Applying the Four Principles: Case Study

Applying the Four Principles: Case Study

Part 1: Chart (60 points)

Based on the “Healing and Autonomy” case study, fill out all the relevant boxes below. Provide the information by means of bullet points or a well-structured paragraph in the box. Gather as much data as possible.

 

Medical Indications   Beneficence and Nonmaleficence	Patient Preferences   Autonomy
Medical indications are the clinical data that is required to diagnose a patient and the extent of severity relating the medical problem thus determining the treatment options. Beneficence indicates acting with the best intentions in mind while non-beneficence emphasizes on do not harm. The parents of James were acting in his best interests despite the medical indications that James’s conditions would get worse if not treated. They had no intention of harming him and came back when his condition did not improve.	Patient preferences refer to the expressed choice of the patient or the substitute decision maker. Autonomy emphasizes on the right of a person to make his/her own decision (Beever, 2016). James is an underage kid that is 8 years old thus cannot exercise autonomy rights. However, the parents should have consulted James before making their decision despite his age to know whether he was comfortable with their decision. The physician could hardly impact this decision but could have at least talked to the parents.
Quality of Life   Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Autonomy	Contextual Features   Justice and Fairness
Quality of life refers to the relevant medical features of the life of a patient before and after the treatment. James condition before treatment was worse but after constantly undergoing dialysis his condition improved. However, he needs a kidney transplant to effectively address his condition and his father is thinking his brother should give him the kidney or they should rely on faith. Based on the previous encounter, the parents should first consult James and listen to his views regarding the issue. The last time they depended on their faith, the condition of James got worse, thus they should act with his best interests in mind and allow him to get a kidney transplant from his brother.	Contextual features determine the legal, social and familial setting that influences one’s medical decisions (Gillon, 2018). The faith of James’s parents that he can be healed through prayers influenced their medical decisions. They are also considering on depending on their faith instead of allowing James to have a kidney transplant from his brother. Justice and fairness emphasizes on equality. The conflict of interest came up when the ideal tissue match was identified as that of his brother. The parents therefore were willing to allow other people including themselves to donate a kidney for James but are not willing for his brother to do so.

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Part 2: Evaluation

Answer each of the following questions about how principlism would be applied:

1. In 200-250 words answer the following: According to the Christian worldview, which of the four principles is most pressing in this case? Explain why. (45 points)

According to the Christian worldview, beneficence is the principle that is most pressing. This is because the parents are acting with the best of intentions in mind about their son. They have faith that their son will be healed through intensive prayers. They therefore prefer prayers more compared to treatment because of the faith. We cannot put a blame on them because of the deteriorating health of their son because they acted in good faith and as soon as they noticed his condition was getting worse they brought him back to the hospital.

 

2. In 200-250 words answer the following: According to the Christian worldview, how might a Christian rank the priority of the four principles? Explain why. (45 points)

A Christian can rank the priority of the four principles in such a manner that beneficence comes first then non-maleficence followed by justice and fairness and lastly autonomy. This is because according to Christians, parents should show love to their children by acting in their best interests which is associated to the principle of autonomy. Parents should also ensure that no matter what, they should not harm their children which relates to the principle of non-maleficence (Carr, 2017). Christians are supposed to practice justice and fairness in all their encounters and experiences. Lastly, Christians should also give one another a chance to indicate they thought regarding a certain decision which is associated with the principle of autonomy.

References:

Beever, J., & Brightman, A. O. (2016). Reflexive principlism as an effective approach for developing ethical reasoning in engineering. Science and engineering ethics, 22(1), 275-291.

Gillon, R. (2018). Principlism, virtuism, and the spirit of oneness. In Healthcare Ethics, Law and Professionalism (pp. 45-59). Routledge.

Carr, M. F., & Winslow, G. R. (2017). From conceptual to concrete. In World Religions for Healthcare Professionals (pp. 31-45). Routledge.

 

MORE INFO 

Applying the Four Principles of Healthcare Ethics

Introduction

When you think about the doctor’s role in healthcare, it’s easy to assume that the ethics of medicine are about healing patients. But the ethical principles of healthcare go far beyond that. They’re about making sure all your patients get the treatments they need, regardless of what those treatments cost or how comfortable that care might be. That means we need to look at a lot more than just medical treatment when it comes to determining what constitutes ethical practice in our field.

Autonomy

One of the most important principles of healthcare ethics is autonomy. Autonomy refers to the right of an individual to make decisions regarding their own health and well-being, which includes their body and its treatment. In other words, it’s about respecting your agency—a term used in philosophy that means “self-determination.”

The way we think about autonomy has changed over time, but one thing remains constant: when you’re given an opportunity for freedom from others, you should take it! This includes refusing treatment or procedures if they’re not needed for your benefit; refusing testing or procedures when there’s no evidence that they’ll help; saying no when someone asks you what you want done with your body; saying yes only if it’s clear that this will benefit both parties involved (for example: agreeing on a date).

Beneficence

Beneficence is about doing good. In the context of healthcare, it refers to acting with the best interests of patients in mind. This means that you should only provide care that meets their needs and respects their dignity as human beings.

Beneficence also includes thinking about what’s good for society as well as individuals—for example, by helping people who may be having trouble paying for their health insurance or by trying new drugs before they become widely available (which could result in an increase in costs).

When deciding whether or not to provide certain treatments, consider both personal preferences and what would be best for your patient’s health or quality of life overall

Nonmaleficence

The principle of nonmaleficence states that you should do no harm. It’s a basic tenet of healthcare ethics, and it means that your actions should not lead to illness or injury for others.

This applies especially to doctors, who are trained professionals who must be able to recognize when their patients’ health is at risk—and take action accordingly. For example, if you’re caring for someone with an infected wound (for example), it’s important not just for your own safety but also theirs that you don’t inadvertently spread bacteria from one person into another through contact via clothing or hands during treatment sessions.

Justice

The principle of justice is the fourth and final principle of healthcare ethics. It means that everyone should have an equal chance at getting care, regardless of their socioeconomic status. In other words, we should not discriminate against people based on their economic situation or background. This concept can be applied to all aspects of healthcare—from how we treat patients and how much money they pay for services to how we decide who gets access to certain resources (like hospitals) or technologies (like MRI machines).

It’s important to remember that justice isn’t just about treating people equally; it also means treating every person with respect and dignity regardless of race or gender identity as well!

Takeaway:

The takeaway from this article is that the principles of healthcare ethics are not just for doctors, but for everyone involved in healthcare. They should be used as a framework for decision-making and communication, so that we can all work together to make sure patients get the best care possible.

As you read through the four principles, try applying them to your own situation. Do you think your hospital is doing its job well? If so, why? If not, how could it improve?

Conclusion

There are many ethical questions that healthcare providers need to consider in order to provide high-quality care for their patients. One of the most important principles of medical ethics is beneficence, which means “to do good”. The other three principles relate to autonomy, nonmaleficence and justice or equality. These principles are not always easy even though they can be applied in different ways depending on the situation. For example, if someone has asked you directly what they want done then you should make sure it’s done before moving onto another project/task because sometimes we forget about others when focusing solely on ourselves