Running head: ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES IN EMERGENCY CARE SERVICES 1
Ethical and Legal Issues in Emergency Care Services
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Running head: ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES IN EMERGENCY CARE SERVICES 2
Ethical and Legal Issues in Emergency Care Services
Any discipline within the health sciences realm attracts immense scrutiny owing to such
practice's sensitivity to human health and life. The goal of any health practice is to promote
human safety and advance people’s wellbeing. Despite the noble intentions, practitioners in these
fields encounter many legal and ethical issues that they must address. One of the most
demanding roles within the healthcare sector is that of a paramedic. Any environment is replete
with various possibilities and dangers that may create emergency health situations for
individuals. A paramedic is an essential health worker in such circumstances as he or she is
among the first responders who must make key decisions concerning people whose health and
lives are in danger. Emergency care services occupy a special place in the healthcare framework
because they are integral in saving people’s lives (Aringhieri, Bruni, Khodaparasti, & van Essen,
2017). Even where individuals benefit from accessing the best healthcare facilities, numerous
situations arise necessitating the intervention of emergency care practitioners like paramedics. It
may include something as common as an individual falling critically ill at home or an accident
on the road that requires some preliminary healthcare intervention to stabilize patients before
seeking further help. A quick diagnosis and treatment at the scene may mark the difference
between life and death for an injured or ill person. Despite its obvious benefits, emergency health
practice elicits numerous legal and ethical concerns for paramedics. Such issues ramp up the
pressure considering that in most cases, paramedics must navigate equally challenging options in
the spur of a moment and address emergencies. This paper analyzes the various legal and ethical
issues in emergency medical services and introduces a biblical worldview of these situations.
Ethical and Legal Issues that Paramedics Encounter
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Researchers divide ethical and legal issues in emergency care services provision into
several categories, including pre-intervention concerns, treatment processes, and end of life
issues (Erbay, 2016). The primary consideration in any health intervention is justice, and this
concept requires paramedics to deal with all patients fairly. Therefore, it is a massive ethical
dilemma for paramedics to decide the distress call they will respond to from the many calls
brought it. This challenge is not uncommon, considering that healthcare problems often
overwhelm the capacity of available resources like ambulances and even personnel. Therefore, a
paramedic is forced into the unpleasant situation of choosing to serve one individual over another
in a move that could culminate in the unattended patient suffering further or even dying. In the
same vein, it is contestable whether an emergency caregiver is morally obliged to intervene in
situations that endanger their lives. For instance, one may wonder whether self-endangering
interventions in a road accident or a place where there is a reasonable risk of an explosion or a
fire break out should be considered.
The most significant issue during the treatment stage entails striking the correct balance
between beneficence or nonmaleficence and patient autonomy. A paramedic is sworn to act in
the best way possible to ensure that a patient benefits or the magnitude of harm likely to occur is
reduced. The challenge emerges where a patient refuses to oblige to a treatment deemed fit by
the paramedic. Does the practitioner heed the patient's wishes, or is there a justification for
overriding the patient's desires and proceeding with the treatment, nonetheless? Informed consent
has emerged as a vital consideration in any healthcare-related undertaking. The rationale is
ethical as the principle of autonomy empowers patients to have control over their health.
However, emergencies may negate one's capacity to ascertain a patient's informed consent to
medical procedures (Taylor & Brogan, 2020). For instance, when should a patient be deemed to
Running head: ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES IN EMERGENCY CARE SERVICES 4
lack the capacity to consent? And in such cases, who makes the decisions on their behalf? The
situation becomes more complicated in end-of-life care, where such decisions have grave
implications on human life (Poveda-Moral et al., 2020). For example, a patient may have issued
do not resuscitate orders before the emergency.
Biblical Worldview Perspective
The Bible provides a useful moral guide for paramedics as they conduct their critical role
in society. Proverbs 31:9 highlights the importance of justice in God’s eyes and encourages
people to use their strengths to protect the weak. Therefore, paramedics should dedicate
themselves to aiding vulnerable, sick people to the best of their abilities. They should perceive
life as sacred and embrace the best practices to save patients who need emergency services. 2
Corinthians 8:9 also reinforces the essence of sacrifice by highlighting how Jesus underwent
suffering to save humankind. In the same vein, paramedics should embrace their profession's
challenges and exercise good judgment for their patients' benefits. The Bible notes that God’s
people perish for lack of knowledge. Therefore, paramedics should actively pursue knowledge
on their ethical and legal obligations as professionals to evade preventable negative
consequences. Paramedics are also called upon to reflect on the fact that God is love and that all
their decisions should border on love for the injured people and their families.
Conclusion
Emergency medical services are essential components of any healthcare framework.
Paramedics encounter numerous scenarios that put them to the test with ethical and legal
dilemmas. Ultimately, paramedics must develop strong personalities to enable them to make
critical decisions under immense pressure. From the discourse propagated in the paper, the
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principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence should take center stage in a paramedic’s decision-
making. These two principles embody vital moral principles from ethical and Biblical
perspectives. In problematic scenarios, such practitioners must familiarize themselves with their
states' legal frameworks to reduce the likelihood of incurring legal sanctions.
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References
Aringhieri, R., Bruni, M. E., Khodaparasti, S., & van Essen, J. T. (2017). Emergency medical
services and beyond: Addressing new challenges through a wide literature review.
Computers & Operations Research, 78, 349–368.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2016.09.016
Erbay, H. (2016). Some Ethical Issues in Prehospital Emergency Medicine. Turkish Journal of
Emergency Medicine, 14(4), 193–198. https://doi.org/10.5505/1304.7361.2014.32656
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org
(original work published 1769).
Poveda-Moral, S., Rodríguez-Martín, D., Codern-Bové, N., José-María, P., Sánchez-Valero, P.,
Pomares-Quintana, N., Vicente-García, M., & Falcó-Pegueroles, A. (2020). Managing
ethical aspects of advance directives in emergency care services. Nursing Ethics,
0969733020952112.
Taylor, H., & Brogan, J. (2020). Exploring the concept of ‘informed consent’within the context
of paramedic practice. Journal of Paramedic Practice, 12(7), 1–6.
