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Ethical and Medico Legal Issues

Ethics of medicine

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13 views3 pages

Ethical and Medico Legal Issues

Ethics of medicine

Uploaded by

deaththeos954
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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COURSE CODE: NSG 502

COURSE TITLE: ADVANCED COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING

GROUP MEMBERS
1) Adebakin Zainab K. BMS/18/19/0014
2) Adegoke Adewale S. BMS18/19/0036
3) Adejare Suliyat A. BMS/18/19/0038
4) Adekanmi Kehinde O. BMS/18/19/0039
5) Adekunle Rahmat A. BMS/18/19/0041

ETHICAL AND MEDICO- LEGAL ISSUES IN ELDERLY

DEFINITION OF ETHICAL AND MEDICOLEGAL ISSUES

ETHICAL ISSUES
Ethical issues pertain to questions of what is right or wrong, moral or immoral, and
involve considerations of values, principles, and beliefs. They are typically subjective
in nature and can vary among individuals and cultures. Ethical issues often involve
dilemmas where conflicting values or principles are in play. In the context of
healthcare, for example, ethical issues may involve questions such as whether it is
ethically permissible to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment, how to respect
patient autonomy, or what constitutes ethical behavior in research involving human
subjects. These issues are not always legally mandated but are essential for making
morally sound decisions and maintaining trust and integrity.

MEDICOLEGAL ISSUES
Medicolegal, a compound term, refers to the intersection of medical and legal
matters. It encompasses situations, issues, or aspects that involve both medical and
legal considerations. Medicolegal matters often arise in the context of healthcare,
forensic medicine, and legal proceedings. These can include cases of injury,
malpractice, negligence, or criminal investigations where medical expertise and
evidence are crucial in legal decision-making.

Ethical and Medicolegal issues related to the elderly are of growing concern as aging
populations become more prevalent worldwide. Here are some key ethical and
medicolegal issues of the elderly:

1) End-of-Life Decisions: Ethical dilemmas arise when it comes to decisions about


end-of-life care, including do-not-resuscitate orders, living wills, and the withdrawal
or withholding of life-sustaining treatments.

2) Elder Abuse and Neglect: Identifying, preventing, and addressing elder abuse,
whether it be physical, emotional, financial, or neglect, is both an ethical and legal
concern.

3) Autonomy and Informed Consent: Respecting the autonomy of elderly


individuals in healthcare decisions and ensuring they provide informed consent for
medical procedures and treatments.

4) Guardianship and Capacity Assessments: The ethical and legal issues


surrounding guardianship and capacity assessments for elderly individuals with
cognitive impairments or mental illnesses.

5) Access to Healthcare: Addressing disparities in healthcare access, particularly for


vulnerable elderly populations, can raise ethical questions about equitable healthcare
provision.

6) Aging in Place vs. Institutional Care: Ethical considerations in determining


whether elderly individuals should remain in their homes (aging in place) or move to
institutional care facilities, such as nursing homes.

7) Palliative and Hospice Care: Ensuring that elderly individuals have access to
high-quality palliative and hospice care and addressing the ethical dilemmas
surrounding pain management and end-of-life care.

8) Mental Health and Dementia: The ethical and legal challenges associated with
the diagnosis, treatment, and care of elderly individuals with dementia and other
mental health conditions.

9) Allocation of Scarce Resources: Ethical dilemmas arise when allocating limited


healthcare resources to elderly individuals, especially during times of crisis or
pandemics.

10) Advance Directives and Surrogate Decision-Making: Ethical questions


concerning the use of advance directives, durable powers of attorney, and surrogate
decision-makers for elderly individuals who cannot make decisions for themselves.

11) Cultural and Religious Considerations: Ethical and legal issues related to
respecting the cultural and religious beliefs and practices of elderly individuals in
healthcare decisions.

12) Mandatory Reporting of Elder Abuse: Legal obligations and ethical


considerations for healthcare professionals, caregivers, and others to report suspected
cases of elder abuse.

13) Privacy and Data Security: Ensuring the privacy and security of personal and
health information for elderly individuals, particularly in the context of electronic
health records and telemedicine.

14) Financial Exploitation and Scams: The ethical concerns related to the financial
exploitation of the elderly and legal actions against those who engage in scams
targeting seniors.

15) Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: The ethical debate surrounding euthanasia and
assisted suicide for elderly individuals with terminal illnesses or unbearable suffering.

16) Social Isolation and Loneliness: Ethical issues associated with addressing social
isolation and loneliness among the elderly and the obligation to provide social
support.

17) Age Discrimination: Ethical and legal concerns about age-based discrimination,
particularly in employment, healthcare access, and housing.

18) Economic Security and Poverty: The ethical imperative to address economic
insecurity and poverty among elderly individuals, particularly in terms of social safety
nets and pension systems.

19) Long-Term Care Financing: Ethical dilemmas and legal considerations


regarding how long-term care is financed, including through public programs and
private insurance.

20) Elder Rights and Advocacy: Advocacy for the rights of the elderly and ensuring
that their voices and preferences are heard and respected.

21) Advance Directives and Living Wills: Ensuring that the elderly individual's wishes
regarding medical treatment are legally documented and followed, as outlined in
advance directives and living wills.
The ethics of medicine is based on four principles: autonomy, beneficence,
nonmaleficence, and justice, which are geared toward maximizing benefits over harm
and doing the greatest good for the greatest number.

Autonomy refers to one's right to control one's destiny, that is, to exert one's will.
Obviously, there are limits to how freely such control can be expressed, but for
geriatric purposes the principal issue revolves around whether the patient is able to
assess the situation and make a rational decision independently.
This raises the second concept, beneficence, which refers to the duty to do good for
others, to help them directly, and to avoid harm.
Nonmaleficence involves doing no harm and avoiding negligence that leads to harm.
Lastly, Justice focuses on fairness in the treatment of others

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