Health practitioners are conditioned to think in both scientific and practical terms. They focus on the realistic, tangible aspects of life and seek to use the latest technologies and medicine to improve people’s health. Every action that a doctor takes must be taken with a view to bettering the health of the patient and saving their lives. Bioethics in practice seeks to analyze and research how health care choices are taken by applying the concepts of ethics to the medical field. This is a central feature to ensure that medical treatments and procedures support the whole of society.
In 1971 the word “bioethics” was first used in reference to the integration of biology and bioscience in humanistic experience, describes the Center for Practical Bioethics. Bioethics is a multidisciplinary discipline that blends theology, philosophy, nursing, history and law with medicine, public policy, and medical humanities.
According to the Center for Practical Bioethics, the questions mentioned below are asked in context of modern medicine and health care
- What is the right thing to do?
- What is worthwhile?
- What are our obligations to one another?
- Who is responsible, to whom and for what?
- What is the fitting response to this moral dilemma, given the context?
- On what moral grounds are such claims made?
Bioethical issues and dilemmas faced by practitioners the health care industry
End-of-Life Care: The American Psychological Association (APA) states that health care practitioners who make these decisions should preferably approach them in terms of relieving the pain and the ideals and beliefs of the dying person and his or her family.
Allocation of Medical Resources: Due of a restricted supply, when medical services are minimal or unavailable, it becomes difficult to satisfy all health care needs. Allocation of resources may even refer to the doctor time. They need to decide which patients will first be treated, and how much time will be spent.
Euthanasia: The American Medical Association Code of Ethics distinguishes between “withdrawal of life-sustaining care” and euthanasia which shows how complicated this issue is.
Organ Donation: The ethical concerns concerning organ donation involve whether organs donation should remain voluntary and whether organs should be allowed to be donated by minors.
Today’s application of bioethics has become even wider, including clinical decision-making, controversial scientific science, the impacts of emerging technology, global issues, public health policy and more. Bioethics has, in addition, in recent years played a pivotal role in shaping policies and legislation. It is difficult to exaggerate its importance for medical practitioners, as the current health care system continues to advance at a rapid pace.
