HSS 261 Unit 5 – Discussion Board – Academic

• Janet must come to a decision and resolve her ethical dilemma. What is she likely to consider in making her decision? What personal values and morals and professional ethics contribute to the dilemma?
• What other ethical dilemmas do healthcare professionals and public health officials face in dealing with pandemics such as influenza and COVID-19?

Janet has a real dilemma that requires some deep thought and good decision making, Working in healthcare there is always the risk of exposure, contamination, etc. but with the proper education on how to protect yourself everyone can be safe. This pandemic has open awareness to so many from healthcare to administration of government. Am I safe? Can I harm my family? How do I protect myself from getting others sick because I work in healthcare? There are so many questions that we all have as it relates to dealing with a pandemic.

So many decisions had to be made to avoid more exposure which cause some disagreements with so many. In Janet’s situation she need to assure her family that every precaution will be taken to avoid make any of them sick. One thing she can do is remove any clothing that is worn while at work before entering her car and home, place them in a bag to be was immediately. Always wearing her mask is very important and properly washing her hands before and after contact. She have to think about not just herself but her family as well and making sure she protects herself is a key source in making a good decision as to how to handle this situation.

Organizational and Professional Ethics in Healthcare

• Janet must come to a decision and resolve her ethical dilemma. What is she likely to consider in making her decision? What personal values and morals, and professional ethics contribute to the dilemma?

Janet faced the question regarding her ethical duty to care for her patients and her genuine concern regarding the welfare of her family. It is the dilemma faced by many healthcare professionals and health providers. The unavailability of enough PPE and short staffing could increase her likelihood of contracting the virus. Janet has to consider her exposure to the virus in the urgent care center and the increased anxiety that she would bring the virus home (Shanafelt, Ripp Trockel, 2020). Janet has an obligation to her patients, but she also has a moral responsibility to protect her family. There is a need to balance these two concerns to avoid approving and violating the other.

• What other ethical dilemmas do healthcare professionals, and public health officials face in dealing with pandemics such as influenza and COVID-19?

Health professionals grapple with the idea of rationing scarce resources. At the peak of the virus replication, medical practitioners must consider taking away the ventilator from a patient with less chance to survive to a patient with a better chance to live. Resource rationing goes contrary to health professionals’ duty to ensure patients get the best possible care they can get. On the other hand, even maximizing their capabilities is an ethical dilemma. Some health professionals need to be present in the hospital regardless of their symptoms due to a lack of medical practitioners. While they can provide patients the care, there is also a rise in exposing patients and colleagues to the virus.

At the outbreak of Covid-19 or influenza, moral obligations and ethical considerations clash. Health professionals need clear procedures and protocols that will guide them in addressing these concerns. There was much confusion during “the pandemic’. Personally, for me, the trust of authority was undermined, causing many of us to doubt the intentions behind the virus. Protocols often changed. When the hospitals ran out of N95 masks, suddenly it became ok to use painter masks, double-layered simple masks to use one mask for the entire shift, then place it in a bin to be sent off for cleaning and then be reused.

While it is clear that health professionals face ethical dilemmas, the question is the foremost concern of these people. The duty to the patient must not supersede the duty of mothers or fathers to their families. There is a need to clarify this, as health professionals may feel guilty about prioritizing their families over their duties to the public.

Reference

Shanafelt, T., Ripp, J., & Trockel, M. (2020). Understanding and addressing sources of anxiety

among health care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of the American Medical Association, 323(21), 2133–2134. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764380

Hello Class,

Janet must come to a decision and resolve her ethical dilemma. What is she likely to consider in making her decision? What personal values and morals and professional ethics contribute to the dilemma?

As a frontline worker during the Pandemic, I must say that it has been filled with a plethora of mixed emotions. As a healthcare worker, risk of exposure, unfortunately can happen. In Janet‘s case, she may feel a sense of selflessness, determination and a moral obligation and may want to do all that she can to assist the patients. Janet also has a responsibility not only to protect and care for herself but also a responsibility to protect and care for her family. She will need to reassure her family that precautionary measures will be taken to ensure that she is not exposed and that she will not put her family at risk. This has been echoed by so many healthcare professionals during these unprecedented times. Often times our beliefs will guide our actions and influence our behavior and will guide us through successful and challenging times.

What other ethical dilemmas do healthcare professionals and public health officials face dealing with pandemics such as influenza and Covid 19?

Other ethical dilemmas include:

1) the need to ration scare critical care resources like PPE and Ventilators

2) issues related to clinical trials

3) critical staffing shortages

4) an increase in domestic violence during the quarantine period

5) the health of people confined to their homes during the shut down

6) the manufacturing and distribution of an effective vaccine

7) mask mandates

8) psychological effects of the pandemic on healthcare professionals

9) what ages groups are eligible for a vaccine or boosters

10) as the virus mutates, will there be a need for additional vaccines

These are just a few dilemmas that we are facing with more to come since we are on the horizon of another “twindemic” this Fall.

Thanks,