The situation at hand is that of a teacher who is taking medication for schizophrenia. It is mainly known to have side effects that can cause harm to those they interact with if medication is not taken. A situation like this brings out an ethical issue where the teacher is aware of the medical condition and the dilemma is whether to respect the client confidentiality or to report the matter. A client like a teacher possesses a great danger to the children she teaches. Whenever she misses a dose the side effects may cause serious harm to the children and those she interacts with (Noble, 1979). As the file clerk in the doctor’s office where the teacher is a patient, a file that belonged to the teacher was found showing a medical condition known as schizophrenia. The disease is known to cause mental disorder where a person will have withdrawals from reality. It is critical as the file clerk to ensure that a client’s medical information is safe but also ensure that she is not distractive due to her medical condition. The ethical thing to do is to request her to inform her employee of the situation in order to avoid blame. If the client does not heed to the request it is proper to ensure that the school is aware of her condition in order for them to monitor her (Noble, 1979).
The aim of the information is not for her to be discriminated but to ensure that she does not fall out the wagon and begin destruction while in the school premises. There is the perspective where the school may begin treating her differently due to their fear of the situation getting out of hand, but it is also advisable for them to approach the situation without any discrimination (Noble, 1979). In ethics, there are normative ethics theories that are used to describe and understand ethical situations that cause a dilemma. Normative ethics theories mainly deal with moral standards, principles, and judgments. They help understand what is good and right in ethical situations that one is faced with. The theories include virtue, deontological and consequentialist which is also known as teleological (Noble, 1979).
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In virtue ethics, it was mainly encouraged by Aquinas and Aristotle where it mainly concentrates on the character a person possesses instead of the actions. It mainly deals with one personality and how they carry out their daily decisions as a person. According to the theory, a person’s personality can determine the type of moral standards one takes up in situations. In the case of discussion, a decision will be determined by one’s personality which will determine the moral standard and principle portrayed in the situation. The advantage of following the theory is that it can help determine what decision to make especially in such a situation where it is either protects the children or the client. The disadvantage is that the decision made may not be to the benefit of the client or may favor one than the other one because it will be based on one’s personality which may be pleasing or not (Noble, 1979).
In deontology, it explains that a person should make decisions in accordance with the factors surrounding the duties and those involved. The theory advocates for consideration of the situation surrounding an incidence and those around it. In the case of discussion, before making the decision on what to do should assess their duties and at the same time also assess the client’s rights which include ensuring there is client confidentiality. Deontology in the case above gives the clerk ethical perspective where they can choose to perform their duty towards the patient which is to keep their records confidentiality. The file clerk can also decide to protect those that interact with the teacher and that is the children by informing the school of the condition. Considering the fact that the children are innocent and do not have the ability to protect themselves. The theory may be advantageous because it considers both the client and those surrounding the client which may help come up with a better strategy to deal with the issue. The disadvantage is that it may lead to a dilemma because both parties are important and there will be consequences of that decision (Solomon, 1998).
Consequentialism theory, on the other hand, is also commonly referred to as teleology where it considers the outcome of a certain action and its moral stand. The theory clearly states that one’s actions may have a moral stand and it is critical that the moral stand is identified according to the outcome (Solomon, 1998). In the case of discussion, the moral stand of the decision made in order to carry out an action will be judged according to the outcome. Telling the authorities may be done in order to protect the children who interact with the teacher but it may lead to the losing of a job by the teacher. The board may find the teacher a threat and decide to terminate the teacher’s contract. At the same time, if the institution is not informed of the medical condition, the children may face the consequence if the teacher misses a dose and begins being destructive with the children. Children may be harmed in the process which is also a bad outcome (Solomon, 1998).
It is about the consequences of the ethical decision based on the greater good for the greatest number of those impacted by the decision. The theory is advantageous in that the children will now be protected from the teacher’s condition. They are innocent children who cannot protect themselves from such a condition and therefore the theory protects the greater good. It may be considered disadvantageous because it does not protect the teacher who deserves protection due to doctor-patient confidentiality, but if that is followed the greater good will be harmed which is not ethical (Solomon, 1998).
In the case of discussion, it is a dilemma in what decision to stand by. On the ethical matter, it is best to inform the institution. The reason as to why it is best to inform them is because the client is a teacher in an elementary institution and therefore is dealing with children. Children tend to be very vulnerable people in the society and therefore understanding those who interact with them is key (Solomon, 1998). As much as the institution is not the client and one should ensure that there is client confidentiality, the children too need to be looked out for. The decision is influenced by the deontology and consequentialism normative theories where they encourage that the situation is well assessed before decision making. Consequences of the decision will determine the moral stand one has and deciding to protect the children is more of a moral stand as compared to protecting the client who is not the victim when things go wrong with the medication. It is best to protect the greater good which in this case is the children as compared to the client who is not the victim in case the condition gets worse (Solomon, 1998).
In conclusion, it is, therefore, advisable that professionals observe the ethical decisions they make on a daily basis. The file clerk should make a decision after they have assessed both their client and those affected by the decision in order to ensure that the consequence is good. Doing the right thing does not necessarily mean that it is good. One may decide to do what is right for the client which is to maintain the client confidentiality but it may lead to the harming of innocent children which are bad (Solomon, 1998). Good is always better than right and therefore professionals should maintain good outcomes of a decision rather than the right.
References
Noble, C. N. (1979). Normative ethical theories. The Monist , 62 (4), 496-509.
Solomon, W. D. (1998). Normative ethical theories.
