I have chosen the Second scenario. There are a few challenges that i can see. First and foremost is
the confidentiality and the integrity of what the laptop holds. I would never have left the laptop
out of my sight. I would have put it in the case or whatever I was using to hold the laptop in and
take it with me. I would never have left it in the hands of someone else. You are the one
responsible and it is up to you to take necessary precautions. The steps that I would have been
taken would be, take the laptop with me. Make sure that the computer was secured or shut off. I
would have called the Tech Support immediately and alert them to a possible breach of data and
then would have continued searching. By alerting tech support they could remotely shut the
computer off or disable it until found.
I feel that ethics and policies do overlap in organizations. They both need to have a human
component of ethics and the use of right and wrong. If what a company is asking you to do make
you uncomfortable, then y our may need to re-evaluate what is being asked. If it goes again
policies and ethics? If you do not follow through with the policies, will you be terminated? You
must question yourself to see if you need more clarification on what is expected of you. Policies
are in place for the protection of employees as well as the organization, if proper channels are not
followed, then there is a liability, termination. Before beginning any job, one should be given the
policies for review, and if you are asked to do something unsafe, uncomfortable, etc. you may
want to reconsider your position.
In scenario 2, a few challenges are present that make this a difficult situation. Following
organization policy and reporting the missing laptop as soon as it happens is the ideal response.
Whether or not the misplaced laptop is found relatively quickly, the organization should be
notified to avoid any potential breach of information. There may be some internal conflict on
whether to promptly contact the organization for fear of potential retaliation for the mistake, but
contacting the organization is the best solution for the safety of the patients and organization.
The relationship between ethics and policy is one that typically overlaps. Policies typically reflect a
solid set of steps that are to be followed regarding certain situations. Ethics can be broader and
follow a person’s moral compass regarding theoretical situations (Petrini, 2010). e Ideally, a
company will have policies that are viewed as ethical in nature.
If an individual has ethics that do not align with organizational policy, they may find themselves
questioning their decisions more often. If an individual must frequently ask whether they should
do what they believe is correct or to follow company policy, they will take more time making
decisions and may not be satisfied with their decisions. If they decide to stay with their ethical
beliefs, a person could find themselves in hot water with their organization for not following
policy. Ultimately, this could end in termination of the employee.
Following the investigation, the discovery that the patients who were removed were sicker and
had a poor outcome indicates that the study has a great potential to cause undue harm. The
concern for not receiving grant money should not ethically be a reason to cause others harm.
Ethically speaking, the injury issue should be addressed and the plan of action revisited due to the
study's negative impact on patients.
Ethics is a moral standard that looks to create the least amount of harm. The policy is usually
based on ethics, as policy helps to impose rules or laws that cause the least harm. Ethics are moral
standards agreed upon by most in society, and policies are standards created to enforce and
manage the behaviours that may go against those ethics. However, the policy does not always
match up with ethics, as some policies may look to decrease financial harm to an entity/business.
For instance, a doctor may call in a prescription order for a drug-seeking patient due to drug
abuse. Ethically speaking, the doctor should do what is best regarding not enabling the patient's
drug abuse. Still, the policy allows a provider to prescribe the medication if it is deemed medically
necessary.
If individual ethics do not align with organizational policy, one may seek assistance or employment
elsewhere. The organizational policy is intended to manage an organization and the actions of its
personnel. If the personnel do not agree with the policy due to their own ethical beliefs, it creates
conflict. This conflict is usually resolved when individuals decide to leave an organization. For
example, a doctor who may disagree with new state legislation concerning provider-patient
confidentially because they feel that patients' HIPPA rights are being infringed upon may leave
practice or decide to practice in a nearby state that aligns with the provider's ethics.
References:
Bowie, M. J. (2018). Essentials of Health Information Management: Principles and Practices (4th
ed.). Cengage Learning.
Dean Harris. (2014). Contemporary Issues in Healthcare Law and Ethics: Vol. Fourth edition. Health
Administration Press.
Petrini, C. (2010). ETHICS-BASED PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY? American Journal of Public Health,
100(2), 197–198. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2009.181511
