Confronting Ethical Dilemma in Healthcare

Ethical Dilemma and Reflection
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Ethical Dilemma and Reflection
Introduction
Healthcare professionals make decisions pertaining to patient care within distinct settings. These decisions entail more than choosing an appropriate intervention or treatment. Ethics form an inseparable and inherent part of clinical practice as the doctor is ethically obligated to enhance patient outcomes by adhering to principles guiding healthcare practice. Accordingly, healthcare leaders work in a dynamic environment characterized by the push to offer the safest, high-quality, and efficient care. In order to succeed, healthcare should lead clinical and administrative teams while managing resources effectively. This paper examines a case scenario by considering the relevant ethical principles, arguments for and against the parent’s decision, healthcare resources allocation, and the ethics committee’s role. It also includes a reflection on leadership skills and knowledge related to leadership acquired in the course.
Part 1: Confronting an Ethical Dilemma
Relevant Ethical Principles
The relevant ethical principles in the particular case scenario include beneficence, autonomy, justice, and nonmaleficence. The principle of beneficence states that the physician is obligated to act for the patient’s benefit and supports various ethical rules to defend and safeguard the rights of others, prevent injury, eliminate conditions that could cause harm, assist individuals with disabilities, and rescue individuals in danger. Nonmaleficence suggests that the physician is obligated not to harm their patient. The autonomy principle states that all persons have an absolute and fundamental value, and thus, must possess the authority to make ethical and rational choices, and each person must be empowered to exercise their self-determination capacity. Justice refers to equitable, fair, and proper treatment of individuals (Varkey, 2021).
Arguments to Support the Parent’s Decision
The scenario states that the parents have a baby with numerous deformities and anomalies. Surprisingly, they have decided not to seek interventions and treatment to sustain the baby’s life. The choice to avoid treatment could be justified since World Health Organization’s (2020) statistics indicate that nearly 295,000 newborns die in 28 days of birth annually due to congenital anomalies worldwide. The parents’ decision could also be justified, particularly if they are economically disadvantaged in taking care of the child, negatively affecting their quality of life (Varkey, 2021). In addition, the parents could decide since the child cannot decide on what shall be done with their own body.
Arguments Opposing the Parent’s Decision
The parent’s decision undermines the nonmaleficence principle since it causes more harm to the newborn. According to nonmaleficence, it is immoral to kill, cause suffering or pain, or deprive the newborn of the goods of life. Accordingly, the parent’s decision does not benefit the patient (newborn) since it fails to safeguard and protect the right of others. The parents are morally obligated under the beneficence canon to prevent harm and remove con...