Professional, Ethical, and Legal Issues in Healthcare Essay

Professional, Ethical, and Legal Issues in Healthcare - Essay Example A nurse who is a friend to the mother of the family suffering from cancer finds herself in a difficult situation in trying to be loyal to the mother, to the two sons in the family and to her profession. Having been a good mother, she chooses not to disclose her medical condition to her sons so as to avoid negatively affecting them psychologically. The ethical dilemma that the nurse finds herself in by not disclosing this information will be put in focus. Introduction There are principles that form the foundation of the ethical codes guiding the professional practice in healthcare. These are the foundations of moral theory in healthcare profession with code of ethics that call for honesty, integrity and responsibility. As such, these ethical codes that have been developed for healthcare professionals provide guidance in their practice. These would normally be created in response to anticipated or actual ethical conflicts (Schweitzer 2010). They are usually difficult to comprehend and only make sense when applied in real life in cases of ethical ambiguity. The contents in these codes vary with the risk involved in a specific profession. For example, in psychology, the code of ethics would define in greater depth the relationship with the client due to the high degree of personal relationship a psychologist would have with the client. On the other hand, there would be minimal interaction between a laboratory technician and a patient; hence the relev ant code of ethics would be more on the need for accuracy and reliability in their tests. White defines bioethics as the application of the general principles of ethics in healthcare (2005). Indeed, all the areas in health care, including staff utilization, clients’ direct care and finance allocation are bound by ethics. Ethics would raise a question but would not provide an easy answer. Among the reasons that make ethics important in the modern world include advancement in technology, changing society and more knowledgeable clients. There are three main groups in healthcare affected by ethics, namely; the providers, patient and family. They would normally have different perspectives on how they would like issues handled. This becomes more complicated when bioethics, physician theories and societal stake are considered (Warren 2011). Just like other practitioners in healthcare, nurses uphold each principle in their routine practice. However, there are times when these principles conflict calling for the nurses’ ethical decision making in choosing which of th e principles becomes priority to be upheld at that moment. In such cases of ethical dilemma, there is no ‘right’ solution. Fant defines ethical dilemma as a problem that does not have a satisfactory resolution (2012). Thus, different ethical choices on an ethical dilemma could be made, but this does not justify any choice as being ‘wrong’ or ‘right.’ The definition of ethics varies from one nurse to another and would normally be shaped by experience, values and beliefs of an individual nurse. The code of ethics with respect to the

Global englishes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Global englishes - Essay Example Starting with the British Isles’ invasion by the German tribes of the Jutes, the Saxons, and the Angles, the English language has come a long way. English has undergone numerous transformations since its creation to date. Various historical events have played a role in its transformation that include but are not limited to Britain’s Christianization in the year 597, the Invasions of the Viking, the Conquest of the Norman, Bible’s translation, William Caxton’s introduction of the printing press, the Renaissance, and the British Empire’s expansion (Wilton, 2001). All of these events have helped English language be what it is today. English language also derives its popularity and power from the advancement of science and technology in general, and the emergence of the US as the world power. Given the popularity of the English language and its significance in the contemporary age, this paper makes forecasts about the future of the global Englishes disc ussing different aspects like the growing influence of the English language and its tendency to take over regional languages. ... of us can guess what the English language will be like in a hundred years time [and that] the history of the language in the coming century will depend on the history of the community itself† (Barber, 1993, p. 276). While Barber is right, English’s status today and the surfacing of the variety of Englishes all over the world have caused people to predict the future of this language. Changes in the English language’s status are influential upon a large population of the world in general and its linguistic choices in particular. Considering the profile of spread of English in the past, it can be estimated that English language would spread even more in the future than it has so far. Mori Arinori, in the 19th century, proposed to replace the Japanese language with another language that is stronger and better like French and English. He emphasized on the need to adopt one of these languages in these words: â€Å"The march of civilization in Japan has already reached the heart of the nation – the English language following it suppresses the use of both Chinese and Japanese. The commercial power of the English-speaking race which now rules the world drives our people into some knowledge of their commercial ways and habits. The absolute necessity of mastering the English language is thus forced upon us. It is a requisite of our independence in the community of nations. Under the circumstances, our meager language, which can never be of any use outside of our islands, is doomed to yield to the domination of the English tongue, especially when the power of steam and electricity shall have pervaded the land† (Mori cited in Kachru, 1992, p. 5). English cannot Extinguish Other National Languages Although English has attained the status of an international language, and is