Assignments for deliverable 7 healthcare intake packet

Professional Ethics and Liability Protections

1

Professional Ethics and Liability Protections

2

Advanced Healthcare Law and Ethics

Keri A. King

Course Project 1

Introduction Three Mountains Regional Hospital

Good morning everyone, my name is Keri King and I am your Health Services Manager here at Three Mountains Regional Hospital. Today I will be hosting a training session on the importance of professional ethics and liability protections. We will be covering the similarities and differences between laws and ethics, the impact of unethical practices on healthcare, and the importance of professional ethics.

An information sheet will be provided for you to follow along during this training session. Feel free to take notes on the information sheet and/or highlight as needed, for these papers are yours to keep. I kindly ask of you to hold all questions until I have completed the entire section. I will pause for questions or concerns to be addressed between each section upon completion. Alright, let’s get started!

Information Sheet

The Importance of Professional Ethics and Liability Protections

The differences between Laws and Ethics

· LAWS- Are societal standards of what is right and what is wrong.

· If you violate laws, society punishes you (externally with fines or jail time).

· There are two major types of laws: Criminal Law and Civil Law.

· Criminal Law- is defined as a crime against the state.

· Civil Law- Is defined as a crime against a person.

· ETHICS- Are personal standards of what is right and what is wrong.

· If you violate your personal ethics, you punish yourself (internally).

· One’s personal ethics develop as a result of one’s moral values, which are formed as a result of interactions with family, culture, and society.

The similarities between Laws and Ethics

1. It is possible for one’s ethics to conflict with laws and vice versa.

a. Something might be legal (but considered unethical by some)

b. Or illegal (yet considered ethically correct by some)

2. Ethics and Laws are closely intertwined as they both have focus on right and wrong, preventing immoral acts and on creating rules for trade groups such as doctors and social workers.

3. Ethics and Laws can and do change over time. As ethics change, what was illegal can become legal (for example, women voting) and what was legal can become illegal (for example, child labor).

The Impact of Unethical Practices on Healthcare

Examples of unethical behavior

· Practicing without the proper educational qualifications

· Negligence

· Erroneous, unwarranted or uncertain prescriptions, treatments or surgical procedures

· Monitoring or conducting torture, or sexual misconduct with patients

· Unethical disclosure of a patient’s medical history to employers, credit investigators, banks, attorneys etc.

Some impacts of unethical practices on healthcare can result in the following:

1. Legal Issues- Healthcare facilities can face large fines and penalties. Unethical behavior that leads to harmful practices for patients can result in facing criminal charges.

2. Employee Relations- When an employee of a business exhibits a lack of ethical behavior, they risk losing the respect and trust of their co-workers. Causing tension among employees resenting those who do not play by the rules. Which is detrimental in healthcare. We rely on collaboration and a sense of community, especially during critical situations.

3. Company Credibility- If a lack of ethics in healthcare becomes public knowledge, that healthcare facility loses credibility. While some facilities survive public knowledge of a lack of ethics through reimaging and advertising campaigns, many lose a key customer base.

· Ignorance of the law is not defense, especially when lives are at stake. That is why it is essential that healthcare workers continue their education, especially with regard to changes in the law and the role of legal profession in healthcare.

The Importance of Professional Ethics

Professional Ethics- The personal and corporate rules that govern behavior within the context of a profession.

· Professional ethics establishes a baseline for common decency, respect, fairness and integrity.

· They provide a basis for positive and shared expectations.

· Professional ethics build trust and relationship between employee and patient.

· Many well-known companies have suffered many destructive effects due to a lack of professional ethics.

· All healthcare professionals should respect their patients, maintain their patient’s dignity and protect the patients’ rights.

References

Zeiger, S. (2018, June 28). Effects of a Lack of Ethics on a Business Environment. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-lack-ethics-business-environment-23332.html

Unethical practice of health professionals. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://encyclopedia.uia.org/en/problem/134702

What Are the Similarities Between Ethics and Law? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.reference.com/world-view/similarities-between-ethics-law-29cb69d52127ac87

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://rasmussen.mycourselabs.com/labs/course/view.php?id=1122§ion=5