How To Understand the Ethics for Medical Careers

Ethics is a central issue when it comes to the practice of medicine and the dealings of doctors with patients. Since the cases that doctors deal with often involve life and death situations, or potentially life-altering consequences, it is important to establish laws and ethical concepts that govern the decisions of doctors in the goal of providing the best standard of care for their patients. The lines are never clear in this particular field of the law. Many cases drag on for years since the acceptability of certain therapies as well as clinical decisions are subject to interpretation of the various stakeholders involved. A doctor might find one act objectionable while one might see it as excusable or even defensible. The issue never really is in black and white if you think about it.

In terms of the law, the system can be quite stringent with the malpractice laws. All states have this legislation with respect to medical malpractice, and this has driven up the price of healthcare, due to the exorbitant medical malpractice insurance fees that doctors have to pay to ensure that they will be somewhat protected if and when they lose a case in court. It's a sad reality but doctors have been hedging their bank accounts by investing in things that can eventually save them money when their medical knowledge fails them.

The ethical decisions in medicine are governed by four principles. These will be discussed in detail below.

1. Beneficence is the concept that protects the right of the patient, and upholds the responsibility of the doctor to something that could help the patient either get better or feel better. Whatever a doctor does, it should be something that can improve the well-being of the patient and alleviate whatever pain and suffering that the one with the illness is experiencing.
2. Non-malfeasance is the concept that maintains that a physician should never do anything that could harm the patient. This is why the entire Terri Schiavo controversy was a very hot issue back in the days of the euthanasia debates. Most doctors don't believe that it is in their job description to actively participate in the killing of people, no matter how sick they are. This is something that violates the tenet of non-malfeasance. Philosophers have another take on this issue though, as some believe that a person has a right to choose to die if he feels living is too painful, especially with certain diseases.
3. Autonomy is the value that makes the patient the one responsible for his body. A doctor does not have the right to impose any particular treatment that a patient does not want to undergo. This is one reason why patients usually have to sign waivers and consent forms before undergoing surgery, especially in non-emergency cases.
4. Justice protects everyone involved and tries to seek out the compromise at which all players will benefit from the law, and from the medical interventions done. It's not enough that only a few get the rewards of a treatment while the rest suffer. Medical ethics is a very contentious issue. It is often debated inside and outside hospitals so you would usually expect a very impassioned debate from all sides.