Ethics play a crucial role in the healthcare system for several reasons. Lives are at stake, so healthcare professionals need a strong ethical framework to guide decisions about patient care. By adhering to ethical principles, they can make compassionate, fair, and effective choices for treatment (Tulane University, 2023). Ethics promote trust and confidence in the healthcare system. When practitioners act in their patients' best interests, it fosters a sense of reliability and credibility (Tulane University, 2023). With advances in medical technology and an increasingly diverse patient population, clear ethical guidelines are more critical than ever. Healthcare providers must respect patients' wishes, even when they disagree, while ensuring fair and just decisions (Tulane University, 2023).
Without ethics in healthcare there are opportunities for patients to be taken advantage of. One example of this is the Nuremburg Medical Experiments which occurred between 1930s and 1945. Torturous and murderous experiments were carried out on prisoners. Another is the Tuskegee Syphilis study which occurred which occurred between 1932 and 1972. Black American men were enroll in an experiment to study the affects of syphilis without being aware.
The importance of ethics in healthcare can be noted in the management of HIV/AIDS. Healthcare providers cannot compel individuals to undergo an HIV/AIDS test or deny treatment to someone living with HIV/AIDS. The right to access health services includes providing information about treatment, counseling, and dietary support. People living with HIV/AIDS often face unique challenges, including breaches of confidentiality and stigma. Thus patients information should only be accessed by their health care providers.
Reference List
Tulane University (2023). Ethics in Health Care: Improving Patient Outcomes. [online] publichealth.tulane.edu. Available at: https://publichealth.tulane.edu/blog/ethics-in-healthcare/#:~:text=Ethics%20in%20health%20care%20is%20what%20guides%20the [Accessed 11 Jun. 2024].