Unethical Issues on the Story, "What Were They Thinking?"

Unethical Issues
Student’s Name
Institution
Course Number and Name
Instructor’s Name
Date
Unethical Issues
1 Working Under the Influence of Alcohol and Opioids
Dr. Bushwick was drunk, still feeling wobbly, and hung over from the previous night's party. In addition, he used some opioids to help with the alcohol-related headache. Practicing medicine under the influence of alcohol and opioids can impair a doctor's judgment, causing them to make avoidable mistakes that threaten patients' safety. Dr. Bushwick also intended to drink after work, knowing he had an early appointment with a patient the following day. Instead of practicing while under the influence, Dr. Bushwick should have asked a sober colleague to treat his patients for the day and refrain from drinking alcohol the night before he sees patients.
2 Drug Diversion
Dr. Bushwick used opioids prescribed for a patient to treat his headache and hangover. The medication had been prescribed for the patient at discharge but was never given to the patient. This is an unethical practice because it threatens patient safety. The patient would not receive adequate pain relief because they never received the drugs for pain management. Dr. Bushwick should have obtained an over-the-counter pain reliever for his headache and ensured that the patient received the prescription opioids.
3 Failure to Report an Unimpaired Colleague
Dr. Bushwick knew his colleague was drinking the previous night and was probably still drunk. He also knew that his possibly-drunk colleague had brain surgery that morning. Failing to report his impaired colleague is unethical because it puts his colleague's patients at risk. In the end, the patient of his colleague died, and Dr. Bushwick might have prevented this death had he reported his colleague. The most ethical thing to do would have been to ask his colleague not to operate on the patient and, if that did not work, report him to someone with authority.
4 Failure to Protect Patient Information
Dr. Bushwick noticed that the reception had left patient files open for anyone to see, which exposed patient information to unauthorized parties. This was unethical behavior because third parties could easily access patient information. Such a violation is a breach of trust that harms patients and threatens the provider-patient relationship. The most ethical action for Dr. Bushwick would have been to remind the receptionist of the importance of protecting patient information. He should have advised her always to ensure patient files are only accessible to authorized personnel.
5 Parking at a Handicapped Spot
Dr. Bushwick parked his car into a handicapped spot, knowing very well that someone deserving might need it. This was unethical because it made the spot inaccessible to a p...