Ethics in Healthcare

Today, Caroline and I presented on the topic of Ethics in the workplace and in healthcare. My research while preparing for this lead me to the case concerning the Dr. Fata Case, and I wanted to look further into it. I remember hearing about this case and being completely mortified that someone that was entrusted to care for so many people could betray his patients like that. Personally, I feel most vulnerable when I am sick or being treated in a healthcare setting, and would listen to whatever the healthcare provider recommended. In this case, they put their trust in the hands of someone who was blinded by greed. This case made me think more about the Hippocratic Oath and what it actually entailed. The modern version states:

"I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:...

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can but I will always look for a path to a cure for all diseases.

I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help."

While reading this, I realized that Dr. Fata violated almost all of these guidelines. As a future healthcare administrator, I think it is important to keep these points of ethics in mind. Although administration is not directly proving care person to person, they are still responsible for the quality of care and satisfaction of the patients.