Ethical Issues of Health Care free essay sample

Out of the four models of physician/patient relationship, Dr. McKee exemplified the Paternalistic model, the least ideal model for physician/patient interactions. He makes decisions for the patient dismissing the importance of their values or desires. For example, on the way home from a festival with his wife, Mrs. Street calls because she is concerned that her husband wants to mow the lawn after having just received surgery on his lungs. Dr. McKee says† Well it is dangerous to mow the lawn in the dark†, laughs, and carelessly hangs up on her.He also uses the interpretive model where the patient is inchoate and is asking for elucidation of their values and acts as a counselor. For example, the suicidal patient, he tells the patient next time he wants to torture himself to go play golf. Doctors such as Dr. Murray, Dr. Abbott, and his radiology therapist were doctors in the film that acted in the same manner as Dr. McKee had in the beginning of the film. Dr. Murray asked him to lie under oath for him in a major malpractice case against Mr. Richards. This case involved medical infidelity and going against the ethical principle of justice when the benefit that Mr. Richard’s was entitled to was denied and the burden of his health was imposed unduly. He was denied informed consent of his medical conditions and went against the Kantian belief of truth-telling which states† to be truthful in all declarations is therefore a sacred and conditional command of reasons, and not to be limited by any other expediency. † Dr. Abbott also treats her patients like specimen and has an egoistic view in medical ethics. She’s rude, keeps her patients waiting, and speaks to them in a careless manner. At one point when Dr.McKee was concerned about being unable to see her until later in the day she says to him, â€Å"I am the doctor and you are my patient. I am telling you when I am available. † Dr. McKee’s radiology therapist left his cancer patients unattained for an entire week because he was backed up and also against informed- consent as well as truth-telling when he fails to inform Dr. McKee that his tumor has gotten larger since therapy. All he tells him is that â€Å"it didn’t shrink. † In the beginning of the film, Dr. McKee would have evaluated this type of behavior from doctors as acceptable and justifiable. A Medical Ethics committee is responsible for ethical issues, problems and dilemmas pertaining to health. Medical Ethics involves the moral relationship between people and health professionals and is based primarily on the idea of fidelity, respect, and trust. Although a medical ethics committee follows principles of autonomy, informed consent, confidentiality, beneficence, and distributive justice, If Dr. McKee were to be a member of medical ethics committee in the beginning of the movie, he would ultimately address a dilemma from a more paternalistic view.If he were to be placed in a position where he needed to evaluate a situation and come up with a decision regarding a patients health, he would believe in doing what appears to be in the best interest of the patient even if it against the expressed of implied wishes of the patient, but â€Å"for the patient’s own good. † He would act upon the principle of double effect which states that it is permissible to do what o rdinarily is harm if one does not intend the harm, the harm is an unintended effect of some good action, and the action is the only way to bring about a desired end.These principles are unsatisfactory and incompatible to other principles such as informed consent which states the importance of communicating, understanding, and agreeing upon a medical treatment and would work against the autonomy of the patient. It also goes against the requirement of a medical committee member to promote education regarding medical ethical matters and also to assess and provide patient care by demonstrating a respect for patient rights. However, despite Dr.McKeen’s callous attitude towards his patients, I believe he would follow the principle of beneficence, a supporting theory about the value of avoiding harm and helping others. Although he treated his patients in a lackadaisical manner, he demonstrated his gifted surgical abilities with the ultimate goal to heal them. Even when he is diagnosed with cancer and scheduled to receive radiation therapy, he’s concerned about missing his scheduled surgeries and continues to go to work despite his sickness. In the beginning of the movie, Dr McKee was an egoist.Even though he performed the kind actions of operating on people and saving their lives, he was only acting in his own interest. He didn’t actually care about the patients. On his way walking into a scheduled operation, he stated â€Å"A surgeon’s job is to cut. Caring is all about time. I’d rather cut straight, and care less. † He believed he had a right to his own interest, which was to do his job, and care only about his interests, which is exactly how egoists think. Towards the end of the film, he turns into more of a utilitarian in doing the greatest good for the greatest amount of people.After there is an ironic reversal of professional perspective, and he is forced into becoming the patient instead of the doctor, his philosophy on medicine changes. He learned the importance and healing powers of love and compassion and the meaning of ethics of care in that love and responsibility are emphasized over rights, duties, and rules. He defends a patient who was described as terminal by arguing with the doctor and saying, ‘Well is the patient alive or dead? Call a patient terminal again and that’s how you will describe your career. † He was kind and companionate to Mr.Merris, who was undergoing a heart transplant by talking to him throughout the operation and hugging him. Dr. McKee becomes a believer in Kantian theory of truth-telling when he refuses to lie under oath about the mal practice case against Mr. Richards. When all the doctors watched and ignored Mr. Richards who seemed to be having trouble with his car, Dr. McKee helped him receive the keys he’s locked in his car. Also, in the beginning of the film, Dr. McKee would ridicule Eli, an ear-nose-throat doctor, for his empathetic treatment of his patients.At the end he apologizes to him and says, â€Å"I’ve been very insulting with you in the past which I am ashamed of. † When Dr. Abbott says she knows how he feels he responds by saying, â€Å"You don’t have the first idea what I’m feeling. Today I’m sick, tomorrow or the next day you’ll be sick. Every doctor becomes a patient somewhere down the line and then it’ll hit you as hard as it hit me. † He makes the incoming doctors act as hospital patients for 72 hours to learn the importance of the patient’s autonomy, the justice of fairness, and the sanctity of life.He says to them,† You’ve spent so much time learning the Greek names for the patient’s deceases but patients have a name. They feel frightened, embarrassed, and vulnerable. They feel sick and want to get better so because of that they put their lives in our hands. † If Dr. McKee were to sit on an ethics committee discussing the actions of a physician who was treating patients in the way he himself used to, I imagine he would argue this: Dr. McKee: Doctors like that don’t know what it’s like to wait in the waiting room. They don’t understand the ignominy of filling out pointless forms.And they have no idea what it feels like to receive the unfeeling attitude from the professional medical community, when you’re concerned with your health. Patients every day are subject to negligence, indifference, and humiliations from physicians in hospitals. Let’s consider beneficence, the most basic ethical principle. The Oath of Hippocrates states â€Å"I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick and keep them from harm and injustice. I will comfort and benefit the sick, remaining free of all intentional justice. Physicians are treating their patients like specimens, laughing at their questions, ignoring their requests, and not taking into consideration that patients are more than just a Greek named disease, but people just like us. This is not what I call keeping patients from harm and injustice, nor does it comfort or benefit the sick in any way shape or form. Doctors should take the appropriate measures in doing-good because that is their job as physicians. They should practice distributive justice and perform an equal share of goods and services to all individuals, whether they are a physician or a patient.Physicians should protect the patient’s autonomy and provide them with adequate information. They should perform the informative model of the physician/patient relationship and provide the patient with all the information, giving the patient the freedom and correct tools to make a decision on their own. They must be performers of informed consent in that they must communicate with the physician as often as needed and provide adequate and appropriate truth telling. People go to hospitals and put their lives in the hands of doctors.It is a doctor’s duty to do everything they can to provide the most information, comfort, and help possible for their patients. Those who are trained in ethics are taught all of the basic principles and values including: autonomy, informed consent, confidentiality, beneficence, and distributive justice, standard beliefs but will never really fully recognize what they mean to patients, unless they are placed in the patient’s shoes and experience it in actuality. Most doctors I’ve ever seen treat their patients as numbers not peo ple.My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and I remember her having to go see a number of different doctors because no one would give her the right information. They rushed her out of their office and didn’t help her to the best of her ability. I also remember when my aunt was dying of mouth cancer, all the bruises she had from doctors and nurses handling her in a careless matter and being too rough with her fragile deteriorating body. Another example was when my brother fell from a tree an cracked his head open, the hospital’s emergency was in no rush to get him in to see a doctor quick enough.We waited in the waiting room for over an hour. Although many doctors may begin distributing all principles into your work, the extremity of it might wear off through time. It is the actual experience of being placed in the patient’s feet that would result in a good doctor or good physician. If a doctor was the one diagnosed with breast cancer, they would expect to receive all the information, direction, and advice on possible actions to take. If a doctor were to be the one dying of mouth cancer, they would expect their weak and fragile body to be handled in a gentle manner and careful manner.And if a doctor were to be the one who cracked their head open, they would expect a physician to assist them immediately. However it isn’t until themselves or someone close to them in placed in the situation of a patient in need of a physician’s help, that a doctor doesn’t fully acknowledge the degree of negligence from the professional medical community to the patients, and when they do have the actual experience in medical ethics, this is what will make a physician a good doctor. References Levine, Carol. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Bioethical Issues. 12th ed. Dubuque, Iowa: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008. 2-32.