Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare

Josh tests positive for hepatitis C. DR. Smith who ordered the labs is also Josh’s brother-in-law. When Dr. Smith informs Josh that his results will be reported to the public health department, asks Dr. Smith not to report him as a favor since they are family and he promises to get treatment somewhere else. Josh is embarrassed by the way he contracted the disease. Not only is Dr. Smith asked to break the law by his brother-in-law, his wife, Josh’s sister, who is concerned for her brother expects Dr. Smith to share the test results of his patient.If he tells her anything without Josh’s consent he will violate HIPPA. Dr Smith is worried about being accused of malpractice if he gives in and doesn’t ensure Josh’s results are not only reported but also that he receives proper care for the diagnoses. This case is legally and ethically sensitive. The doctor faces issues with relationships, confidentiality, consent, legal requirements of treating communicab le diseases, as well as malpractice. Legal and â€Å"Ethical issues in healthcare are common. Nearly every decision that’s made has ethical implications–for patients, for providers and for healthcare leaders.â€Å" (Larson, 2013).The first ethical violation that Dr. Smith is guilty of is having a personal relationship with a patient. â€Å"Relationships with patients are forbidden by both the medical and nursing code of ethics. Such actions are considered serious misconduct and can result in expulsion from the profession and losing the license to practice† (Greenwood, 2013). Because of the relationship with the patient, Dr. Smith is being asked to violate the patient’s confidentiality. â€Å"Confidentiality is both an ethical and a legal issue.Keeping information about a patient confidential is a way of showing respect for the person’s autonomy; releasing information can damage the patient. † (Greenwood, 2013). Dr. Smith’s wife asks him to share medical information about her brother, She feels she has the right to this information but does not understand the position she is putting her husband in. he understands her concerns for her brother, however if this were any other patient Dr. Smith would never consider discussing a patient with her. â€Å"There are also specific laws regarding the release of information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.The laws define exactly what information can be released and to whom. † (Greenwood, 2013). Dr. Smith needs to ensure he keeps the confidentiality of his patient and doesn’t violate HIPPA. Josh is also asking Dr. Smith to break the law by not report the test results to the public health department. There is a legal requirement for reporting and treating communicable diseases. â€Å"Reporting of cases of infectious diseases and related conditions has been and remains a vital step in controlling and preventing the spread of communicable disease. † (CDC, 1990).Dr. Smith must report the positive test results according to the law; however he does have a close relationship with his brother-in-law and does not want to lose his trust, especially with his current medical condition. Although Dr. Smith does not need consent to report the case of hepatitis C, he will need the patient’s consent to begin any treatment for the disease. â€Å"Patients must provide informed consent for treatment to be legal. † (Greenwood, 2013). â€Å"Health care practitioners of all sorts face the risk of being sued for malpractice.A lawsuit may be brought from an injury related to surgery, defective equipment or medical products, care that was omitted or a deliberate act that caused harm to a patient. † (Greenwood, 2013). Dr. Smith can be sued for malpractice by anyone who contracts hepatitis C from Josh if he does not report the case and give Josh the proper treatment. By choosing to not report or tr eat Josh’s case, Dr. Smith will be guilty of omitting care. A kind act by a caring doctor has quickly turned into a legally and ethically nightmare. Dr.Smith chose to make his brother-in-law a patient by ordering labs that gave a positive result for hepatitis C. Dr. Smith can now face charges and lose his license to practice medicine. This whole situation could have been handled differently and the weight of violating medical law and ethics would not be on Dr. Smith’s shoulders. There is still a way for out of the doctor to correct the situation. All he has to do is report the case of hepatitis C, and hand off his brother-in-law to another provider with no connection to ensure he does in fact receive the proper care.

WEEK 2 DQ 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WEEK 2 DQ 1 - Assignment Example Consequently, the non-cognitive skills that are entailed in EI are just as significant and crucial to a general study of cognition. A 4 branch Ability Model to Emotional Intelligence comprises of the ability to; correctly pick out emotions in others and oneself, make use of emotions in facilitating thinking, understand emotional implications as well as managing emotions. Such abilities as these would be cited as non-cognitive and are critical skills for communicating. Through communication, people are able to primarily acquire knowledge as well as process information (Baack, 2012). The intended EI definition aims at setting itself apart from cognitive intelligence specifically since the skills acquired via EI are mostly psychological and behavioral, and not technical. However, there exists a sophisticated and strong scheme in EI especially on matters of advanced solving of problems. The following are some of the semi-cognitive skills which come alongside EI; inferencing, inductive and deductive thinking, critical thinking, decoding of non-verbal signals as well as making predictions on the basis of correlations and observations. The book, Emotional Intelligence was written by Daniel Goleman and published in 1995.Ever since that time; the term EI has become a fashionable phrase in the world of business particularly to establish somebody’s success. In summary therefore; cognitive purposes of intelligence comprise of problem solving as well as memorizing things.On the other hand, on-cognitive purposes include such concerns as whether an individual can get along well with others, possesses good relationships in a group setting and finally has excellent and interpersonal skills. In addition, cognitive intelligence is basically on the basis of Intelligent Quotient (IQ). Normally, EI combines both the cognitive and non-cognitive skills;

Plato Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Plato - Essay Example ?The Allegory of the Cave† is taken from â€Å"The Republic† where he deftly handles the lack of knowledge of human beings and he elicits his answer from the mouth of Socrates his mentor. In this particular piece of writing, Plato cuts a clear distinction between knowledge of reality and shadows of illusion (ignorance) To portray this fact he takes the example of a cave in which human beings are chained to a wall with only a tiny light that casts shadowy images which some of the inhabitants take for reality. Those who are freed from the cave have a true knowledge of reality. Plato’s masterly use of imagery of light to depict knowledge and darkness to depict ignorance gives his essay the excellence it deserves, making it one of the most memorable ones. In his explanation of â€Å"absolute knowledge† and the way it affects the â€Å"shadows of images of justice†, he gives us another example of a person who is asked to look straight at the light. In doing so, the person is dazzled and feels pain and hence is unable to see the reality for what it is. But if his eyes get accustomed to the light, his vision would be clearer and he is moves on from seeing the shadowy images, to seeing the real objects. Finally he is able to gaze upon the sun in all its brightness and judge himself rightly. He would then be in a position to look back on his fellow prisoners who still live in the shadows of images and feel pity for them. This is what Plato means by â€Å"absolute justice†. According to Plato, it is better to suffer anything, than to live a miserable life filled with false notions and ideas. If a person lives a life in the shadows of ignorance, he would never learn the realities in life. But on the other hand, if his vision is not blocked or marred by the shadows of images, his vision would be so clear and he would be able to lead others out of their ignorance. In other words, if a person attains this beatific vision, he is unable to draw himself down to a lower level of

Depends on the article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Depends on the article - Essay Example A book published in 2008 focuses on the way children are able to focus after experiencing nature. It might be that the calming soothing essence of nature is what settles the mind of children with this disorder. Whatever it may be that helps it is important to incorporate that with the child’s everyday life. Sometimes our and surroundings have a way of altering ones mood and way of thinking A recent research study has proven, â€Å"nature helps children with ADHD and outperforms prescription medicine†.(Hance 2008) This proven method can highlight a new area of designing. If nature is the simple cure to this ever growing problem, there is so much that can be done to help keep nature alive outdoors and bring nature indoors. The study has results that show children with ADHD who engaged in a 20 minute or more walk in nature, were better able to concentrate on studies. What can be gained by this is simply that the surrounding of children with ADHD has a huge affect on the way they are able to learn. No research can prove the long term affects of this but it is true that a natural way to allow a child to focus and learn is always better then medication. Those involved in the study also believe that after the time, the issues associated with ADHD can be lessened. Schools can take part in this by changing the surroundings in schools. If nature affects the way children with ADHD learn, it will also have affects on children without ADHD. The benefits of bringing nature indoors are great for everyone. Children should have a peaceful environment to learn in. Too many distractions can make it hard to concentrate. When designing a school setting it is important to keep in mind that simplicity will allow the mind to relax. Certain things can be brought into the design element that are from nature. â€Å"Classrooms can have real plants and trees and flowers†. (Taylor,Kuo 2008) Other elements such as a simulated waterfall and aquariums are important. The style of the

Final paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Final paper - Essay Example hites, hence the birth of the well known quote from one of his prominent speeches: â€Å"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.† The relation between religion and racism has been an ongoing research for a long time amongst the world’s top religious scholars. In general, my research depicts that there is a positive relation between these two contradicting topics. The outcomes of my study put forward that both the regularity of church turnout and belief salience is no longer considerably connected to racism. (b). Ingenuousness at first thought turned out not to be related to racism. However after some deep deliberations, in which important background variables such as age and education were factored in, it suggested otherwise. World religions tend to declare worldwide brotherly love yet history is beleaguered with moments in which religion has provided a good reason for all kinds of mayhem directed towards people of dissimilar race or culture. A good example of this is the holocaust. From this evidences, a significant number of historians and theology scholars argue that religion should obstinately be measured as a channel for racism. When one tries to make a synopsis of these frequent attempts, a very uneven analysis is obtained. There could be two main explanations for this. One is that there is no compromise on how to quantify religion in order to achieve consequential outcomes. Another one is that there exists two main guidelines in which one can look for a clarification of the observed relation: one can decide to employ religious factors or turn to non-religious factors .The course in which you choose to look for a clarification will affect the conclusions that are drawn up. I will start by giving a brief outline of applicable literature. This allows me to stridently differentiate the outcomes of two different studies that I

A topic of interest in business or management Research Proposal

A topic of interest in business or management - Research Proposal Example Further, although business management courses have included various course modules on entrepreneurship that focus on strategies that would assist in establishing new businesses or determining factors and traits of successful entrepreneurs, information on the effect of economic crisis to entrepreneurship is not vagrantly published. One is intrigued to find out whether the economic crisis detracts potentially talented entrepreneurs from establishing new business endeavors or led successfully established businesses into financial loss and bankruptcy. The statistics that could be searched could provide the theoretical framework for the research. However, interpretation of the statistics and numbers of new or closed businesses during the period of economic crisis could assist aspiring entrepreneurs in learning from the experiences of others. The research objective could be stated as: The research aims to determine how the economic crisis affect and impact entrepreneurship in the United States. The objective could be achieved through addressing the following research questions: A description and qualitative research method would be proposed for the current research. Secondary sources of authoritative and academic information would provide support to contentions and would validate results, as required. From current statistics, relevant findings would be interpreted and would form the basis for recommendations and conclusions. Gries, T. and Naude, W. 2011. â€Å"Entrepreneurship, Structural Change and a Global Economic Crisis.† Entrepreneurship Research Journal, Volume 1, Issue: 3, Pages: article 4. [Online]. Available at: http://www.mendeley.com/research/entrepreneurship-structural-change-global-economic-crisis/. [Accessed 7 January 2012]. Knowledge@Wharton. 2008. Why an Economic Crisis Could Be the Right Time for Companies to

Electricity and Magnetism Essay Example for Free

Electricity and Magnetism Essay In this investigation I will be burning a range of alcohol in a method known as calorimetry. This will allow me to see the amount of energy produced by each alcohol, and then look at the structure of the alcohol and investigate why an amount of energy is produced for each alcohol. Before I go on with the experiment there are several factors that must be first understood. What is an alcohol? The definition of an alcohol as taken from Richard Harwoods Chemistry textbook is a series of organic compounds containing the functional group OH. The OH group, called a hydroxyl group is what defines the compound as an alcohol. The alcohol compounds are very similar to the alkanes, however alcohols contain one oxygen atom, creating the hydroxyl group, and making the alkane an alkanol (alcohol). As the hydroxyl group makes the compound different to an alkane, the hydroxyl group is seen to be functional. The formula for alcohol is: In this investigation I will look at the first five alcohols. These are methanol, ethanol, propan-1-ol, butan-1-ol and pentan-1-ol. The classification of alcohols is similar to the classification of alkanes, where the name refers to the number of carbon atoms i. e.meth- one carbon atom, eth-=two carbon atoms, prop-=3 carbon atoms, but-=four carbon atoms, pent-=five carbon atoms and so on. The carbon atom that the hydroxyl group is bonded to may classify the alcohol further. If it is joined to the end carbon atom it is classified as -1-ol, if it is bonded to the second carbon atom it is classified as -2-ol and so on. The five alcohols I am testing are shown with formulas, and atomic structure diagrams below: Name RMM Formula Structure Boiling Point Methanol. What is combustion? The definition of combustion as taken from Richard Harwoods Chemistry textbook is a chemical reaction in which a substance reacts with oxygen the reaction is exothermic. Burning is a combustion reaction that produces a flame. The reactions that will take place in our investigation will be combustion reactions, as we burn the alcohol in calorimetry. The combustion of an alcohol produces carbon dioxide and water. This is represented by the following equation: ALCOHOL + OXYGEN i CARBON DIOXIDE + WATER e. g. The combustion of methanol produces carbon dioxide and water: METHANOL + OXYGEN i CARBON DIOXIDE + WATER 2CH3OH + 3O2 i 2CO2 + 4H2O What is calorimetry? Calorimetry is defined as the science of heat. It may be used in chemistry to measure the heat energy exchanged for a substance during a reaction, by allowing the substance reacting to heat a measured mass of liquid. The temperature change of this liquid is measured and recorded, and the following equation may be used to calculate the heat energy transferred to the liquid: Heat change = MC? T (where M = mass of liquid, C = critical temperature, and T = temperature change). The critical temperature is the proportionality between heat energy applied and the subsequent temperature rise. E. g. for 1g of water a temperature rise of 1 i C requires 4. 8 joules of heat energy. Using calorimetry may be used to measure both reactions in solution, and reactions not in solution. Wet reactions or those in solution are more accurate than those not in solution, as the actual energy release of the reaction is being measured directly as a thermometer is placed in the solution. For dry reactions, (a reaction not in solution such as the burning of an alcohol) the reaction must be used to heat a mass of water and the temperature increase measured from the water. As the combustion reaction must transfer its heat energy from the reaction to the water, calorimetry for dry reactions can be inaccurate due to heat loss. HYPOTHESIS I believe that the increased complexity of a molecule and the energy released by it are proportional. I found this idea upon the theory of breaking and making bonds. In a molecule, bonds hold atoms together. When these bonds are formed energy is given out to the surroundings (exothermic), and when these bonds are broken energy is absorbed from the surroundings (endothermic). This may be seen by the alcohols boiling points: Name Boiling Point Methanol 65 Ethanol 78 Propan-1-ol 97 Butan-1-ol 117 Pentan-1-ol 137 Using this theory of breaking/making bonds, we can say that there will be a greater amount of energy released from the combustion of a more complex alcohol, as more bonds will be formed. When more bonds are formed, more heat energy is released. The hypothesis may be seen on the flowing graph: TESTING To investigate the relationship between the structure and heat provided by combustion of a range of alcohols, we will use the method of calorimetry. We will do this by burning an alcohol, and allowing it to heat a mass of water. Measuring the temperature rise of this mass of water we can use the formula to find the heat energy released during the reaction. Apparatus == 1 can == 1 measuring cylinder == Water == 1 thermometer == 1 stand == 1 clamp == 1 boss == 1 heat mat == 1 alcohol burner/candle == 1 balance == Draught shields Fig1: Experiment setup. Method. Safety must be ensured at all times, as highly flammable substances are being burned here. All students must wear eye protection during the experiment, stay standing during the experiment, and be aware of the flames around them. 1. The apparatus is set up as shown in fig 1. 2. The alcohol candle is weighed on the balance, and the mass recorded. 3. The mass of water in the can measured and recorded 4. The height between the candlewick, and the base of the can must be set and recorded, measuring the distance with a ruler. 5. The temperature of the water is measured and recorded using the thermometer. 6. The candle is lit and the thermometer monitored until the water has risen by a given temperature. 7. The candle is blown out, the burnt wax on the base removed of the candle, and the candle is weighed. The data produced by this method will then be calculated by the formulas: ? H (j) = mass of water (g) X specific heat capacity of water (S. H. C) X temperature rise (? C) The result of this is found per gram of alcohol burnt by dividing it by the change of mass ? H per gram of alcohol burnt (J/g) = ? H (? C) / change in mass (g) The results of this are the found per mole of alcohol burnt. ? H per gram of alcohol burnt per mole (J/mole) = ? H per gram of alcohol burnt (g) X RMM of alcohol Variables There are two types of variables: dependant variables and independent variables. Dependant variables are those that are kept constant at a set value, so that they cannot cause variation in the results, by changing throughout the experiments. There should only be one independent variable in a test, this is what is being tested. Therefore the dependent variables for this investigation are as follows (see fig 2): 1. The distance of the wick from the base of the can The distance of the flame from the base of the can may vary the results greatly, as it will decide how much of the flames heat is transferred directly to the can and to the water. The experiment should allow the flame to contact the can at its hottest point. The most accurate and safe way to measure flame distance from the can is to measure the distance of the wick. For the purposes of our experiment this should be accurate enough. Measuring the distance from the wick and the base of the can each time will control this variable. 2. The mass of water heated. The volume of water can vary the experiment greatly, as the greater the mass of water used, the more alcohol will be combusted to reach the target temperature. Also when a greater mass of water is used, the test will go on for longer, and thus a greater amount of energy will be transferred to the surroundings as wasted energy. Measuring the amount of water used each time will control this variable. 3. The type of can used. The type metal the can is made from is extremely important to the experiment, as different metals conduct heat with different efficiency and at different rates. Therefore the type of can used will affect the heat transfer to the water. Using the same can each time will control this variable. 4. The heat increase The heat increase can vary the experiment, as the greater the energy increase, the greater the mass of alcohol burnt, and the greater amount of energy transferred to the surroundings as waste. The start temperature may affect the results, as the higher the temperature the equipment reaches, the more heat will be wasted in the surroundings, according to the theory that heat energy moves from areas of high heat energy to areas of low energy. By allowing the equipment to cool after each experiment to a set temperature this variable may be controlled. 5. Stirring of the water Stirring the water will affect the results, as it means that the whole mass accounted for in the calculation will be being heated, not just one volume of water. The type of stirring in terms of frequency and power may affect the results also, and must be kept constant. To control this variable, the same type of stirring will be used each time. The only variable in the experiment will be the changing type of alcohol being combusted, as this is what is being investigated.