Ethical and Legal Implications in Respiratory Care

Ethical and Legal Implications in Respiratory Care

Introduction

It is quite evident that the respiratory systems are the most essential organ that helps the human to take in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. If the respiration system does not work properly, people might have a respiratory disease. These diseases may affect the air passages, including the nasal passages, bronchi and lungs (West, 2008).

They range from acute infections such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and chronic conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Therefore, in order to resolve these problems, respiratory care department plays a vital part. In addition, these care systems require continuous management and control in order to develop a beneficial and efficient system that can facilitate patients in the best possible way. In this paper we will talk about the ethical and legal implications in respiratory care.

Discussion

Ethics in professions refer to the rules by which the individuals in that profession are supposed to comply with their practice. Most professionals that involve in respiratory care have a set of rules that are a formal system that govern the way concerned professionals should do their work.

These four ethical principles are:

Autonomy,

Beneficence,

Nonmaleficence, and

Justice.

Autonomy

Autonomy is the ability to think, decide and act according to their own initiative and it is the supreme right of any person. The Respiratory Therapists must do everything possible to help the patient or client to make their own decisions. The therapist should consult their patient or client and obtain consent before doing any work (McGaw, 2009). It requires effective communication which requires that one listens to the patient or client and they provide them the information that they need. Respect the autonomy of a person means respecting the right of a person with all their faculties to decide their plan care, even if this plan differs from that of the health care team.

Beneficence

Beneficence is the obligation of health professionals to act to benefit those who receive care. The purpose of respiratory therapist is to promote health care services. Respiratory therapy services aim to provide appropriate support during the dying process. In addition to services, how it provides these services may be more or less "benevolent", that is to say that services can be with sensitivity, empathy, collegiality and other good feelings that go beyond "clinical outcomes"( McGaw, 2009).

Nonmaleficence

Like most treatments have some risks or have side effects, it is important to weigh the risks and benefits care plans offered. Following the principle of nonmaleficence, the respiratory therapists must consider the harm that an intervention may cause. The principles of benevolence and nonmaleficence can sometimes be conflicting. For example, can be considered beneficial to keep someone alive by continuing ventilation or another treatment, but it sometimes requires some discomfort or continuation of the pain in person (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2010).

Justice

In the allocation of care, the principle of justice states that patients or customers in similar situations should have equal access to care and, when it affects resources to a given group must assess ...