Information Consent for Health Professionals (Essay Sample)

Information consent for health professionals: Its role and importance in providing quality treatment and assuring care treatment for patients NameInstitution
Introduction
Informed consent is an important element of medical practice as it guarantees the patient information on the treatment process. Patients should not undergo any medical operation without having an informed consent on the implications of the process or the outcomes of the process. This paper discusses the informed consent under different conditions, and people who should have the informed consent. Because informed consent is a human right, national and international frameworks seeking to protect people’s rights will feature in the discussion. Additionally, as nurses should act in an ethical way, ethical considerations in informed consent, including the utilitarianism and deontology theories will be discussed. The paper will also differentiate between the legal and social aspects of ethics, which contribute to the decision making process of a patient. In addition to discussing the personal code of ethics, interviews of professionals actively engaged in nursing practice concerning the informed consent will also feature. Finally, it will discuss the ethical normative frameworks that health professionals may appeal to in defending their position and draw conclusions from the findings.
National and International ethical frameworks for health care influencing ethical decision making practice
Various local and international frameworks and ethical considerations exist to oversee the actions of pediatrics. Locally, the NMBA competencies provide the pediatrics’ legal obligations, while internationally, the World Health Organization and International Rights of the Child acts as the regulating body for children’s consent. These legal frameworks seek to ensure that nothing happens against the best interest of the child. Additionally, these frameworks will stop any action that does not serve the interest of the child or anything that would hamper the ability of the child to achieve full potential.
Various frameworks are concerned with ethical decision making in healthcare. Because of the role played by patient consent in determining the process and decisions taken in the treatment process, national and international frameworks play a vital role. International human rights groups seek to protect the rights of all people across the world. The guiding principle is that all people should have access to proper living conditions, healthcare being among them (Krleža-Jerić & Lemmens, 2009). One of the most important international policies is the declaration of Helsinki, a policy statement by the WMA. The current declaration focuses on the evolution of medical research ethics (Krleža-Jerić & Lemmens, 2009). The health and human rights promotes human rights in the health related issues at national and international levels. According to the health and human rights policy, physicians hold the responsibility of providing high quality health care to the patients without discrimination. They also hold the responsibility of preventing and reporting any torturous acts as well as ill treatment amounting to violations of human rights. This is in line with the patient consent policy, which requires that patients have full knowledge of the consequences of the actions taken by the medical practitioners.
Beauchamp & Childress Principles of healthcare ethics is yet another framework that seeks to provide ethical relations among the patients (Beauchamp, 2007). This framework establishes four principles of biomedical ethics pertaining to the children ethical treatment in healthcare. Respect for autonomy is one of these principles. This requires the respect of decisions made by autonomous persons and creating an enabling environment for individuals to make informed choices (Beauchamp, 2007). Parents fall under the autonomous group of persons in relation to informed consent (Beauchamp, 2007). As Gale (interviewee) pointed out, it is important for paramedics to give appropriate information to the parents before they could make any informed decision regarding their children’s treatment process. Secondly, the beneficence principle seeks to balance the benefits of treatment against the stated risks and costs. The requirement is that medical practitioners should engage in actions that will be of benefit to the patient. Non-maleficence, which is the third principle, avoids causing any harm to the patient. Finally, the principle of justice seeks to distribute benefits, risks, and costs in a fair and equitable manner among patients in similar positions (Mitchell, 2014).
Ethical theories influencing decisions among medical practitioners
Utilitarianism theory of ethics
Utilitarianism theory of ethics argues that that anything ethical is anything that produces the greatest amount of pleasure to the greatest number of people (Brenkert & Beauchamp 2010). On the other hand, anything that is unethical is anything that deprives a great number of people pleasures, to some extent causing dissatisfaction (Brenkert & Beauchamp 2010). This theory argues that the society should focus on maximizing positive outcomes for the largest number of people, while at the same time focusing on minimizing any negative outcomes for lowest number of people (Brenkert & Beauchamp 2010). The biggest premise of this theory is that people should settle for actions with the potential of providing the greatest happiness to all people in the society. Nurses are social workers and their work seeks to serve the interest of all people in the society. They should engage in actions that they believe will be of benefit to the patients, refraining from giving misleading information (Hinman, 2012). Ethically, nurses, while educating patients on the informed consent should selfishly describe the pros and cons of all alternatives. A medic should avoid having stakes in the patient’s decisions as this could compromise the quality of information presented to the patient.
Deontology ethics theory
Deontology ethical theory seeks to differentiate between something that is good and bad. Developed by Immanuel Kant, W.D. Ross, deontology theory argues that elements that makes something good or bad, right or wrong, is that it conforms to some rational duty. The underlying principle of this theory is fulfilment of duties towards the individual or other person (Hinman, 2012). Medical practitioners hold this responsibility while disseminating their duties to their patient. Through informed consent, paediatrics offers the patients the best medical attention. Deontology cautions that while making choices, an individual, or organization should settle for actions that best conforms to the recognized duties of the society. Nurses therefore hold this responsibility, of providing patients with the most accurate information for them to make decisions regarding their treatment. Deontology approach establishes the relevance of the duties that people engage in the society (Hinman, 2012). The action as Kant argued should treat people as the ends and not the means, showing that the measure of nurse’s actions depends on the outcome, and not the process. Providing people with the most accurate information leads to informed decisions, determined by the decision the patient arrives at.
Personal codes of ethics for nursing profession
The nursing profession, being an extremely sensitive profession as it deals with the health of the patient relies on stringent codes of ethics governing the actions of the nurses. The code of ethics regulates the actions of the nurse workers (Kalaitzidis & Schmitz, 2012). Not only do these codes ensure high quality of services delivered, they also regulate the behavior of these nurses. The nursing code of ethics requires nurses to have primary commitment to the patient, regardless of whether the patient is an individual, family, or community. Honesty in delivering services as well as ethical behavior while handling duties is the underlying principle of nursing profession. Nurses should value the quality of care offered to the patients. Not only should the nurses ensure all people access health care, they should also respect the diversity of all people. They should make informed decisions as well as help patients make informed decisions too, an aspect of informed consent. Ethical information management is yet an important ethical consideration for nurses. These requirements guarantee quality of treatment for all patients (Francis, et al, 2013).
Difference between Ethical and legal issues in health care
According to Stein et al. (2013), people have diverse cultural practices and these influence even their decision to seek medical attention. While some cultures do not believe in scientific medical treatment, others will not accept surgery. This is an unethical issue, as people should access healthcare at all times. Additionally, ethics of decision-making influence the overall decision one settles for, if influenced by certain external forces like culture and family. Where one cannot make sound, decisions regarding informed consent, the law stipulates that a close person should do so on the behalf of the patient. It is the duty of the nurse to demystify the dogmatic views of the people in delivering their services to these people through informed consent. Legally, all people should have access to information before they undergo any operation in the health care institution. The law further regulates organ transplant exercises for the sole purpose of reducing problems arising from illegal transplant. There are policies regulating even the donation of a body organ as it regulates any incidences of organ trade.
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