Verified Document

Medical Ethics How Does The Study Of Essay

Medical Ethics How does the study of medical ethics impact decisions in social services & healthcare? In the peer-reviewed Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, Professor Paul Adams explains that social work ethics "…focuses on the behavior required or expected of members of a profession," and like ethical principles in the medical profession, there are "…rules, obligations, and dilemmas" to confront in social work (Adams, 2009, p. 83). By studying medical ethics -- standards that emphasize practitioner competence, client privacy, confidentiality, potential conflicts of interest, documentation and informed consent -- a social worker can get a strong grasp of the ethical considerations in the social services sector.

For example, in the "Patient's Bill of Rights," the healthcare patient has the right to informed consent, and so too do clients of social workers have the right to informed consent. The social worker's clients also have the right to privacy, confidentiality, practitioner competence and there should be a vigilant awareness on the part of the social worker to obtain a client's informed consent before videotaping or audio taping -- or permitting another person to observe services in progress or by recorded technologies. Social workers, like healthcare providers, are ethically and morally responsible to be competent and to protect clients'...

Multimedia educational resources (representing ethically and cultural diverse boys and girls) should be produced by "…healthcare providers and community-based organizations" and social service agencies, which "help facilitate effective conversations about the sexualization…" of girls, boys, women and men (American Psychological Association). Forums need to be convened (with media members, and experts in social services and healthcare fields) to discuss more appropriate values as well as pointing to the unethical portrayals of young people's bodies in the media (APA). Social service professionals can actively oppose TV shows or advertising (through op-ed essays and letters to editors) that demeans young people by portraying them as sex objects.
FIVE: What two lessons were learned from the Tuskegee experiments? One important lesson is that before any medical "experiment" can be carried out on any persons (no matter the ethnic or cultural background of the prospective individuals to be researched) a thorough ethical and professional explanation / proposal must…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Adams, P. (2009). Ethics with Character: Virtues and the Ethical Social Worker. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare. XXXVI (3), 83-92.

American Psychological Association. (2007). Sexualization of Girls / Executive Summary.

Retrieved December 11, 2013, from http://www.apa.org.

Chadwick, A. (2002). Remembering Tuskegee. National Public Radio. Retrieved December 11,
2013, from http://www.npr.org.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Medical Ethics Case Study Who Can Prescribe
Words: 1347 Length: 3 Document Type: Case Study

Medical Ethics Case Study Who Can Prescribe Medicine? Does Jerry's medical training qualify him to issue this refill order? Why or why not? Generally, LPNs and medical assistants are qualified to dispense medication prescribed by a physician ("Medical assistant, 2011). A medical assistant is a trained medical professional who works under the supervision of a board-certified physician ("Medical assistant, 2011). Typically, a medical assistant's work is administrative, but it may also include clinical

Medical Ethics of Providing Healthcare
Words: 2973 Length: 9 Document Type: Term Paper

In 2004, Arizona's Proposition 200 wanted state and local governments to verify the identity and immigration status of all applicants for certain public benefits, and to require government employees to report violations (Wood pp). Attitudes about the problem have hardened in recent years in some states, both out of concern about the economic impact, particularly in a time of slow job growth, and out of concern about the security threat

Medical Ethics at an Accident
Words: 661 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

This was an individual specifically trained in lifesaving techniques for accident and emergency victims, and he should not leave an obviously injured person. His training prepared him for just this situation, and since he was the first person on the scene, he could literally make the difference between life and death. The accident victim with an obvious head injury could be suffering from shock, and the head injury symptoms

Medical Ethics and Decision Making Do Doctors
Words: 8575 Length: 26 Document Type: Term Paper

Medical Ethics and Decision Making Do Doctors Need More Guidelines? New Revolution in Ethics In 1988, what many called the 'third revolution' in medical care came about (Dunevitz, 1999). The first revolution was after the Second World War, and this caused an explosion in the number of hospitals and doctors, as well as the research that went into the field (Dunevitz, 1999). Medicare and Medicaid were created and the field of medicine was

Medical Ethics Case Study According
Words: 852 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Obviously, they wish for Ms. Alexander to live as comfortable as possible for the time she has left and are not concerned about gaining financially from her death. For this situation, Dr. Culver offers some advice on how the physician should act in the case of Ms. Alexander. First, "a family may be deeply divided about the appropriate treatment for their loved one," which, in the case of Ms. Alexander,

Medical Ethics and Law
Words: 3095 Length: 12 Document Type: Term Paper

Healthcare -- Doing as Much Good as Possible Many healthcare professionals believe that medicine and ethics are integrated. I agree with this concept. To do good medicine, one must also do good ethics, and to do good ethics, one must also do very good medicine. The two simply cannot be removed from each other. In today's society, the demands of medicine are so great, and the tendency is so real to allow

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now