision-making. Healthcare institutions must guarantee their rules and procedures reduce patient damage and promote ethical decision-making. The patient's lengthy stay may have been caused by the care team's failure to follow protocol. Healthcare organizations must regularly examine and change their policies and procedures to reflect evidence-based practices. Finally, the instance emphasizes ethical healthcare leadership. Healthcare leaders must foster ethics, openness, and accountability. They must also train and equip their teams to make moral decisions and limit patient harm. Leadership may prevent such incidents and enhance healthcare safety and quality.

ETHICS IN HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICE 5 Utilitarianism Utilitarianism promotes the greatest good for the most significant number. Under this idea, the healthcare provider's ethical duty is to limit harm and encourage patient well-being to achieve the best outcome for all parties. The healthcare provider's negligence caused the patient unnecessary harm and a lengthier stay, which is inconsistent with utilitarianism. Utilitarianism would require the healthcare team to follow conventional treatment protocols and prevent drug errors to protect the patient (Vearrier & Henderson, 2021). In this case, the healthcare personnel should have followed protocol and prevented pharmaceutical errors. The healthcare team might have provided the finest treatment and prevented injury by following protocols. Utilitarianism also suggests that the healthcare team should have maximized the patient's well-being and that of the patient's family and healthcare professionals. The healthcare team should have minimized the patient's hospital stay and reduced the strain on the patient's family and the healthcare system. Failure to do so caused patient injury and a prolonged hospital stay, which hurt the patient and the healthcare system. Utilitarian ethics requires considering the effects of acts and choosing the one that benefits society the most. In this example, the healthcare provider caused unnecessary harm and a lengthy hospital stay. Thus, the healthcare provider violated utilitarianism. The healthcare team should prevent future blunders to fix this. This may involve stricter quality control, pharmaceutical safety training, and periodic audits to highlight areas for improvement. By following these steps, the healthcare team may enhance society's well-being and future patients' treatment.

ETHICS IN HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICE 6 Deontology Individual moral duties are the focus of deontology. This notion states that doctors must emphasize patient well-being and minimize harm. This healthcare provider failed to owe to neglect and blunders. Healthcare practitioners must avoid harm and deliver patient-centered care. Thus, the care team's acts violate deontology. Deontology promotes morality. The care staff violated established guidelines by not following standard treatment methods. They risked patient injury by forgetting a standard therapy. Deontology also emphasizes individual autonomy (Tseng & Wang, 2021). Healthcare professionals must respect patients' informed decisions. The patient may not have been adequately told about the pharmaceutical error, which may have affected his autonomy. Finally, deontology values accountability and responsibility. Healthcare providers must acknowledge and correct errors. The patient's hospital stay was extended because the care team didn't take responsibility for their mistakes. Deontological healthcare prioritizes patient well-being, respect for autonomy, obedience to rules and protocols, and accountability for one's actions. This case shows that healthcare ethics deserve more attention. Counterargument Healthcare providers also owe society, which counters a deontological viewpoint. Healthcare professionals must prioritize the best outcome with limited resources. The healthcare provider may have prioritized the patient's well-being over others needing attention. Healthcare providers may have harmed other patients by prioritizing patient well-being. Thus, the healthcare provider may have served the patient but not society. Healthcare personnel may not always know a patient's medical history or current condition, which is another argument against a deontological approach (Zolkefli, 2018). The healthcare staff may have been uninformed of the

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ETHICS IN HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICE 7 patient's sensitivity to standard treatment and the risk of medication error. Healthcare providers must deliver the best treatment possible with inadequate information and ambiguity. Utilitarians may also claim that the patient's extended stay was beneficial. The extended stay may have allowed for better monitoring and treatment of the patient's health conditions, improving long-term outcomes. It may have also allowed for a more thorough inquiry into the drug error and preventative measures, enhancing patient safety and well-being for a greater community. Virtue ethics may also examine the healthcare team's character and objectives. The prescription error and extended stay may have harmed the patient, but if the healthcare team acted with good intentions and taken responsibility, they may be virtuous. This method promotes compassion, honesty, and accountability over-rules and results. Other ethical practices may consider societal implications, partial information, and character, while deontological approaches emphasize norms and obligations. Healthcare providers must balance multiple ethical frameworks and factors when making patient care decisions. Rebuttal Healthcare practitioners must focus on patient well-being while also serving society. Healthcare providers must prioritize patient care over other duties. Prioritizing one patient does not equal neglecting or harming others. By following their morals, doctors can prioritize patient well-being. In the case of the 64-year-old man injured by a drug error, healthcare practitioners must give competent, non-harmful care. Healthcare professionals must minimize mistakes and immediately correct them. In this example, the care team failed to provide standard treatment and made a drug error that worsened the patient's condition. Avoid these errors. It's also vital to remember that prioritizing one patient's well-being doesn't entail neglecting or injuring others. Healthcare professionals must deliver high-quality care to all patients. To reduce errors and

ETHICS IN HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICE 8 assure patient care, follow protocols and procedures. Healthcare providers should admit mistakes and fix them. Healthcare practitioners must also communicate with and involve patients (Leonard, 2017). This includes explaining their disease and treatment choices, taking patient input, and answering questions. By including patients in their care, clinicians can better understand their needs and preferences and deliver personalized care. Healthcare practitioners have a duty to society but must put patients first. Healthcare practitioners must continuously improve their techniques to provide high-quality, error-free care that involves patients. Conclusion Extended stays raise ethical considerations that affect healthcare decision-making. Deontology strongly supports the idea that healthcare practitioners must prioritize patient well- being. Doctors must prioritize patient well-being and minimize harm. The nursing team neglected the 64-year-old guy who stayed longer owing to a medication error. This emphasizes the necessity of ethical decision-making in healthcare and the need for providers to follow protocols, interact with patients, and take responsibility. Healthcare practitioners must also consider ethical issues when making decisions and delivering care that benefits society. These principles help healthcare providers make ethical decisions and provide the best treatment.

ETHICS IN HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICE 9 References Birkhäuer, J., Gaab, J., Kossowsky, J., Hasler, S., Krummenacher, P., Werner, C., & Gerger, H. (2017). Trust in the health care professional and health outcome: A meta-analysis. PLOS ONE , 12 (2), e0170988. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0170988 Leonard, P. (2017). Exploring ways to manage healthcare professional—patient communication issues. Supportive Care in Cancer , 25 (S1), 7–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-017- 3635-6 Tseng, P.-E., & Wang, Y.-H. (2021). Deontological or Utilitarian? An Eternal Ethical Dilemma in Outbreak. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 18 (16), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168565 Ubel, P. A., Scherr, K. A., & Fagerlin, A. (2018). Autonomy: What's Shared Decision Making Have to Do With It? The American Journal of Bioethics , 18 (2), W11–W12. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2017.1409844 Vearrier, L., & Henderson, C. M. (2021). Utilitarian Principlism as a Framework for Crisis Healthcare Ethics. HEC Forum , 33 (1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10730-020- 09431-7 Zolkefli, Y. (2018). The Ethics of Truth-Telling in Healthcare Settings. Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences , 25 (3), 135–139. https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2018.25.3.14

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