Defined as the obligation of a person or institution to safeguard certain entrusted information about another individual, confidentiality is a norm that has to be kept by care givers. It may also refer to facts that are secret, private, or privileged by certain individuals and should be kept undisclosed as instructed by the patient under examination. However, it would be impossible at times to care for the patient effectively since healthcare is a multi-disciplinary entity that involves several people. According to “Bioethics on NBC's ER: Betraying Trust or Providing Good Care?” the aspect of concealing certain information may be revealed. As much as doctors may want to obey norms and principles of ethics, certain conditions arise which put the doctors and nurses in a dilemma hence such personal information has to be breached.
The doctors and care givers are trusted dearly by patients hence leaking out there private information is least expected. However, when this happens, there are ethical implications and issues. First, the issue of mistrust, doctors will never be trusted again by the patient hence the patient can give biased information in case of any needed by the doctor. There is the ethical issue of respect, the patient is disobeyed (Hartzog, 2014). The doctor gives out information without the concern of the patient, this a big ethical issue.
Ethical principles and theories give significant characteristics in decision making. The use of these subjects in combination has been used as a decision in certain critical conditions. “These four ethical principles imply a variety of subsidiary rules, such as respect for personal freedom, property, and privacy, and prohibitions against lying, cheating, killing, maiming, stealing, deceiving, coercing, exploiting, and so on”.
In situations to decide, certain ethical implications on confidentiality of breach, ethical principles and theories have to be considered in making decisions. Ethical principles include: first is principle of beneficence. This considers if the decision made will benefit the subject. For example, if the operation that has to be done will benefit the patient or not. This principle focuses mainly on utilitarian theory hence only focuses on the amount of good that is going to be realized. Second, is principle of last harm. This more of the same similar to the previous principle. However, it looks at the last harm. In this case, a person should suggest to the least harm possible in case all the decision are harmful (Smit, 2010).
Another ethical principle is respect for autonomy. This is the principle that restricts doctors on making decisions on patients hence it protects and supports confidentiality. It states that individuals should be allowed to make personal decisions since they understand their body more than any other person does. Last one is the principle of justice. This in turn creates a dilemma since even if you have the right to your body, one has to make decisions that appear to be fair to people involve (Smit, 2010). Hence you cannot just harm yourself since you follow the principle of autonomy.
On other hand, ethical theories are based on principles. First is the theory of deontology, which says that people should live with their duties and obligations when handling and analyzing ethical dilemmas. Second, is the theory of utilitarianism. It predicts the effects and consequences of an action. The choice that tends to yield great advantages and benefits are ethically accepted and correct (Hartzog, 2014). Moreover, the theory of right gives people an opportunity to do what is right according to the society’s perception hence it is accepted ethically.
A decision-making model can be utilized to assist us at deciding on ethical situations and dilemmas that occur in the counseling sectors and helping professions. A basic and preferred model for ethical decision making would include the following steps: Identify and distinguish what the precise ethical dilemma disputes are, Determine what the NASW, ACA and the AAMFT codes say the employees should do, Review any regulations that pertain to the virtuous issue of concern, pursue out discussion from a supervisor or collaborator, Consider a course of action, explore the consequences of each action and pick and implement the superlative choice of action (Smit, 2010).
Ethical theories and principles fetch significant appearances to the decision-making process. Even though all of the ethical theories go in line with the principles of ethics so that they themselves can be pertinent and valid, each theory comes short of complex errors and failings. Nevertheless, these theories of ethics can be put to use in permutation to attain an answer that is the best and ethically correct for each scenario. For example, the casuistic theory may be used by a utilitarian to relate similar situations to his actual situation in life as a way of determining what choice will be of most benefit to the people (Hartzog, 2014). The ruling utilitarian governor and the deontologist who run late for their meeting may use the theory of ethical rights when decisions on whether or not to hasten in order to make it to make it on time to the meeting. By means of ethical theories in combination, one is able to use a range of ways to analyze a condition in order to reach the most ethically accurate decision possible.
References
Hartzog, W. (2014). Reviving Implied Confidentiality. Indiana Law Journal, 89763.
Smit, H. (2010). Breach of Confidentiality as a Ground for Avoidance of the Arbitration Agreement. The American Review Of International Arbitration, 11567.
