Ethical Problems Related to Patients and Prescription Drug Use
An ethical dilemma is a situation where an individual is faced with a compromised situation and does not have a choice on the direction to take since all the choices are faced with consequences. These situations are common in the healthcare setting, where healthcare professionals are entangled in situations where they have to make decisions at times with dire consequences. In such situations, the probability of the decision to make is determined wholly by the benefits or lesser dire consequences (Kooli, 2021). In this assignment, the focus is on Sarah, a healthcare worker involved in an ethical dilemma emanating from her chronically ill patient, Mr. Thomas. Thomas has been suffering from chronic pain along with being entangled in financial constraints. He can barely afford his necessities, let alone the medical costs. Despite his financial status, Mr. Thomas’ quality of life is significantly jeopardized by the pain, and this necessitates his prescription of opioids for pain management. His chronic need for financial assistance has led him to be turned away from various assistance programs due to bureaucratic limits.
Ethical Solution Using Care-Based Ethics and Rights Ethics
In this scenario, patient well-being is a priority, care-based ethics, and this is Sarah’s first ethical dilemma. She has to ensure that she practices her care in line with the care-based ethics of providing compassionate and empathetic care while maintaining a therapeutic relationship with the patient. She has to prioritize Thomas’s well-being regardless of his ability to pay the costs involved. This will only be possible through advocacy for his needs to the social services who may potentially support his medical costs. Also, Sarah could spend extra time with the patient to understand his pain better and try to establish alternative pain management approaches with Thomas that are effective and cheaper for him. This solution is practicable and compassionate, aligning with the care-based ethics by prioritizing Thoma’s wellbeing. However, it might be affected by the limited resources and effectiveness of alternative pain management other than opioids.
The second ethical issue is the right-based ethics that states that patients have the right to access necessary health and medication which in this scenario dictates that Mr. Thomas has to access pain relief care sensitive to his autonomy, justice, and right to appropriate medical care. It becomes an ethical dilemma for Sarah to continue prescribing opioids to Thomas though under strict monitoring since the patient raises concerns about being addicted to the opioids he has been using. Again, opioids are controlled substances, and abuse is against the law. This solution respects Thomas’s right to the right medication but can however be flawed in case it fails to address the risk of addiction and misuse.
Healthcare technology
Involved in this scenario are the prescription drug management system and the electronic health records system. The two monitor patient prescriptions, maintain management records, and facilitate communications between healthcare providers and pharmacies.
Moral Guidelines
Utilitarianism refers to the use of technology that maximizes overall well-being. The use of electronic health systems ensures that resources are allocated appropriately to the areas they are most needed. The identification of patients with a demanding need for support, such as Mr. Thomas, is one of the many advantages of the electronic health system. Kantian Deontology emphasizes the use of technology concerning patient rights without any compromise of their dignity and in the promotion of justice in access to healthcare services regardless of their financial status. Ethical egoism, on the other hand, is inclined to use technology to benefit the workload but also considers the long-term benefits, such as fostering a trustworthy and ethical professional environment. Lastly, social contract ethics dictates the use of technology by the accepted societal agreements concerning justice in healthcare (Kleinman et al., 2021).
Social Technologies
In this case, Sarah may use social technologies such as blogs, crowdfunding, and online encyclopedias to try to address the situation facing Mr Thomas and others who might be in a similar situation. For instance, Sarah may use blogs to create awareness and advocate for systemic changes in the healthcare policies regarding funding of non-insured patients. Further, as supported by Haddad & Geiger (2023b), crowdfunding platforms would help raise money for Thomas. Lastly, online encyclopedias can be used to provide valuable information that can help both healthcare workers and patients.
Moral Guidelines
Utilitarianism dictates that the use of social technologies should aim to maximize positive outcomes like increasing awareness, fundraising, and giving insight into policy changes. Kantian Deontology states that social technologies be used with respect for honesty and privacy and without compromising the dignity of the subjects. Also, consent should be sought when sharing personal stories. Ethical egoism states that individuals using social technologies should use them to their benefit without violating ethical standards. Lastly, as supported by Kendal (2022), the social contract theory states that social technologies should be in line with societal values and commitments to honesty and respect.
References
Haddad, L. M., & Geiger, R. A. (2023, August 14). Nursing ethical considerations. National Library of Medicine; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526054/
Kleinman, A., Chen, H., Levkoff, S. E., Forsyth, A., Bloom, D. E., Yip, W., Khanna, T., Walsh, C. J., Perry, D., Seely, E. W., Kleinman, A. S., Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Jing, J., Pan, T., An, N., Bai, Z., Wang, J., Liu, Q., & Habbal, F. (2021). Social Technology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Improving Care for Older Adults. Frontiers in Public Health, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.729149
Kooli, C. (2021). COVID-19: Public health issues and ethical dilemmas. Ethics, Medicine and Public Health, 17(17), 100635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemep.2021.100635
Kendal, E. (2022). Ethical, legal and social implications of emerging technology (ELSIET) symposium. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 19(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-022-10197-5
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Question 
Instructions
Develop, in detail, a situation in which a health care worker might be confronted with ethical problems related to patients and prescription drug use OR patients in a state of poverty.
Ethical Problems Related to Patients and Prescription Drug Use
Your scenario must be original to you and this assignment. It cannot be from the discussion boards in this class or any other previous forum.
Articulate (and then assess) the ethical solutions that can be found using “care” (care-based ethics) and “rights” ethics to those problems.
Assessment must ask if the solutions are flawed, practicable, persuasive, etc.
What healthcare technology is involved in the situation? What moral guidelines for using that kind of healthcare technology should be used there? Explore such guidelines also using utilitarianism, Kantian deontology, ethical egoism, or social contract ethics.
Say how social technologies such as blogs, crowdfunding, and online encyclopedias can be used in either case. What moral guidelines for using that kind of healthcare technology should be used there? Develop such guidelines also using utilitarianism, Kantian deontology, ethical egoism, or social contract ethics.
You should not be using any text you used in a discussion board or assignment for this class or any previous class.