BHS365 Module 1

The principle of double effect in healthcare ethics. Presented By Name Presented To Lecturer Institution Topic Date The Ethical Principle of Double Effect in Healthcare. Despite having set out guidelines and code of ethics, Physicians and medical practitioners are consistently faced with tough dilemmas in situations where it is hard to predict with clear precision on the outcome of some medical procedures. The principle of double effect refers to situations where administering a given medical procedure in an attempt to assist the patient could also have a negative outcome. In this case of Dr. Robinson the patient is in so much pain and helpless to make the decision on whether to have the morphine administered to him or not. The doctor has to therefore decide on whether to relieve his patient the suffering and pain by use of morphine or not. Using the morphine will relieve the pain but he also knows that it might shorten his patient’s life. As a doctor, Robinson should fight for and with his patient Mr. Mill. Doctors are often having a conflict with their fundamental goal of preserving life and accommodating the new concept of a pain-free-death. There is a challenge on cutting the line on what to do which is fine with all the concerned people, that is, the patient, the doctor and patient’s family. According to Krakauer (2011), human beings have an inborn desire to live and knowledge of our mortality creates a major conflict. In this case, even if the use of morphine could reduce lifespan the patient is suffering and the doctor should have his pain relieved. Ethics is a discipline that is central to medical practitioners. Medical treatment should be based on the ethic of ‘primum non nocere’ which means, first, do no harm. There is an ethical obligation to protect patients from actions that cause harm and to promote beneficial care in accordance with patients' best interest. They should always try to act in the best interest of their patients and the patient’s family. In this case it would be ethically acceptable for Doctor Robinson to administer the morphine dose. It is his duty to make his patient comfortable by saving him from th...