Ethics in Healthcare Settings SL1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Ethics in Healthcare Settings SL1 - Essay Example These dilemmas revolve around four principles on ethical theory: respect for autonomy, beneficence, justice and non-maleficence (Dunbar, 2003). This paper focuses on the ethical dilemmas that result from the need to observe the dictates of the principle of respect for autonomy. Bernhofer defines autonomy as â€Å"the right of individuals to make decisions regarding their own healthcare regardless of what others think of these decisions† (2011). This gives all patients the right to self determination regardless of their capacity, age or even imprisonment (Lo, 2009). It is the right of the patients to know, consider, refuse and request any form of care or treatment being offered. Therefore, this principle, also referred to as people’s self government argues for the capacity to make informed and un-coerced decisions by any rational individual. The evaluation of this principle elicits the debate on whether this conception accurately portrays the process of decision making in healthcare setting. The principle of autonomy could be infringed when the service provider dishonors the wish of a patient on the preferred treatment. It could also occur if information would be withheld for example on the pain involved with the employment of a particular treatment approach (Sutrop, 2011). Interestingly, (Bernhofer, 2011) notes that patients get better managed and become better satisfied with full extension of autonomy rights. The author gives the example of Patient Controlled Analgesia, PCA noting that adequate ordering of analgesics and proper programming of the pump for individual patients results in personal control over pain hence effectiveness of the analgesics. Nonetheless, there arise situations where strong reasons to act in particular manner get balanced by cogent counteractive arguments (Lo, 2009). Not always would experience, common sense, being good and having good intentions guarantee appropriate response to situations