Ethical Health Care Issues Paper
Angie Torres
HCS/545
May 06, 2013
Mr. Charles J. Barron, MHA

Ethical Health Care Issues Paper
Health care staff governed to perform their professional duties based on the practice acts from the professional licensing boards under the statutes of the states. The professional duties include the balance between competency in skills, and application of ethics that will help promote the provision of the quality of care to the public (Harris, 2008). However, there are ethical health care issues that health care professionals encounter with their patients. One ethical health care issue is the refusal of a patient for treatment, such as receiving blood transfusion because of his or her religious beliefs. …show more content…

Health care professionals still obliged, and expected to act with justice (Morrison, 2011).
The ethical principle of beneficence, and nonmaleficence necessitates physicians, and the health care team regarding the fundamental principle of applying what is good, and avoid doing harm. The duties of the physicians, and the health care team to their patients include the provision of adequate information, guidance, and advice in choosing the most appropriate treatment options. These include diversified options that suit the patient’s cultural health beliefs, and social situation. A challenging situation arises when a patient declines the physician’s advice, such as refusing blood transfusion that the physician knows may affect adversely the patient’s health condition. However, the respect for the patient’s autonomy, and beneficence should override the health care team’s ethical principles of beneficence, and nonmaleficence. Physicians, and health care team members have the obligation to consider the patient’s own assessment of what is good and what are the bad ramifications from the refusal of blood transfusion (Macklin, 2003).
It is not an effortless task to analyze the moral dilemmas resulting from the conflicting ethical principles. The emotional factor of the human existence should also take into account when dealing with imminent crucial situations. The application of the virtue ethics focuses on the disposition of moral individuals, such as the