Ethical Modernity

Tag: ai

  • The Bioethical Principle of Justice

    The Bioethical Principle of Justice

    As someone who advocates for patient autonomy, I want to distinguish the importance of the principle of justice. In my modern perspective, when discussing justice with autonomous individuals, I often find that the ethical principle of justice can differ from the established justice system. An autonomous individual can question the judicial system and begin asking how justice is served. The autonomy of oneself and how one views oneself can determine how one views justice. This is why we have individuals who don’t recognize the judicial system as a fair branch of government and see their biases and the overall injustice. When we find the general population distrusting the judicial system, we begin to see an erosion of the system. We cannot let this happen since the justice system was in place for us – the people. As a society, we determine how justice can be served in our states and individual lives. We decide what is wrong and right, but without moral reasoning, we have less of a chance of having a fair society, where justice is for all. Advocating for justice without advocating for autonomy will keep the divide between the system and the people. Only a self-determined, autonomous individual can truly understand their need for the moral principle of justice. In their independence, they see justice as a core value of their human rights. These two principles are deeply intertwined.

    Autonomy determines whether internal and subjective moral justice is held or denied. This is why I advocate for the principle of autonomy in patient management. When applied appropriately, autonomy helps solve most ethical dilemmas and injustices. When the physician cooperates with a patient as an autonomous individual, we can resolve dilemmas quickly by respecting their dignity and achieve a positive outcome that will align with all principles, including justice. 

    Autonomy with trust enables us to achieve a more balanced outcome when applying bioethical principles. Patients who trust their physicians are more likely to follow treatment and recommendations, resulting in a more effective treatment plan and quicker results. Trusting the physician is the cornerstone of effective treatment. When we uphold the principles of justice, we regain trust in the healthcare system. This seems to be the fastest way to rebuild trust—through patient autonomy and active participation in care.

    To ensure justice for all within the healthcare system, I first define two distinct forms: the principle of justice for the individual and distributive justice.

    The principle of justice in bioethics emphasizes fair, equitable, and appropriate treatment of individuals. It ensures that healthcare resources are distributed fairly and that decisions are made without bias or favoritism. Justice also requires that conflicts of interest be avoided and that patient care decisions prioritize fairness over personal or institutional gain. On an individual level, this can be seen as providing access to treatment without bias. Justice can be genuinely achieved as the result of the cooperation of all bioethical principles. It is within the three prior principles that the principle of bioethical justice is served.

    When physicians engage with ethical principles in daily practice, the healthcare professional can achieve an individualized approach to their patients, which allows for reaching the bioethical principle of justice. When the practice is aimed at being non-maleficent and beneficial, and recognizes the patient’s dignity and autonomy, the principle of justice has most likely been addressed thoroughly. However, justice isn’t a concept that physicians are usually acquainted with daily. For one to think of justice as a concern, other principles, usually, have been violated.

    Distributive justice, on the other hand, is broader. It is a subset of justice that focuses on the equitable allocation of healthcare resources. It considers various principles for distribution, such as equality, need, effort, contribution, merit, and free-market exchanges. These principles are often combined to address challenges like allocating scarce resources (e.g., organ transplants or medications) and managing time for outpatient visits. Physicians are encouraged to uphold fairness despite external pressures and constraints when dealing with limited resources, but to do this properly, one must acknowledge individual justice, as one without the other does not exist. Distributive justice is the ethical consideration of the whole healthcare system. We achieve a fair society through distributive justice, where all needs are considered.

    Equality and equity are other terms used when discussing the ethical distribution of resources. Defining these concepts can help achieve the fair distribution of resources. Equity refers to fairness and justice in providing opportunities, resources, and treatment to individuals and groups, considering their unique needs, circumstances, and barriers. Unlike equality, which offers everyone the same resources or opportunities, equity acknowledges that different individuals may require varying levels of support to achieve the same outcomes or access the same benefits. Understanding this enables employees to make decisions on an individual level without the need for micromanagement from the administration. The more enlightened an individual is of their rights and responsibilities and is aware of their moral reasoning, the less there is a need to instruct, guide, or control their work process. This allows for autonomous individuals to contribute to distributive justice.

    Justice is crucial in formulating healthcare policies that address inequities within the healthcare system. This ensures an environment where physicians can practice all the fundamental principles of ethics. The goals include a fair distribution of resources and healthcare providers, ensuring equitable access to diagnostic and treatment availability, and a just allocation of finances within the healthcare system. Fairly distributing access to healthcare for all citizens is their constitutional and human right.

    When addressing complex moral situations, achieving justice for all can be challenging. Reaching a fair distribution of resources can seem more straightforward than attaining fair treatment of everyone individually. In my view, when we provide care with the individual’s justice in mind, we start to consider those who do not openly express their need for it. The caregiver becomes aware of the silent mistreatments that individuals can experience and/or are afraid to share, and the need for justice becomes a given. The protection of the vulnerable is the ultimate goal of the principle of Justice. This approach to patient management begins to provide individual justice to those who seek it and distributive justice to those who need it.

    Confidentiality, transparency, and informed consent are other principles that deserve attention and relate to the previously mentioned bioethical principles.

    Confidentiality is the backbone of the patient-physician relationship; based on this principle, we establish the foundation for trust. Physicians are obligated by the judicial system to uphold this principle, making it fundamental in dealing with ethical dilemmas. If this concept is breached, it becomes a matter of right or wrong. Confidentiality requires physicians to protect patient information and share it only in particular situations regulated by law, making this principle a cornerstone for any dispute in healthcare. 

    Transparency is an essential principle for respecting the principle of autonomy. Through transparency, an autonomous individual can give informed consent to healthcare providers to manage their health. Transparency is shown when applying informed consent by providing information about the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. When providing healthcare information, transparency that respects the dignity of the individual is essential for the principle of justice.

    Informed consent is to be given by an autonomous individual who is competent, fully informed of the required information about their health status, and voluntarily consents to procedures or management. This concept protects patients from malicious intent or non-beneficial management by allowing them to seek individual justice if their dignity is disrespected.

    These principles and their legal foundations are how we obtain the ethical justice our citizens deserve.

    Ethical principles are an indispensable component of healthcare, as they enable the effective and equitable functioning of healthcare services and help to regain the population’s respect. By adhering to these principles, physicians and others can balance the complex demands of medical, legal, and social considerations, ultimately serving the best interests of individuals and society. Ensuring ethical practice enhances the credibility and legitimacy of the healthcare system, upholding the fundamental values of human dignity and freedoms.

  • The Importance of Ethical Standards in Healthcare

    The Importance of Ethical Standards in Healthcare

    Ethical standards and principles are the cornerstone of good-quality healthcare services. Through these standards, we can achieve a just future in our communities and families. Individuals expect to experience care that reflects modern ethical standards whenever they receive healthcare services. When accessing healthcare services, patients and their families trust that these principles will be reflected in their healthcare providers. It is through trust that the patients connect with their physicians, as it is this trust that enables us to achieve accurate diagnoses and develop successful treatment plans. When a patient has a poor experience with any healthcare professional, distrust increases, and they become less willing to trust subsequent professionals. The cycle of mistrust grows, and the healthcare system degrades over time, leaving everyone dissatisfied. The first to degrade in an unethical healthcare system is the patient-physician relationship. This is a delicate relationship that needs care and commitment to establish. When there is no trust in a physician or they lack ethical reasoning in their practices, the relationship is the first to go. It is also important not to place all the responsibility for maintaining ethical standards solely on the physician and to acknowledge the institutions and systems they serve in, where most frustration lies. Still, suppose we are to change how we treat our communities; in that case, we must also understand that, although the healthcare system is flawed, the physician must counteract unethical management by fostering strong relationships with our patients. Physicians aim to create a trusting environment where patients can be honest with themselves and us. They strive to develop a partnership in care and recognize that the humanity of our patients is just as important as treating the illness for which they came to see us. Medicine and ethics are inextricably linked and cannot reach their full potential without this acknowledgment.

    I will use the metaphysical as an example to better understand the concept of moral reasoning. The esoteric is a constant concern for every patient, whether or not the practitioner is aware of it. The patients are dealing with their health and hence their mortality, and although their health may be extended and, hypothetically, increased, we all understand that we are all mortals. The metaphysical is integral to the human condition, and our mortality is her expression. Health professionals who do not know what this concept means to our species should take the time to engage with this thought. I will not explain how death and metaphysics coexist or how patients deal with their mortality. Instead, I will start by sharing my perspective on how ethics emerged as the central focus of healthcare through the concept of mortality.

    Moral reasoning and decision-making within society have evolved due to the development of ethical thinking and, consequently, the sciences of philosophy, which result from our need to understand our mortality. Only recently have healthcare professionals begun practicing medicine without acknowledging the metaphysical, a branch of philosophy and a sister science to ethics. Healthcare professionals could not heal without realizing the metaphysical until recently. Creation, the universe, or God was the center of treatment. Physicians would focus on the connection between the body and mind in the past, when little was understood and known. Within this connection, I argue, moral reasoning emerged. The healer’s goal was to reconnect these two elements. Previously, what was not understood was referred to as God, and to this day, what remains unknown continues to be referred to as God. So, my theory was that the healer understood the unknown, with fewer facts than we do today, but they used morality as the foundation of their healing. Over time, morality alone proved insufficient to treat the patient, leading to a new evolution of thought that paved the way for the scientific revolution, a pivotal period in the development of modern medicine. This era brought advancements in treatment and technology that have made it possible to address illnesses once considered terminal, providing hope to more communities and increasing access to life-saving options. Therefore, ethics should be developed as a philosophy in healthcare to help us reconnect the mind and body by applying a scientific approach with the aid of ethics to understand their connection.

    Since then, our society has shifted into a state that can be viewed as more disconnected from one another than ever before. The more disconnected individuals are from themselves and their community, the less inclined they are to consider their mortality. So, when faced with illness and thus their mortality, a physician might not be surprised to see a dissociated patient—dissociated from everything that has to do with their illness, which has little positive effect on the clinical outcome. Therefore, I strongly encourage healthcare professionals to reflect on the daily challenges—the existential, the unknown, the metaphysical, or the concept of God. Perhaps for some, the acknowledgment of the metaphysical is the route to moral reasoning in their own lives. I also believe denying the metaphysical within the patient-physician relationship is a disservice to the profession and the people we treat. Learning to engage with grief and convey the right words to comfort the ill is a valuable skill.

    Ethical principles have evolved and progressed over time to reflect our pursuit of a fair future that places people at the center, adopts a humanitarian approach to decision-making, and promotes democratic principles as an integral part of a free society’s development.

    Although often associated with only philosophy, ethics has a profound connection to science, particularly in areas where human actions and decisions have significant consequences, such as medicine, environmental science, and technology. Its placement in the realm of metaphysics reflects its focus on understanding concepts that transcend the physical and empirical, dealing with values, principles, and the nature of morality.

    In practical terms, ethics can be viewed as a guide for conducting and applying science. Science, by its nature, seeks objective truths about the natural world, while ethics provides the framework for determining how those truths can influence human actions. For instance, in medicine, ethics informs decisions about patient care, research methodologies, and public health policies. The scientific method, grounded in evidence and rationality, often intersects with ethical reasoning, which demands careful consideration of outcomes, fairness, and human dignity.

    Modern science cannot operate without considering ethical concerns, as its applications invariably impact people, communities, and societies. As we step forward into the future of medicine, with numerous advancements in diagnostics, treatments, medical research, and genetics, we find ourselves in increasingly complex ethical situations. Society has transformed its thinking and come to understand the necessity of moral principles. If not as patients, then as individuals. With advancements in technology, particularly in AI and its role in healthcare and policymaking, we see a growing need for ethical frameworks in our professions, as it is a powerful tool against the massive rise in propaganda and psychological warfare. Protecting our privacy and our people is a modern concern for many sovereign states. The ethical framework, I believe, should now be an implemented procedure for policymakers, government employees, healthcare providers, and all parties involved in the logistics of the process. We need a rise in awareness of thought, and this is a process that involves ethical mindsets and frameworks. If we are to fight intelligently, it is wiser to do it with a moral framework, as it can be used to reach conclusions.

    Currently, the world faces numerous pressing psychological and social issues destabilizing all world regions. Particularly in healthcare, we have seen a rise in discourse surrounding genetics and vaccines, accompanied by a growing distrust in these fields. In these fields, we must implement frameworks that strike a balance. As a physician would do when dealing with pressing issues, such as End-of-Life care. We can identify common ground in policy management and other management styles from fields like palliative care.

    Discussions in healthcare and medical research can serve as a platform for learning in other fields of business. Bridging the gap between ideologies and vocations, and fostering a flow of information within an ethical framework, enabling us to build a more united and understanding society.