Ethics in the Healthcare Setting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics in the Healthcare Setting - Essay Example Mr. Robinson is not wrong in administering the medication because the real intent of administering the medication is to relieve patient from immense pain, even though he is known to the fact that the medicine might speed the death of the patient. Patients believe death or assisted suicide is a treatment for controlling the symptom of pain, but health care professional do not need to perceive assisted suicide as an alternative, rather they can treat the health conditions experienced by patients through different ways (Abrahm, 2000, p.325). American Nurses Association states that nurses should look for ways to help relax the symptoms experienced by patients before death such as extreme pain although these methods of relieving can result in hastening of the death process of a patient. Therefore, Dr. Robinson should exercise the administration of the drug on Mr. Mills to help relax his pain even if his life has a threat to become shorter due to this activity (ANA, 1985, p.4). According to Judith Schwarz, health care practitioners such as physicians and nurses may take advantage of the double effect reasoning to save themselves from legal issues. Schwarz even stated that the use of morphine might be conducted with intention of assisting patients in suicide but during inquiry, practitioners state that they used the medicine with the intention of decreasing pain and not with the intention of assisting patients in committing suicide (Schwarz, 2007). According to the consequentialism, the most important aspect of any decision is the outcome of that decision (Duncan, 2010, p.46) . The theory further states that while conducting an act, an individual should have the intention of maximizing those outcomes that are morally important. For example if the aim of conducting an act is to maximize happiness, the use of morphine drug is correct, this is because the drug with maximize