Ethics in Health Administration

Ethics in Health Administration As Morrison (2005), notes in his book entitled, â€Å"Ethics in Health Administration: A Practical Approach for Decision Makers,† the word autonomy is derived from the theories that were studied in the first chapter of the book. In this case, the exploration of the principle of autonomy will be in regards to its application in the field of healthcare.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ethics in Health Administration specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Morrison (2005), autonomy covers four main areas in the healthcare profession. The areas covered by autonomy include autonomy as an informed consent, autonomy as confidentiality, autonomy as truth telling, and autonomy as fidelity. All these areas are important for a healthcare administrator because they provide a basis on which the administrator can advocate for better services in the healthcare profession. To begin with, the first area of autonomy is kn own as autonomy as an informed consent. According to Morrison (2005), for this principle of autonomy to take effect, there must be a condition, which must be satisfied. The condition is that free will or choice of an individual ought to receive protection at all times. Therefore, in a healthcare setting, individuals can make choices that may be contrary to the healthcare practitioner’s will. For this reason, the role of the healthcare administrator will be to ensure that all the physicians in the organizations respect the choices made by the patients regarding treatment and other important factors pertaining the health of the patient. No physician would embark on any remedial procedures on a patient before obtaining written permission from the patient. The principle of confidentiality is the second area of autonomy. According to Morrison (2005), confidentiality means to keep the information regarding a patient’s identity, medical history and their family background sec ret. It is very important for healthcare practitioners to keep their patient’s information private. However, some instances may require the health practitioner to disclose information about a patient in order for the patient to obtain the right treatment. In such conditions, the health practitioner may disclose only the information required to carry out proper treatment. However, the health practitioner must obtain consent from the patient (Morrison, 2005). Therefore, as a healthcare administrator, one ought to ensure that healthcare practitioners receive proper training on how to keep their patients information private. When the achievement of this goal takes place, the healthcare profession will receive a high rating and this will increase the patients’ confidence in the healthcare systems.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The third principle of autonom y is autonomy as truth telling. Telling the truth is very important in the healthcare profession. It is very important that the healthcare practitioners tell the patients the truth (Morrison, 2005). At times, the truth may be difficult to relay to the patient because of the emotional reactions it may evoke. Therefore, the healthcare administrators must ensure that the health practitioners must always tell the truth to the patient in order to gain the patients’ trust and loyalty. Finally, the last principle of autonomy is known as autonomy as fidelity. In this principle, one learns that it is very important for the physicians to keep their word to not only the patients but also the employees in the organization (Morrison, 2005). All healthcare administrators should ensure that they fulfill the promises that they give to the patients and the employees as well. This enhances the trust between the parties involved and as a result, the healthcare profession acquires more trust and reliability from the stakeholders. In conclusion, autonomy involves four main principles, which include autonomy as informed consent, autonomy as confidentiality, autonomy as truth telling, and autonomy as fidelity. It is therefore evident that autonomy does not only involve choice but it also incorporates other vital factors. The healthcare administrators have an important role of ensuring that all the four principles of autonomy take effect in the healthcare organizations. Therefore, through advocacy means such as training and policy formulation, the healthcare administrators ensure that the healthcare systems are trustworthy and reliable. Reference Morrison, E. (2005). Ethics in Health Administration: A Practical Approach for Decision Makers. Sudbury: Jones Bartlett Publishers.