Running head: ETHICS: QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 1

Ethics: Questions for Discussion

Charmaine Enerio

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

ETHICS: QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 2

Questions for Discussion

How do you think an HEC can contribute to an organization’s commitment to ethics-based

practice?

As healthcare policies become more complex and contentious, the need for healthcare

ethics committees (HECs) is apparent (Tarzian, Hoffman, Volbrecht, & Meyers, 2006). HECs

have played a major role in the protection of patients’ rights and patient advocacy. HECs are

involved in clinical consultations that involve confidentiality, competency, patient surrogacy,

and informed consents (West & Morrison, 2019). Taking care of the sick is a practice that comes

with profound ethical dimensions. The creation of HECs offer clinicians and administrators a

“moral space” where they can explore and share ethical obligations and values as they confront

goals of care (Hamric & Wocial, 2016). It is a place where beneficence, justice, fidelity, and

nonmaleficence are examined in every angle and situation. HECs are requisite in the provision of

high quality, patient-centered care for organizations.

What effects does the uncertainty of national healthcare policy have on the work of an HEC?

National healthcare reforms and policies are constantly changing in an effort to provide

cost effective and high-quality care for all. The aging population, number of uninsured

individuals, and rising healthcare costs are some of the issues faced by governments these days.

As national healthcare policies are changing, HECs are constantly finding ways to provide high

quality patient care and balancing fiscal responsibilities at the same time. With the advent of

robotics and technology in medicine, HECs are crucial in the development of written policies

and standards that will guide organizations in the allotment of such services (West & Morrison,

2019). For organizations to effectively survive national healthcare law changes, it must have a
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proactive HEC that can serve as a moral voice in policy making, resource allocation, and

protection of patients’ rights.

Do hospitals show respect for the newly dead in their policies and practices?

There seem to be a lack of regard for the newly dead in most hospitals that I have worked

for. I recently attended a committee meeting in our institution and we have examined our policies

and procedures after a patient expired. Our policy only stated procedures for post-mortem care

and who can declare the “time of death”. Whether or not families are allowed to practice death

rituals after death are not mentioned in the policies either. In acute care settings, the dead bodies

are usually being moved to the morgue as soon as possible to accommodate the need for new

admissions. I believe that hospitals need to re-examine their policies and procedures regarding

the newly dead. Cultural, health, and spiritual rituals and practices should be respected as part of

patient-focus care even during death.

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References

Hamric, A. B., & Wocial, L. D. (2016). Institutional ethics resources: Creating moral spaces.

Hastings Center Report, 46(S1), S22-S27. doi:10.1002/hast.627

Tarzian, A. J., Hoffmann, D. E., Volbrecht, R. M., & Meyers, J. L. (2006). The role of healthcare

ethics committee networks in shaping healthcare policy and practices. HEC Forum,

18(1), 85-94. doi:10.1007/s10730-006-7989-2

West, M., & Morrison, E. (2019). Healthcare ethics committees: Roles, memberships, structure,

and difficulties. In E. Morrison & B. Furlong (Eds.), Health care ethics: Critical issues

for the 21st century (pp. 107-121). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.