ISSN: 2642-6250
Authors: Kuriakose S*
Health care ethics have taken an importance not appreciated in times past as a person’s individual wishes are emphasized and respected more robustly in the 21st century. A patient has the individual right to decide his/her care and what steps can be taken (or not) based on their own beliefs, priorities, and wishes. It is imperative that clinicians and healthcare institutions, including all stakeholders, respect these right-including informed consent, a patient’s wish for their specific quality of life, and their acceptance of not prolonging treatment. Informed disclosure continues to be the ethical standard that providers must follow to allow patients (perhaps after discussion with their families) to decide how to proceed in terms of their own healthcare. Attempts to minimize mortality are not the goal of healthcare, rather the drive should be to improve health outcomes by improving the quality of life remaining while ensuring that the patient has full knowledge of their condition, treatment options, and prognosis. Healthcare ethics demand that patients be equal partners with their medical providers in deciding the future of their healthcare and be not dissuaded from asking questions and demanding proper and accurate answers. This paper dwells on the most common aspects of healthcare ethical dilemmas and the proper mechanisms to deal with these issues.
Keywords: Ethics; Informed Consent; Quality of Life; Capacity and Competency; Full Disclosure
