Six-Step Process of Ethical Decision Making in Arriving at a Caring Research Paper

Six-Step Process of Ethical Decision Making in Arriving at a Caring process - Research Paper Example Healthcare managers have to deal with rising number of complex ethical predicaments in organizations. Independently they are unable to take ethical decisions in the absence of well-documented and communicated organizational decision-making outline. It is, therefore, important for the healthcare organizations to design, develop, and implement necessary policies, procedures and guidelines to help their staff in arriving at ethical decision-making in their routines. With these mechanisms and frameworks, the organizations are able to effective take sound ethical decisions regarding their companies. This report as such delves briefly into ethical decision making as carried out by various companies with special emphasis on 6-step ethical decision making process as outlined by Purtillo and Doherty (2009) in health care environment. Step 1: Gather Relevant Information The first step in ethical decision-making process is the explicit, relevant data of the ethical issues that generally occurs as a result of insufficient information or evidence, and disagreements concerning the facts. Hence, this step facilitates many disagreements and assists in initiating a successful procedure. It should start by inquiring about the ethical issue that has been in hand (Purtillo & Doherty, 2009). Medical Indications Issues: The patient’s health care problem, its diagnosis and prognosis. Its criticalness, continuance, emergency and reversibility. The objectives of treatment and intervention for patients’. The chances of success for the patients’ population. The plans in view of therapeutic collapse for the patients’ population. The advantages of the treatments and its optimization. The dangers of the treatments and interventions and ways of minimizing these risks (Purtillo & Doherty, 2009). Patient Preferences Issues: The patients’ preferences re-treatment and interventions. The patients’ evaluation of quality of life with and without treatments and interventions. The patient's approval whether voluntary or involuntary. Whether patients are children, have their abilities to accept been identified. Whether patients expressed their wishes in writing, verbally etc. Whether patients are reluctant or incapable to deal with treatments and interventions, if so, the reasons. Whether patients’ decision to choose being appreciated considering ethics and law (Purtillo & Doherty, 2009). Evidence issues: The standards of practice. The availability of type of data to inform decisions. The research outcomes and studies are available to notify decisions (Purtillo & Doherty, 2009). Contextual Features Issues: Families affecting decisions regarding the treatments and interventions. Religious and cultural factors. The existence of health providers and administrator prejudices that might impact decisions concerning quality of life. The involvement of clinical researches and teaching. The existence of relevant legislations. The existence of confidentiality matters and its limitations. The financial implications concerning the decision making. Whether organizational rules concerns the decision making. Whether there exists conflict of interest on the part of the health care providers or within institutions. The targets, goals, principles, and strategic directions of the healthcare companies (Purtillo & Doher