What are Ethics in Healthcare?
Most people go into the medical field with the intention to heal. But healing does not always look the same for everyone. What happens when an obviously sick patient comes into the hospital, and they refuse care? What happens when you have to try to heal someone who is morally reprehensible? This is where ethics comes in.
What is ethics?
Ethics and morals get mixed up a lot. Ethics are objective. That does not mean they came from objective means, but it does mean they are rules, whether in the sense of laws, social norms or standards. Ethics are shaped by values, principles and purpose. Morals, on the other hand, are shaped by social norms and are either determined by a religious group (morals in the descriptive sense) or by social, rational norms (morals in the normative sense). We all come from different moral backgrounds, whether that’s from our parents, religious upbringing or just the community we’re surrounded by. Ethics are the standards we use to regulate our morals. That is why having ethical principles is so important.
Why is knowing about ethics important?
Ethics are the standard by which we regulate our moral principles. Regulate means the ethical standards do not always align with what are morals are, but they are a medium, and a reference that society can look to in order to have something they can agree upon.
For example, a lawyer may not want to defend a murderer because she finds murder morally reprehensible, but due to the ethical principles that go along with being a lawyer, she must defend them.
Ethics help to clear up the blurry lines we have in our differing moral systems, which is vitally important in the healthcare industry.
How do you apply ethics to the healthcare industry?
When you apply the mostly gray area of ethics to something as black and white as life and death, as medical professionals are often forced to do, you get medical ethics, which is something medical professionals have to deal with on a daily basis. Medical ethics can get very complicated, especially considering the implications that go behind these issues.
The ethical issues healthcare professionals face today contain rhymes of the past, with nuances of new technology that comes today. There have always been issues regarding confidentiality, conflict of interest, and informed consent. Those issues have remained the same, but today, medical professionals have to deal with added nuances. Confidentiality and informed consent come into conflict with advances in technology and the large amount of patient information that is so easily accessible. Conflict of interest now comes with efforts to reduce waste, while still remembering the importance of patient care. People are using robots in surgery, but will they eventually replace caretakers in hospitals and nursing homes? When there are all those ideas to consider, the rules that defined our previously clear ethics become even more complicated.
Ethics in healthcare from a Christian standpoint
It is getting more and more difficult to love those who are different from us. We seem to get more polarized each day, and it can be easy to focus on our differences rather than our similarities. We all struggle with different things, and the medical field is a good illustration in showing how the strongest, or the people we hate the most are sometimes in the greatest need of mercy. As a doctor, you see brokenness and are called to help fix it, no matter who the person is.
Christ did the same for us when he died on the cross. Christ first loved us, saw our brokenness, and continued to love us anyways. He compels us to do the same, but it’s not because we are better. It’s because we know we’re broken too, and we know just how much we all need someone to help us heal.
Classes to take
If you’re looking to gain context for the ethical decisions you might make in a medical profession, consider taking these classes at Concordia.
HHP 462 Sport Ethics
3 credit hours
This course is designed to create awareness of important ethical issues in sport and to provide students with skills and information to competently respond to them as they might occur in a professional environment. Real-life issues from a variety of perspectives (player, coach, administrator, parent, etc.) will be explored. Prerequisite: HHP 292 and upper-level standing.
HMGT 400 Ethics for Healthcare Managers
3 credit hours
This course will examine ethical issues that arise within the context of contemporary American healthcare. Attention will be given to important philosophical and theological approaches to ethical problem solving in clinical and non-clinical contexts. The course will also address ethical questions about medical care at the beginning and end of life, as well as questions related to the business of healthcare delivery.