The personal level of ethical challenges
8—ethical issuesethics is a term that can imply lofty, philosophical discussions, far removed everyday world. In reality, workers in the substance abuse treatment field ntly faced with ethical dilemmas on an individual as well as a societal is an intellectual approach to moral issues, a philosophical framework to critically evaluate the choices and actions people take to deal s aspects of daily living (ation of social workers [nasw], 1997). Because of the d emotional nature of the substance abuse treatment field, providers s the tools to explore ethical dilemmas objectively. Discusses the legal constraints, obligations, and options that provide ork within which ethical issues must be l issues for ethics of hiv/aidstaking the most ethical course of action becomes even more complex /aids is thrown into the mix of concerns that the client may /aids has its own unique ethical issues. Led to creating safeguards to protect these individuals mination in health care, employment, housing, and other on micro and ethical issues are both personal (micro) and societal (macro) in is an ongoing struggle between legislating morality for the "" and fighting to retain an individual's right to autonomy. It is e emotional nature of such concerns that takes an issue from al level to a societal e exchange programs (seps) are a good example of such ethical the secretary of the u. And drug counselors may find that their time is spent not g out client-level ethical dilemmas, but also dealing al-level dilemmas. This could involve advocating for legislation ts the rights of clients or adapting to the impacts of a policy further restrict a provider's ability to intervene effectively with ing personal and rdsalcohol and drug counselors must balance what is right for them what may be right based on professional standards. In either case, there is nt need to weigh what may "feel right" personally with the policies of the environment and s the most difficult dilemma occurs when there are conflicts clinicians's values and the client's behaviors. Perhaps this is issues can be so personal and there are no right or wrong answers of the case examples. N can be a starting point for ongoing discussions among those s with hiv in substance abuse treatment ethical principlesthe study of ethics has produced an abundance of writings, and many standards ples have been brought forth. However, there are five general provide a firm basis from which to explore the ethical concerns that in the substance abuse treatment and hiv/aids fields (kitchener, 1985). Counselors may find comfort level is being challenged as increasing numbers of s with hiv/aids comprise their caseloads. It also requires knowing when to ask for consultation with isor, so that personal issues do not stand in the way of working gh it may be difficult for a provider to treat everyone exactly , there are safeguards that agencies and providers can institute an equitable level of service. These sorts of help ensure a general level of fairness, regardless of a worker'mythe principle of autonomy assumes that individuals have the right to to live their own lives, as long as their actions do not interfere welfare of others.
In working with hiv-infected s, the substance abuse treatment counselor can play a key role ining if the client is competent to make his own decisions ishing whether or not the client has the information needed to make al issue of competence can be one of the most difficult ethical issues g with this population. This bias and personal values on the part of the substance abuse sional can cloud the issue. However, is the clinician's assumption that the client based on fact or on personal perceptions and attitudes about s? Advocates for risk reduction may claim that ence-based model actually prohibits recovery because it does not account that recovery is a process, rather than a rigid is one ethical dilemma that truly reflects the passionate nature al values and r example, on a micro level, is termination or transfer of clients. But it is the counselor'sibility to ensure that until the competency issue is resolved, have to represent the primary client and act according to the client'l issues in working with hiv-infected sthere are several specific ethical issues that predominate in the substance hiv/aids treatment fields that warrant more focused attention. These discussed below in a social and ethical context; further information on aspects of these issues is provided in chapter to treatthe duty to treat, from an ethical perspective, is especially relevant g with disenfranchised populations. Again, counselors must be aware of creating legal culpabilities when ethically or morally correct action in a duty-to-warn situation. The ethical nature of of dilemmas does not lend itself to an easy decision but requires -by-case analysis while looking at the long-term and uences of action (reamer,1991). It may also be necessary throughout the s to frequently check the client's comfort level and to ize the role and boundaries of the resourcesgiven the limited resources available, treatment providers may find ult to treat all the clients who seek treatment. Additionally, the influx of computerized data can dize the concept of protected is the ethical responsibility of the provider to be honest with the what data need to be reported to funding sources such as ies, and what information needs to be shared with other agencies duals. Step-by-step model for making onsall programs should have a consistent process for dealing with ethical gh ethical issues are usually complex enough to require a tion, agency practices should provide for a routine process ching an ethical issue. Given the ambiguous nature of ethical dilemmas, it is helpful y the process for resolving dilemmas, even if the resolution may case to 's ethical issues, hiv/aids, and social work ng manual (nasw, 1997) outlines. By practicing the following steps,Suggested by the nasw, the clinician can move to a more rational level fy the clinical issues. When an ethical , the provider should review the larger picture in her the client or system. For example, if it is against policy to accept a gift from , the clinician can avoid a personal rejection by referring policy.
If the client is hiv positive,There is an ethical need to educate him about protecting others. Clinician does not acknowledge the client's discomfort on al level, the education process will be limited and ian will miss the "larger picture. Confusion,Anxiety, or uncertainty about what to do next with the client tors that an ethical issue is at stake. Nts do not provide answers to every ethical dilemma, but they e parameters for what is allowed or disallowed by the profession. Legal es that operate as a social service to the community may ise regarding certain ethical dilemmas. Hstat)recent activityclearturn offturn onchapter 8—ethical issues - substance abuse treatment for persons with hiv/aidschapter 8—ethical issues - substance abuse treatment for persons with hiv/aidsyour browsing activity is ty recording is turned recording back onsee more... Despite the differences in ethical values, there is a growing common ground of what is considered good conduct and correct conduct with ethics. The question of ethics emerges in the public sector on account of its subordinate ons are based upon ethical principles, which are the perception of what the general public would view as correct. Ensuring the ethical behavior in the public sector requires a permanent reflection on the decisions taken and their impact from a moral point of view on citizens. Having such a distinction ensures that public administrators are not acting on an internal set of ethical principles without first questioning whether those principles would hold to public scrutiny. It also has placed an additional burden upon public administrators regarding the conduct of their personal lives. As such, this treatise is a springboard for ethical issues in modern-day douglas, a former united states senator from illinois, argues that while many may secretly follow machiavelli in their heart, most do not. Our government is now so huge and affects our lives so directly that we cannot be content with merely a moderately decent level of behavior on the part of our public officials. Machiavelli and douglas are distant in time, the two opposing viewpoints of the types of public administrators, and the ethical stance of the decisions they make, are very relevant today. In other words, if an ethical solution is more costly, a utilitarian will argue from a standpoint of efficiency or effectiveness to justify a less ethical logists: believe that certain absolute principles should be obeyed, regardless of the consequences.
However, public administrators are protected with due process rights as government employees, and ethical violations can be difficult to justify the removal of a person from an questions about how ethics should be addressed in government exist. According to cody and lynn, the debate centers on the extent to which one would like to detail ethical standards. If it would be viewed as a problem by the public, then the administrator should refrain from the action in honest person rule: unless there is an underlying honesty within people, a set of ethical rules is meaningless. This supporting argument for the general guidelines maintains that for ethical standards to be practical an individual must be ethically sound from the beginning. As cody and lynn point out, it is possible for a public official to act unethically, but not be personally dishonest. As a consequence, broadly defined ethical standards are difficult to assess regarding concerns of ethical violations. 6] this approach does not assist an employee in providing a standard for what is truly ethical high road, according to rohr, is the basis of decisions upon a pursuit for social equity, which is based upon political philosophy and humanistic finds problems with both the low road and high road approaches and bases his argument on regime values, or “the values of that political entity that was brought into being by the ratification of the constitution that created the present american republic” (1978, p. Values are normative for bureaucrats because they have taken an oath to uphold the regime; values can be discovered in the public law of the basic contention upon which rohr builds his argument is that rulings by the supreme court are sufficient measures upon which an ethical framework can be constructed. Rohr argues that this framework for ethical standards is strong because it relies upon a system of checks and balances in the judicial system and because it is built upon the interpretation of framers' intents of how and why government of ethical decision-making[edit]. While not revolutionary, his work has become a focal point around which ethical decision-making in the public sector are made. In the responsible administrator, he states that public administrators make decisions daily according to a distinctive four-level process. The four levels are:The expressive level: at this stage, a person responds to a situation with "spontaneous, reflective expressions of emotion ... Level of moral rules: this is the first level at which we begin to question actions and begin to look for alternatives and consequences. The responses at this level are often built upon "moral rules we acquire through the socialization process from our families, religious affiliations, education and personal experiences. Decisions on how to handle the situation are then whittled down based on what we feel is the most appropriate action within our own personal moral bank.
Level of ethical analysis: there are times when a personal moral code will seem inadequate for the situation, or that the alternatives and consequences do not feel right. When this occurs, a person has entered this level and begins to examine their ethical principles, or "statements concerning the conduct or state of being that is required for the fulfillment of a value; it explicitly links a value with a general mode of action". 7] particularly, at this level, one begins to reexamine their personal values, and may eventually disagree with actions to such an extent that they will become "whistleblowers. Post-ethical level: at this level, questions arise about one's view of the world and human nature, how we know anything to be true, and the meaning of life. Here there is a philosophical examination as to why ethical standards are important and relevant to the individual. Levels are progressive and as an individual begins to move from level to the next, they will begin to question increasingly more the fundamental assumptions upon which the decision-making process is built. It is important to understand the level of thinking upon which a decision is made to ensure that a decision has been tested for strength and a public sense of 's decision-making model[edit]. Additionally, an administrator should attempt to describe questionable situations void of personal feelings (moving beyond the expressive level). The ethical issue: often the most misinterpreted step, with defining the ethical issue, an administrator is not charged with defining the problem. Instead, there is an examination of what is the underlying ethical value that is being addressed. Often, there is a decision made because of a problem, without examination of the ethical issue. This is damaging to the process of decision-making because it harms one's ethical analysis skills and ethical identity. This is true because situations can differ, and practical decision-making may lead to inconsistencies without an ethical base (1990, p. Alternative courses of action: using a rationalistic approach, an administrator, with as complete knowledge of the situation as possible and an assessment of the ethical issue at hand, identifies all the plausible courses of action in response to the situation. Here, an administrator assesses alternatives and their moral values under the light of the level of ethical analysis - deciding how the hierarchy of moral rules is structured and ultimately influencing the final patory self-appraisal: simply put, this analysis of alternatives requires an internal reflection of whether an administrator feels that an alternative fits within what he or she perceives to be their own personality.
This is an examination of whether an alternative will meet our need to feel satisfied with the following cooper's model of ethical decision-making, a public administrator is able to create a more concrete process by which to assess individual steps that were taken in reaching a decision. This ensures that at each point, an effort was made by the administrator to uphold ethical principles and that fairness and equality were the standard. 6] in other words, those officials who are influencing decisions are taking on the role of those elected by the public without a responsibility of having to answer to the public for decisions r, because there can be large political obstacles, it can be difficult for an administrator to overcome ethical concerns within an organization. Sometimes, the culture of an organization is unethical, at which time, it would be useless to bring up ethical concerns within the organization. The problem for whistleblowing on all levels of government (federal, state, and local) is that there are very few protections for these individuals. A public official may be a strong steward of public funds, but may have personal financial issues (i. Disclosure of finances is particularly important, ethically, for the public to decide an official’s ability to properly manage public funds and to assess an individual’s potential for giving into politically charged financial pressure. Opposing viewpoints to this argue that public officials should not have to disclose financial information because they are sometimes linked to personal contacts that prefer to remain anonymous. Of impropriety: officials should make public any possible conflicts of interest prior to their actions, in order to avoid public scrutiny when making decisions that could be construed in favor of a personal l climate in the public sector[edit]. Climate in the public sector refers to the psychological conditions present in the public sector workplace and how those conditions influence a public sector employees ethical decision making. It is theorized that understanding the ethical climate in which one works explains ones decisions making and can differentiate between and explain why one would make ethical or unethical choices. A study was done examining the ethical climate in the sector through analyzing surveys in which public sector employees responded to a variety of different scenarios where ethical decision making came into play. The researchers looked for correlations between ethical climate environments and the responses to this survey and found that certain ethical climates were linked to positive ethical decision making and some were linked to worse ethical decision making, supporting the researchers thesis. Ethical climate type, self-efficacy, and capacity to deliver ethical outcomes in public sector human resource management". A non-profit to privacy: ethical challenges to the information ment of information sity of pretoria.
The issues discussed are the concept privacy,He influence of technology on the processing of personal and private information,The relevance of this influence for the information profession, and ons to these ethical issues for the information are currently living in the so-called which can be described as an era were economic activities are ation based (an age of informationalization). Paradigm shift brings new ethical and ms which are mainly related to issues such as the right of information, the right of privacy which is threatened by the the free flow of information, and the protection of the economic the owners of intellectual this paper the ethical questions related to to privacy of the individual which is threatened by the use of be discussed. Specific attention will be given to the challenges l problems pose to the information professional. A number of ines, based on ethical norms will be laid ethical actions of a person can be general terms as those actions which are performed within the what is regarded as good. Privacy charter containing 18 privacy principles which describe the a citizen concerning personal privacy as effected by handling of the state (collier, 1994, p. The organization for economic nation and development (oecd) also accepted in 1980 the the protection of privacy and transborder flow of personal data (collier,Privacy is an important right because it is a ion for other rights such as freedom and personal autonomy. A government also has to gather private and personal information from its citizens aim of ensuring order and harmony in society (ware, 1993:205). The fact that expressed by means of information, implies that it is possible to ent categories of privacy namely, private communications, relates to the privacy of a person's body, other personal information,And information with regard to a person's possessions. Personal to those categories of information which refer to only that , for example bibliographic (name, address) and financial type of information is of relevance to all categories of information. According to this a have control over the information which relates to personal certain instances. For example, a personal n two persons will be regarded as private as long as there is sed will to keep it private. The confidential treatment of not only applicable to the above-mentioned four categories of personal information - it may refer to any category of information,Such as, inter alia, trade secrets. Definition of information the influence of the use of technology processing of personal and private information can be dealt with, important to briefly pay attention to the concept technology. The ethical implications for the use of the processing of gh technology has a major impact on the gathering,Storage, retrieval and dissemination of information its main ethical s to accessibility/inaccessibility and the manipulation of creates the possibility of wider as well as simultaneous access to implication, it becomes easier to access a person's private more people. On the other hand, a person can be excluded from ation in electronic format by means of a variety of security technological manipulation of information refers,Among others, to the integration of information (merging of documents),The repackaging thereof (translations and the integration of textual cal formats) and the possible altering of information (changing raphic images) by electronic use of technology in the processing of therefore not be seen as ethically neutral.
3) however on the other hand, tly that the ethical problems that are caused by the use of not imply - as he puts it - "... These areas include,Inter alia the following: the electronic monitoring of people in the relates to personal information as discussed earlier. 655), however,In the discussion of this practice, clearly points out the ethical ning to the use of these technologies. The interception and reading of e-mail poses an ethical problem which relates to the private an individual. By this is meant the integration of personal information from y of databases into one central database. Closely related to the merging of files is sing use of buying cards ("frequent-shopper cards") by retail such a card a computer chip is buried that records every item with a variety of personal information of the buyer (branscomb, 1995,P. This information obtained from the card enables marketing do targeted marketing to specific individuals because the buying well as other personal information of people are known. This coincides with the shift in ethical values and the the cyberpunk culture with the motto of "information wants to be free". The development of software that makes the digital information (which can be private information) virtually poses serious legal as well as ethical questions because it can als. The individual and socio-economical use of technology for the processing of other forms of private information has far reaching effects on following effects can be distinguished: on the individual level: the effect on the be summarized as a loss of dignity and spontaneity, as well as a freedom and the right to privacy. A survey that was conducted in 1990 by equifax ( the three biggest credit bureau companies in the usa) on the use logy and the threat to the privacy of people, found that 79% of dents indicated that they were weary of the use of technology processing of their personal information (frocht & thomas, 1994, on the economic and social levels the biggest the growth of large information businesses like credit bureau and ies that specialize in the processing and trade of ation. This brings about a redefinition of the role of society (sses) in the personal and private lives of the individual (the personal information as a commodity). The relevance for the information above-mentioned has implications for the sional on at least three levels. The main ethical the handling and processing of these different categories of personal information the information professional is confronted following ethical issues: deciding which categories of personal and private information ation professional is entitled to gather. 1985), the main ms in this regard (with specific reference to online searching) follows: can personal details, obtained from the reference interview,Be used for purposes other than for that which it was specifically gathered,Is it ethically correct to re-use a search strategy formulated for for anther user?
This issue is of specific cases where an information professional is working with personal can have a direct influence on the life of a person. This ethical problem relates to the ons and boils down to the question of consent of the user in the use of personal information. User have the right to verify any personal and private information being held by an information professional, and if so, what are 's rights regarding the correcting (in cases of the f) of this information, and, does the person have the right to is using that personal and private information and for what purposes? Applicable ethical able ethical norms which can act as guidelines as well as measurement must be formulated to address these ethical issues. Truth as an ethical norm has a dual ethical y, it serves as norm for the factual correctness of a norm it thus guides the information professional regarding the factually correct handling of private information. Ethical guidelines for the information on these norms, practical guidelines for ation professional can be formulated. Before the formulation of ines, two fundamental aspects must be taken into consideration, recognition of a persons' autonomy and freedom as well as the the legal guidelines on privacy do not offer a complete the ethical actions of the information professional with regard handling of personal and private concepts of autonomy and freedom has dealt with. Firstly, once a person's private or personal been made known publicly (disclaim of the implied intention) such no longer, according to the law, viewed as private. There ore (from a juridical perspective) no ethical sensitivity for my and freedom of the individual with regard to his right to second remark relates to the content of legislation itself. As indicated,The immense growth in and development of information technology give the fact that the legislators fall behind in the tabling of ation on the protection of personal privacy. As an acknowledgment of the autonomy and the individual the information professional must act on the the client regards as confidential all personal and private is handled by the information professional. This implies that ation professional acknowledges the right of the client to a certain extent any personal and private information8. The client must, on a regular basis have all private and personal information that is held and used by the sional. The merging of personal and other private an individual into a different database than the one for which it ally collected must be done with the necessary caution (schattuck,1995, p. The information professional must notify the itly of the intended purposes9 of the use personal and private information.
Personal and other private information that longer necessary for the function for which it was collected must yed (branscomb, 1995, p. When the rendering of a specific service or a person is refused on the grounds of personal information (e. A private policy must be formulated the following elements: the categories of information that must be private and personal, the levels of confidentiality (e. This is of specific the information professional who deals with private and personal cal guidelines in the handling of these problems can be ing to the norms of freedom, truth and human , p. London: pitman homeabout ojinfaqsauthor guidelinesfeatured authorseditorial staff boardcontact ussite 's newnew postingsjournal recognitionojin newsjournal topicsback to class: perspectives on school nursinghealthcare reform: nurses impact policyemerging global health concerns: how nurses respondelimination of barriers to rn scope of practice: opportunities and challengesorganizational outcomes for providers and patientsthe patient experiencecare coordinationcornerstone documents in healthcareemotional health: strategies for nursesmore... Periodicalsojincolumnsethicsethical : ethical challenges in the care of elderly ludwick, phd, rn, cipriano silva, phd, rn, ds: aged, aging, elderly, ethics, code of l issues are central to any discussion or reflection on aging and health care. The authors of the ojin topic, health care and the aging population: what are today's challenges? Imbedded in these topics are ethical issues that are relevant to nursing and/or health care. Thus, the focus of this column is to examine select ethical issues in these five articles on frame our discussion, we will use the provisions of the 2001 american nurses association (ana) code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements (referred hereafter as the code). The code represents the nursing profession’s public declaration of ethical duties and obligations and, as such, it serves as a basis for any discussion of ethics that involves nurses. We begin the column with an overview of some of the ethical issues that are explicitly and implicitly discussed in each of the five articles and then examine how the ana code can inform and guide us with the ethical issues ew of articles on ethical article by bennett and flaherty-robb (2003) paints a broad picture of four issues affecting the health of older persons: lack of resources; scarcity of providers; financial barriers; and cultural barriers and biases. While there are many ethical problems that can be discussed within the context of these four issues, cultural biases stand out because nurses can personally examine these biases and change them in our daily practice. At first glance one may not consider the individual ethical implications imbedded in this topic. The article authors, however, point out the ethical duty nurses have to educate the public and at the same time keep themselves knowledgeable about long-term care. While the educational process may have fallen short, are nurses keeping up with the gerontological and ethical literature as it applies to the areas of nursing in which they work?
S (2003) article outlines the issues related to care of frail elders in acute- and long-term care, examines subsequent challenges, and then suggests some innovative answers to their care. In our professional or personal lives, have we found family members or other health care workers who persuaded us to prolong or start a treatment when it was expressly against the wishes of the dying person? Regarding this article, ethical questions can be raised about individual client responsibility and preference about lifestyle choices, but the ethical questions for nurses may not seem as apparent. As you, the reader, reflect on the articles both individually and collectively, we hope you are challenged to think of the ethical issues that connect these articles. Now let us examine how the code can be used for direction in reflection and nine provisions of the code are rich in detail and broad enough to encompass the ethical issues discussed above. Each provision of the code can be used to guide our ethical reflection as we care for the aged, no matter where we work or what our practice level is. One’s own beliefs and values, and one’s subsequent biases, is essential in examination of ethical issues. Let’s take an example of one bias and examine how it can impact our ethical view. Specifically the code states, "the nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems" (ana, 2001, p. While age is not specifically mentioned as an attribute, it is implied and thus this principle can give us guidance on issues dealing with older principle of respect for persons, as cited in provision 1 of the code (2001), seems easy to understand at an intuitive level. Thus, ethical issues may result around truth-telling and/or informed consent, and it is vital for each of us to examine our biases and stereotypes. Staying current in one’s profession is an ethical duty to the constituency the profession serves. The code states, "the nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth" (ana, 2001, p. Although when united nurses can influence and set policy related to end-of-life issues, the majority of nurses examine end-of-life issues at the personal level. At a practice level, however, it is not uncommon for nurses to voice such biases as, "the elderly have made lifestyle choices; i am not going to change their views," and "if you live to be 80, you deserve to be able to do what you want.
To learn more about health promotion, visit the following sites and think about the ethical context:Put prevention into practice (ppip) agency for healthcare research and quality /clinic/ summary, a short review of each article in the topic, health care and aging population: what are the challenges? The code (2001) was used to examine the nurse’s ethical duties to the elderly regarding cultural barriers, education, respecting end-of-life wishes, and lifestyle choices and ludwick, phd, rn, c. All rights an nurses association - 8515 georgia avenue - suite 400 - silver spring, md : 1091-3734 | 1-800-274-4ana | copyright policy | privacy : email: to: email: subject: message:Ana homeabout ojinfaqsauthor guidelinesfeatured authorseditorial staff boardcontact ussite 's newnew postingsjournal recognitionojin newsjournal topicsback to class: perspectives on school nursinghealthcare reform: nurses impact policyemerging global health concerns: how nurses respondelimination of barriers to rn scope of practice: opportunities and challengesorganizational outcomes for providers and patientsthe patient experiencecare coordinationcornerstone documents in healthcareemotional health: strategies for nursesmore...