Done

Running Head: ETHICS IN HEALTH CARE 1

ETHICS IN HEALTH CARE 2

Ethics in health care

Professor’s name:

Student’s name:

Date:

Should adolescent decision making be shared?

There has been an issue about the youths during their adolescence stage, and there has been the need to identify whether decision making in health should be shared with the members of the family or friends. Should the health of the teenager be shared with other people, or should the condition be left for the teenager to decide on what to do? I think that information about the health of the teenager should be shared with the parent or guardian. In case the parents are not around, an older and responsible friend can be told about the condition (Ackerman, 2011).

This scenario might impact me in my nursing profession because it wouldn’t be difficult for me to know what I am supposed to do. I will be able to talk to the family or close friends who can help the teenagers in a health issue that they will be dealing with. Nurses and health care professionals are mostly in a dilemma in deciding whether to disclose to the teenage of the condition they are suffering or call their guardians and tell them about it. This is because of the fear of how the teenager might react as teenagers are known to making rush decisions which might affect them later (Giacalone & Promislo, 2014).

I would choose to talk to the parents about the condition that teenage are suffering from because they are mature enough to know the best steps to take to ensure that all goes well. In case the condition requires more treatment, the parents will be able to take their teenage child for the best treatments. It is also easier to talk to the parents about the condition rather than asking the teenager to tell the parents about it because it might be hard for them to do so. Parents will also be able to ask questions in case they require clarifications. The teenager might also make a rush decision after being informed of his condition, which might be regrettable. Some teenagers might even take the risk act of taking away their lives due to distress and inability to reason appropriately. In case such an incident occurs, the blame will be put on the health profession because of talking to the teenager about what he is suffering from. This has been very difficult for health workers because, at the same time, patients have been demanding that everything should be disclosed to them about what they are suffering from (Huffman et al., 2003).

The issue can be addressed by the government putting regulations that ensure that teenagers are always accompanied by their parents or guardians when going to seek medication in hospitals. Parents are also advised to take the condition of their teenagers lightly and comforting them because this is the most critical time in life. This case brings to light other ethical issues, such as how the parents should handle the problems facing their children. Some of the parents might be problems which might be the reason why teenagers will not want the parents to be told about their problems. There should also be councilors who can talk to teenagers on how to handle various situations in life (Pozgar, 2005).

References

Ackerman, L. J. (2011). The genetic connection: A guide to health problems in purebred dogs. American Animal Hosp Assoc.

Giacalone, R. A., & Promislo, M. D. (2014). Handbook of unethical work behavior: Implications for individual well-being: Implications for individual well-being. Routledge.

Huffman, D. M., Fontaine, K. L., & Price, B. K. (2003). Health problems in the classroom prek-6: An A-Z reference guide for educators. Corwin Press.

Pozgar, G. D. (2005). Legal and ethical issues for health professionals. Jones & Bartlett Learning.