MT-LAWS: Intro to Bioethics Part 1

the systematic philosophical study of morality

Ethics

ethics focused on moral issues in the field of health care

Bioethics

focused on adherence to independent moral rules or duties

Deontological ethics

when you follow your duty, you are behaving morally; when you fail to follow your duty, you are behaving immorally

Deontological ethics

focused on the consequences which any action might have; ends justifying the means

Teleological ethics

focus on helping people develop good character traits, such as kindness and generosity, which allow a person to make the correct decisions later in life

Virtue ethics

concerned with the obligations of the doctors and the hospital to the patient along with other health professionals and society

MEDICAL ETHICS

What are the Four major ethical principles?

• Autonomy

• Beneficence

• Non-maleficence

• Justice

The act of respecting the decisions of others

AUTONOMY

The basis of informed consent: patient must understand the procedure and its likelihood of success

AUTONOMY

Free from coercion

AUTONOMY

Doing an action that benefits others

BENEFICENCE

The intention of doing good for the patient/acting in the best interest of the patient

BENEFICENCE

Examples: providing pain relief, doing health promotion, donating organs, rescuing someone in danger

BENEFICENCE

The ‘do no harm’ principle

NON-MALEFICENCE

Avoidance of doing harm to others through commission or omission

NON-MALEFICENCE

Examples: refusing to provide a treatment that is not effective, protecting patient confidentiality, not performing unnecessary surgery

NON-MALEFICENCE

‘Give to each that which is his due’

JUSTICE

What are the 2 main problems in Medical Ethics?

•Ignorance

•Negligence

lack of technical or theoretical knowledge in the act of doing work

IGNORANCE

examples: incompetent, no experience, no knowledge of consequence, failure of job execution

IGNORANCE

the failure to observe, for the protection of the interests of another person, that degree of care, precaution, and vigilance which the circumstances justly demand, whereby such other person suffers injury

NEGLIGENCE

failed to take an action that a reasonable person would do

NEGLIGENCE

did something that a reasonable person would not do

NEGLIGENCE

a particular form of negligence which consists in the failure of a physician or surgeon to apply to his practice of medicine that degree of care and skill which is ordinarily employed by the profession generally, under similar conditions, and in like surrounding circumstances

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

What are the ELEMENTS OF NEGLIGENCE?

• a duty was owed

• the duty was not met: breach

• injury or harm was done

• failure to meet the duty owed resulted to the injury: proximate cause

There must be a professional relationship between the patient and the physician

DUTY

Created when the patient engages the services of the doctor, and the doctor agrees to provide care to the patient

DUTY

May be implied from the physician's affirmative action to diagnose and/or treat a patient, or in his participation in such diagnosis and/or treatment

DUTY