Ethical Issues Affecting Doctors

1. Ethical Issues Affecting Doctors A crash course in Moral issues

2. Ethics In The Workplace • As well as criminal and civil law, professionals have a duty to work ethically • Although ethical values are not always law. Many industries have governing bodies that enforce ethical values. • Sometimes it is necessary to be regulated by these bodies to operate, and sometimes it is frowned upon to not be a member. • Although these ethical values are in place to ensure that companies / individuals act in a righteous way. They also protect them from any criticism of their actions. • If a set of socially accepted rules are followed, then it shows a person acted with good intentions and practice. • It can also help prevent an individuals beliefs affect decisions

3. Ethical Issues in the Medical industry • Ethical issues are particularly important in the medical industry as difficult decisions are often made • There is also usually a divide of opinions on certain subjects • To prevent this becoming an issue, a central body produces a set of guidelines that must be followed • This prevents differences of opinion affecting a persons decision in a matter • A central set of rules helps practicioners make uniform and ‘correct’ judgements

4. The Hippocratic oath • Doctors are taught about ethical issues at great length during training • They have to take an oath and are bound by it while practising • This oath is called the Hippocratic oath • It is designed to help make all doctors lead an ethical professional life • One of the most important part of this oath is patient confidentiality • This is important so that a patient can trust a doctor to keep any information between only those who need to know • Kind of like ‘a need to know basis’ thing

5. Ethical Issues affecting Doctors • There are many difficult decisions a doctor has to make but they always have to follow the code of practice • They have to do this, even if it conflicts with their own personal morales • Here are some examples: • A young girl that is pregnant wants an abortion • A young girl wants to go on the pill • Whether to continue to resusitate a patient in cardiac arrest • An advanced statement of an unconscious patient • A patient refusing treatment and is at risk of death • Consent of patients with mental capacity issues

6. So.. • As you can see doctors have a lot of heavy decisions to make that can affect peoples lives forever • That is why it is especially important to have a code of ethics • Without these code of ethics doctors may act on there own judgements • There own opinions may be considered unethical and there subsequent actions considered wrong • So as well as protecting patients, these ethics also protect the doctor when making decisions • But of course the ethics are also challenged frequently

7. Vets How these issues affect vets

8. Introduction • Today be a vet is very hard because of a number of reasons such as: • Growing public awareness of animal welfare • Increasing economic value of companion animals • Growth of veterinary specialisation • Experimentation of different medicines for animals • Concern for pain management and mental health of animals • Vets may have different views from other members of staff, clients and peers and society which makes it hard to make important desertions about animals.

9. Resources to help vets • Due to the large amount of issues that vets come across there are many places that they may need get reference from. Examples of sources of information: • An Introduction to Veterinary Medical Ethics (Book) • BVA Council • BSAVA • RSPCA • Veterinary Policy Groups • Talks have been made to produce a new Veterinary Surgeons Act to cover animal welfare which would make making decisions easier but at the same time people may disagree with the decisions made by the law.