Law and Ethics in Healthcare

Law and Ethics in Healthcare

Medical ethics is applying moral standards when delivering care for the benefit of the patients (Rasoal et al., 2017). Healthcare professionals have to make decisions that must consider the common good of patients. A healthcare professional cannot practice in any healthcare organization without understanding the legal implications for themselves and the patients they care for. Healthcare professionals must adhere to codes of conduct and ethical standards.

There are laws enacted which govern the delivery of care.  These laws are meant to protect the rights of patients. The regulations include HIPAA, ACA, and HITECH, among others. Healthcare professionals must provide care for these patients under the scope of the regulations. Failure to do this can result in deregistration, financial loss, and jail term. Healthcare professionals are legally bound to offer care to patients (Raveesh et al., 2016). They must be aware that they may face the consequences if they do not abide by this.

There are many legal aspects of healthcare, such as labor laws, organ transplantation, health insurance, and abortion. Healthcare professionals must know all the laws related to healthcare. This will enable the implementation of strategies and healthcare services within the scope of law failure to which there may be legal consequences.

Ethics is essential since it guides healthcare professionals on how they offer care to their patients. The ethical principle of non-maleficence ensures that healthcare professionals implement care that ensures patient safety (Prakash, 2018). This principle will guide healthcare professionals to implement safety protocols that will minimize medication errors, patient falls, and any other adverse events that patients may experience during the provision of care. Ethics and laws are connected. Healthcare professionals must thus know the ethics and laws of healthcare, regardless of their values and beliefs.

References

Prakash, P. (2018). Ethical and legal aspects in nursing. Pocket Clinical Guide for Nursing Students, 180-180. https://doi.org/10.5005/jp/books/14242_47

Rasoal, D., Skovdahl, K., Gifford, M., & Kihlgren, A. (2017). Clinical ethics support for healthcare personnel: An integrative literature review. HEC Forum, 29(4), 313-346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10730-017-9325-4

Raveesh, B., Nayak, R., & Kumbar, S. (2016). Preventing medico-legal issues in clinical practice. Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology, 19(5), 15. https://doi.org/10.4103/0972-2327.192886

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Law and Ethics in Healthcare

One-page paper on why knowledge of law and ethics is important to healthcare practitioners and managers, along with examples.