Medicine is an important field governed by ethics. Every decision or action taken by medical practitioners has positive or negative consequences. Negative outcomes are undesired in healthcare, which requires medical practitioners to make moral and ethically sound decisions. This helps bring a positive outcome to the patient, the health worker, and the hospital. Two philosophies standout in medicine when making ethical decisions: utilitarianism and deontology. Healthcare practitioners need to balance these two philosophies based on the environment to promote congruity in health care delivery.
In the deontological philosophy, the outcomes of a service provided may not necessarily be justified by the means used. Sometimes something that is not morally justified can result in better outcomes (Mandal, Ponnambath, & Parija, 2016) . Utilitariani sm philosophy states that "good" should be increased while striving to minimize the "bad." According to Laakasuo & Sundvall (2016), utilitarian philosophy justifies actions if their benefits outweigh their shortcomings. These philosophies contradict each other, and each has its pros and cons. these philosophies can be applied organizations depending on the environment. In some environments, utilitarianism is better applied if the benefit is huge, and loss is minimal. However, in cases where the damage is huge, deontological philosophy should be applied. This would help reduce dilemma and promote balanced decision-making, hence better health outcomes.
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As mentioned, utilitarianism is a good fit for situations where the patient's decisions and outcomes have long-term benefits. In the case study, the kid has cancer and failing to administer the chemotherapy may have damaging effects. Despite the psychological effects on the kid, the doctor should apply utilitarianism and administer chemotherapy. This would be beneficial to the kid in the longterm in the fight against culture. Psychological effects are short-term and could be easily handled by therapists.
Healthcare involves making sound decisions that improve the position of the patient. These decisions must be based on ethics and fall under utilitarianism or deontological philosophies. Utilitarianism is based on the outcome, while deontology depends on the morality of actions taken. Both have pros and cons. they should be balanced and applied to organizations depending on the environment. Medical practitioners should balance these philosophies to improve healthcare.
References
Laakasuo, M., & Sundvall, J. (2016). Are Utilitarian/Deontological Preferences Unidimensional? Frontiers in Psychology . doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01228
Mandal, J., Ponnambath, D. K., & Parija, S. C. (2016). Utilitarian and deontological ethics in medicine. Tropical Parasitology , 5-7. doi:10.4103/2229-5070.175024
