Can someone do my Week 1 Discussion in MHA 622 Health Care Ethics & Law?

► HOSPITALS THROUGH THE AGES

This chapter provides the reader with notable historical events, from ancient civilizations to the present, that continue to revolutionize the delivery of patient care. It reviews the advances in civilization, as disclosed in the history of hospitals and medical achievements through the ages. A study of the past often reveals errors that can then be avoided, customs that persist only because of tradition, and practices that have been superseded by others that are more effective. The past may also bring to light long-abandoned practices, which may be revived to some advantage. The story of the birth and evolution of the hospital portrays the triumph of civilization over barbarism and the progress of civilization toward an ideal characterized by an interest in the welfare of the community.

This chapter reviews some of the most amazing medical discoveries and achievements in the history of medicine. It also describes some of the failures that continue to plague the healthcare industry. The importance of the study of history is undeniable. The Spanish philosopher George Santayana (1863–1952) recognized this all too well when he said, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), an Irish dramatist and socialist, recognized the tragedies of the history of civilization when he said, “If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience.” Yes, Santayana and Shaw are right: If we do not learn from past mistakes, we are doomed to repeat them. Progress in health care will only prevail so long as each new generation practices advances in medicine. Although the struggle to progress is a road filled with many pitfalls, hope still looms.

Martin Makary wrote in the Wall Street Journal that “Medical errors kill enough people to fill four jumbo jets a week . . . . To not harm going forward, we must be able to learn from the harm we have already done.”2 If we do not learn from historical events to those of the present day, we are bound to repeat them. This chapter takes the reader on a journey from the past to the present, from which to spring forward on a better road that returns the people’s trust in the safety net of the nation’s hospital systems. Here, we go “back into the future” to bring forth the fruits of healthier hospitals and healthier lives. Let the reader now travel that road.