Elmer Alexandrew V.
Balan Health Care Ethics BSN 2A
Activity #1
As a health care provider, why is it important to understand the beliefs of the patient? Cite an example.
- Cultural respect means understanding the values and beliefs of a population in order to respond to and meet
the needs of diverse patients. Cultural respect should influence how healthcare organizations build care
frameworks, conduct and analyze research, engage populations, and build trusting patient-provider
relationships. An example of respecting and understanding the belief of a patient is when you are assessing a
patient in a tribe about what are the medications, he/she did before consult to the clinic. He/she said that he
boiled the leaves of a certain plant and drank it because in their tribe it is believed to help in a certain medical
condition. You cannot say that it is wrong or not effective because of what they believe in. As a healthcare
provider, when you respect culture, you are acknowledging that patients are capable of making the best
healthcare choices for themselves and their families. Not all people have the same preferences in life and
understanding them is one way to initiate a rapport to them making healthcare delivery become smooth and
successful.
Activity #1
If the member of the family asked you to lie regarding the patient’s condition because he/she doesn’t want the
patient to be more depressed, are you going to keep the truth from the patient? Why?
- I will not lie. As a professional healthcare provider sooner or later, honesty is one way of being faithful and
loyal to my solemn profession. I will not lie to the patient that I know the truth about what will happen to
him/her but will state to him/her that I should not be the one to tell it. Health professionals are expected to
always tell the truth to their patients simply because it is the right thing to do. If we lie to the patient, we have
already disrespected him/her as a person who is able to make a decision. The provision of truthful information
to patients is one way to enable them to make correct decisions which benefit their overall health. Without
knowledge of the truth, it would be uncertain whether patients can make informed decisions and would lead to
failure of health professionals to respect them as autonomous individuals.
Activity #1
You are a patient and are concerned that you may become too sick to speak for yourself. You are uneasy about
who will make medical decisions on your behalf, and whether your wishes will be followed. You wonder, "What
if they disagree about what I would want, or what would be best for me?" What would you do?
- Risk is a part of every choice. The threat of failure looms around every corner. If you’re not careful, these
hazards can stop you. You can get stuck before you start, not knowing what to do. The key is confidence.
Confidence to voice out what is going on inside your head to a person that will surely understand what are you
feeling. I will try my best to communicate with my doctor or my attending nurse to voice out my concerns
regarding about what will happen to myself in my future. The reason you don’t know what to do is you haven’t
learned how to act. Once you start getting things done, the doing isn’t as hard as it once was. In fact, it becomes
habitual. You may even enjoy it. By voicing out my concerns to my doctor and attending nurse, they can advise
me on what to do and also consider my preferences on the decisions for myself in the future.
Activity #1
Why do you think documentation is important?
- Documentation is defined as written evidence of interactions between and among health professionals, clients,
families, and health care organizations. Documentation is also a concrete proof of administration of tests,
procedures, treatments, and client education. It also records the results or client's response to the diagnostic
tests and interventions done by the healthcare provider. Documentation provides efficient and effective method
of sharing information so that an effective healthcare will be delivered to the patient. If there is an anomaly in
the healthcare delivery system, documentation can be as admissible as evidence in a court of law. It can also
provide valuable health-related data for research and statistical information that can be utilized for planning
people's needs. Documentation can be also used as an educational tool for students in health discipline.
Activity #2
Why do you think there is a need to document all aspects of the care provided to our clients?
- We need to document all aspects of the care provided to our clients because appropriate documentation
provides essential clinical communication between the client and the healthcare team. Documentation serves as
a reflection of all the nursing assessment and interventions done to the patient. It also serves as a basis of
changes in clinical state, care provided and pertinent patient information to help them improve and deliver great
care. Appropriate documentation gives the patient the essence of being protected because it promotes patient
safety and quality care. an accurate medical record keeping can help ensure that your patients get the right care
at the right time. Also, documenting all of the aspects in the healthcare helps ensure consent and expectations.
It helps to tell the narrative for decisions made, and how yourself or the client responded to different situations.
Learning Activity
Write your opinion about the medical use of Marijuana in the Philippines and why it should or should not be
legalized?
- Marijuana, Kush, damo, cannabis, or maryjane as some termed in the streets, commercially grows wild in warm
and tropical areas. It is considered an illegal drug because of its adverse effects to human body especially in the
brain once consumed but, it has a variety of medicinal properties and I think government should legalize it with
restrictions. Medical Marijuana can help prevent cancer. Cancer is a condition of uncontrolled cell division.
Marijuana counters it by its medical and recreational properties that trigger cell death and prevent the cells
from dividing. Since cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, government and agencies involved
in Marijuana problem should consider its health effects. They can legalize it but for medicinal purposes only. It
should not be sold commercially and it should only be prescribed to people with cancer as a second opinion of
treatment. To doctors or hospitals that will violate the restrictions, their license to operate will be removed from
them and they cannot operate anymore.
