26 Jun Compare and contrast the rights and needs of both individuals and the healthcare system identified by your peers with those in your own initial post. Compare the impact of the f

Tanan Discussion:

Healthcare is a fundamental right rooted in the ethical principle of justice: “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.” (WHO, 2017)

Viewing healthcare as a right ensures equitable access to necessary services for all individuals, regardless of socio-economic status. This perspective aligns with the deontological ethical framework, which emphasizes duties and principles over outcomes.

From a deontological standpoint, the rights and needs of individuals must be prioritized to achieve moral obligations. This approach ensures that everyone has access to healthcare, addressing individual rights and needs while supporting public health systems by preventing widespread disease and promoting overall societal well-being. Balancing individual rights with public health needs can be challenging, but it is essential to create a fair and just healthcare system (Beauchamp & Childress, 2019).

Understanding individuals' rights and access to healthcare is crucial in health policy decisions. Policies must be designed to protect these rights and ensure equitable access, which can reduce health disparities and improve population health outcomes. When policymakers actively consider and apply ethical principles, they are better equipped to develop laws and regulations that serve the best interests of all stakeholders, thereby reinforcing the importance of these principles in shaping healthcare policies (Gostin, 2016).

Using a deontological model impacts stakeholders' influence on health policy by emphasizing moral duties and rights. This approach ensures that policies are evaluated based on their adherence to ethical standards, promoting fairness and justice in healthcare. Stakeholders, including patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers, are not just encouraged, but empowered to advocate for policies that uphold these ethical principles. This empowerment can lead to a more equitable healthcare system, underscoring the potential impact of their actions (Daniels, 2001).

References:

Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2019).  Principles of Biomedical Ethics (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Daniels, N. (2001). Justice, health, and healthcare.  American Journal of Bioethics, 1(2), 2–16.

Gostin, L. O. (2016).  Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (3rd ed.). University of California Press.

World Health Organization: WHO. (2017, December 10).  Health is a fundamental human right. https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/health-is-a-fundamental-human-right#:~:text=It%20is%20at%20the%20heart,education%20and%20safe%20working%20conditions.

Blake Discussion:

7-1 Discussion: Individuals' Rights and Ethics in the Healthcare System

“As long as health care is considered a commodity instead of a basic right, it will be susceptible to market forces and to efforts to maximize profits (Pavlakis & Roach, 2021)”

Going into nursing and healthcare in general, we do a lot of self-reflecting, growing, and understanding of those around us and those we take care of.  Determining if healthcare is a right or a privilege is hard to determine, as there are infinite viewpoints on the matter. First, we must understand the difference between a right and a privilege. A right is defined as something that inherited, considered universally, and cannot be taken away. A privilege is something that is granted to an individual or a specific group of people, and can be revoked. I feel that healthcare falls in that grey area between the two. Healthcare for all is an ideal philosophy, but reality is that it is hard to regulate (Klunk, 2022). Also, we should consider that if healthcare is a right, would this impact the quality of care provided or if healthcare is a privilege, who controls the groups that get healthcare and who does not?

In my perspective I would suggest healthcare falls under the Greene’s dual process model that allows dilemmas with two suggested viewpoints can fall into more complexed viewpoints (Greene, 2023). As a healthcare employee we want the greatest amount of good to affect or reach the highest number of individuals, this falls under the utilitarian approach. On the other hand, as a healthcare employee, we want to do what is best for our patients and do no harm, this falls under the deontology theory, so why does healthcare just have to fall under one a singular thought process (Mandal et al., 2016). I feel that this can be a justifiable statement that impacts rights and needs of individuals, as well as the rights and needs of the public health system.

In the midst of the pandemic, there were set guidelines that mandated masks. This can be seen as protecting the individual or communities at a whole, creating a collaboration of both deontology and the utilitarian approach of healthcare. This can also be concluded when it comes the COVID-19 vaccination. Those that took part of the vaccination process, protected themselves, but also the greater good. I also believe that healthcare is strongly influenced by free-will. By, this we have promoted healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid that the underserved or elderly population can utilize, yet there are millions that do not use these services. The same can be said regarding the COVID-19 vaccination. People either received the vaccination, or they chose not to. Just because we may or may not believe that healthcare is a right or privilege to all people, there is still the factor of free-will and choosing to utilize that right or privilege.  

The dual approach can be greatly influenced by stakeholders. The combination of both the utilitarian and deontology approaches reach not only specific people, but the community as well. If stakeholders such as nurses and providers improve quality or care, access of services, and more affordable services to individuals, this affects an entire community.

References

Greene, J. D. (2023). The dual-process theory of moral judgment does not deny that people can make compromise judgments. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(6).  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2220396120

Klunk, C. (2022). Health care: Neither right, privilege nor commodity. Pediatric Neurology, 128, 75.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2021.09.002

Mandal, J., Ponnambath, D., & Parija, S. (2016). Utilitarian and deontological ethics in medicine. Tropical Parasitology, 6(1), 5.  https://doi.org/10.4103/2229-5070.175024

Pavlakis, S., & Roach, E. (2021). Follow the money: Childhood health care disparities magnified by covid-19. Pediatric Neurology, 118, 32–34.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2021.02.005