Essay - Healthcare—doing as Much Good as Possible Abstract Many Healthcare Professionals...

Healthcare—Doing as Much Good as Possible

Abstract

Many healthcare professionals believe that medicine and ethics are integrated. I agree with this concept. To do good medicine, one must also ***** good ethics, ***** to do good *****, one ***** also do very good *****. The two simply cannot be removed from each other.

********** *****day's society, the demands of medicine ***** so great, and the tendency is so real to allow medicine ***** become routine and to lose sight of the phenomenal value ***** humanity. Therefore, healthcare professionals must consider how they can sustain a commitment to patients that truly puts their interests above our own. A fundamental aspect of the ethical life in ***** is to *****mehow be adequately motivated to do what is good and right for patients, especially in a world where, ***** many cases, no one else will be. This paper will describe why healthcare pr*****essionals should be exclusively concerned with doing as much ***** as possible, and how ***** can realize this goal by studying medical ethics.

Introduction

For hundreds of years, mankind h***** struggled with issues ***** life, preservation of life, old age, death ***** dying, and how ***** achieve a good ***** (Stanton, 2003). Ancient Greeks ********** lethal poisons to society's elderly, ill, and injured if requested, while the early Christians viewed life as a gift from God, *****lieving suicide to be ***** mortal sin. The German Reich used active euthanasia to eliminate ***** unwanted from society. Today, the struggle continues with modern medicine's capability of preserving ***** and terminating life by artificial means.

***** advances in medical technology have greatly increased the estimated average life expectancy in ***** United States from 47.3 years in 1900 to 76.5 years ***** 1997 (National Vital Statistics Report, 2001). With the successes of medical technology and increased life expectancy comes the burden of choice, especially regarding ***** age and chronic illness. Choices require healthcare professionals and ***** to make important decisions.

In 1900, there were few options for the ill because there were few medications and minimal surgical techniques (Stanton, 2003). Many *****nesses resulted in death. However, with modern technology, ***** is no longer the inevitable outcome of illness. Today, many choices of treatments, including simple antibiotic treatment and aggressive *****-sustaining treatments, ex*****t. As the end of life nears, ***** are a v*****riety of choices, including futility, withholding or withdrawing *****-sustaining *****, euthanasia, and physician-assisted suicide. Healthcare professionals are asked to participate in making these difficult choices on a daily basis. Families and patients ask, "What do you think?" "***** would you do if this were *****r father?"

Sound decision-making practices that ***** moral and ethical principles, professional standards, societal law, and the rights, values, ***** beliefs of the individuals involved assist healthcare pr*****essionals, patients and families in making these choices. Thus, in order to place the importance of ***** good above all else, healthcare professionals must understand basic ***** principles and practical decision-making tools ***** can be utilized to assist patients ***** families in making