MHA6060 WEEK 5 LECTURE, DISCUSSION, AND PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS 1

MHA6060 WEEK 5 LECTURE, DISCUSSION, AND PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS 1

Physician Ethical and Legal Issues

Physicians are heavily guided by the elements of the Hippocratic Oath and code of medical ethics outlined by the American Medical Association. When it comes to ethical practice in the treatment of patients, both ethics and law intertwine. For example, the law stipulates that preventable harm warrants compensation, that is, when a physician injures a patient due to negligence, that physician must be penalized and that patient must be compensated. Such malpractice cases are, of course, an egregious violation of a physician’s ethical and legal responsibilities. Of similar importance are training physicians and their staff to show professionalism and compassion to build honest and trusting relationships with their patients. As healthcare administrators, you are likely to see cases of physician negligence involving patient assessments, medical diagnoses, and treatment, that is, the most common medical errors involve the following:

· Patient assessments encompass all processes that collect patient data needed to create appropriate and effective care plans. A myriad of healthcare professionals must work together to gather accurate information. A physician who performs a substandard patient assessment is more likely to misdiagnose health issues or provide incomplete care.

· Patient diagnoses require physicians to identify the most likely disease or disease process in a patient to support further actions for additional testing or treatment. However, despite the improvements in medical imaging and diagnostic testing, an overdependence on the results can be harmful to the patient.

· Finally, patient treatment, or the strategies used to restore the patient to health, may result in more harm than good. Whether the treatment is conservative or palliative, it is important that physicians periodically review best practices in the field and follow currently prescribed guidelines based on evidence.