Ethics is a core component of professional practice. Each known profession has its codes of ethic that guides its behavior and professional boundaries. Ethics involves morality and values. In medicine, patients are the users of the services. The treatment relationship requires certain limits that will foster quality and harmony. Ethical standards apply in a caregiving center, and the practitioners have to be equipped with the basic guiding principles. The knowledge of what the boundaries entail provides the professional in identifying and avoiding situations that will affect the relationship. The prevention of border crossing and violation in the medical workplace is within the application of codes of ethics and relevant life or moral principles of goodwill.
Ethics protects the caregiver-patient relationship. People who seek medical services enter into a therapeutic relationship with a multidisciplinary team (Lamentani, 1999). The information from a diagnosis and possible treatment outcome are confidential elements in the relationship. Patients are sometimes vulnerable in such settings. Their protection depends on the establishment of codes of behavior and handling of patients. A private and patient-centered ethical code enhances the dignity, respect, and trust in the therapeutic relationship (Lmentani, 1999). Violations of codes can be harmful to patients. In many instances, legal charges are results of perceived violations of regulations in the health care system.
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The health care team utilizes codes and principles in decision-making. Situations and personalities differ in practice. The development of shared values and rules allow health care workers to analyze situations before deciding on the appropriate steps necessary in balancing their duty and patients' needs. A moral and medical judgment or decisions are usually the challenging experiences of caregiving. Many professionals face ethical dilemmas because of the conflict that is likely to arise from their actions (Lamentani, 1999). The thin line between a moral and an ethical decision is often difficult to navigate. However, balance is likely through the application of codes and principles.
Ethics assist in managing diversity and perspective. A comprehensive approach to health care service delivery takes into consideration the diverse beliefs and cultural orientation of the medical system. The general ethical principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, and beneficence are universal in scope. This universality guides clinicians on evaluating situations and environments as they treat and manage patients. Ethics can help professional “to focus on relevant moral issues” (Lamentani, 1999, p.397). When codes and principles are established in medical organizations and departments, they offer a structure of morality and describe the positions and role that each element plays in a given health care setting. People come with different political, cultural, religious, and psychosocial inclinations into the multidisciplinary team. Patients also have these differences as well. Managing them requires an understanding of the value of ethics.
Ethics allow professionals to pursue practice with the best conduct. Medical conduct is a continuum in which the middle ground is the place to achieve a good and professional relationship. Patients expect health care providers to demonstrate a balance in behavior and decision-making. Emotional management is also a consideration in ethics. Often, emotions surface in a therapeutic environment. Professional awareness and control of personal emotions are critical in maintaining a relationship with a consumer. The clinician has to stay within the professional limit so as not to over or under-involve in caregiving.
Ethical policies protect the caregiving institution against litigations. Training of members of the health care team on ethics and its enforcement is essential. Ethics involve theory and practice; the practice keeps the workplace from lawsuits. When members are aware of the legal implications of their actions and decisions they tend to stay within the professional and moral limits expected by the society and patients.
Reference
Lamentani, A. E. (1999). The role of ethical principles in health care and the implications for ethical codes. Journal of Medical Ethics, 25 :394-398.
