Course Concepts A Reflection

DISCUSSION BOARD 7

Discussion Board 7

Introduction

From the onset, it would be prudent to note that this particular course has been instrumental in the broadening of my perspectives on a wide range of concepts that could come in handy in practice settings. With this in mind, there would be need to summarize some of the said concepts. In so doing, I will essentially be highlighting what I deem most important among the concepts I came across.

Discussion

One of the very first things that one realizes upon reflecting about the concepts encountered throughout the course is that great progress has been made in as far as the integrity and ethics in the medical profession is concerned. Indeed, ethics and integrity in this particular profession are now taken very seriously. A good example to illustrate this assertion would be the past deployment of frameworks to informed consent and autonomy, amongst other things. On this front, I was specifically intrigued by informed consent owing to its relevance in efforts to ensure that the patient is a key stakeholder in the care process. The various ethical standards and principles that I got to learn of in the course could be instrumental in efforts to further enhance decision making in real-life clinical settings. For instance, in line with the principle of nonmaleficence, we are called upon to ensure that the decisions we made do not occasion any harm to the patient. It should also be noted that yet another method that could come in handy in decision making, and which was addressed in the course, is the four-box method. Going forward, I could make use of this approach in the assessment of complex cases that call for effective ethical decision making.

It should be noted that we in the caring professions ought to develop proper understanding of the various legal provisions that govern our profession. This particular course was particularly instrumental in this regard. Most importantly, I got to familiarize myself with key concepts relating to strict liability and negligence – which are both important tort law components that are rather common in our profession. In being aware of the said components, I effectively reduce my chances of having my actions being subject to legal scrutiny – which could have a negative impact on my career, as well as the organization I serve.

There would be need to also make an observation to the effect that patients ought to be aware of both their rights as well as what they should expect from the care process. Sadly, in some scenarios, patients lack the said awareness. Thanks to the course, I got to learn of the various strategies that could be deployed in efforts to address the said lack of awareness about patient rights. One such approach is seeing to it that incoming patients are furnished with a resource that clearly outlines their rights and what they should expect in the course of their interactions with healthcare professionals.

In addition to the issues highlighted above, there are numerous other scenarios that play out in healthcare settings. One ought to be ready to appropriately handle concerns of any nature if, and when, they arise. For instance, I got to learn that when it comes to end-of-life decisions, there are a number of several crucial considerations that ought to be factored into the courses of action embraced so as to avoid conflicts (i.e. at the familial level). This is especially the case in relation to the relevance of advance directives and how the lack of the same could be addressed.

Conclusion

In the final analysis, it should be noted that there are still some key challenges in the medical profession that are yet to be fully addressed. Thanks to the course, I came to be familiar with some of the said challenges including, but not limited to; disparities that exist in healthcare in as far as access to care is concerned. The cost of care also remains rather high. Some of the strategies that have been proposed in the past to reign in these concerns have not been as effective. With the knowledge I acquired from the course about these interventions, i.e. Medicare and Medicaid, I am now capable of proposing a raft of other measures that could be deployed in efforts to rein in the challenges identified. This I could accomplish via the authorship of op-ed pieces, etc. One such solution, which the course helped me gain better grasp of, is universal healthcare.