Principles of Ethical Practice of Public Health

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Principles of Ethical Practice of Public Health

The modern health care sector is characterized by the increased level of attention given to patients and the conditions of the delivery of care. The evolution of the humanistic approach preconditioned the reconsideration of principles according to which this sphere functions and introduced new values that should be respected. For this reason, at the moment, the healthcare sector passes through the stage of the implementation of new ethical considerations that could help to improve relations between patients and specialists. Thus, there are twelve basic principles of the ethical practice of the public health which have an extreme importance nowadays.

The first one states that public health should prevent adverse outcomes and address the fundamental requirements for health (Public Health Leadership Society, 2002). It means that all peculiarities of any case should be minded when working with a certain individual. For instance, when a patient suffering from pain comes to a hospital, he/she should be provided with the medical care needed to determine the source and causes for this very pain. He/she should be examined and suggested a treatment plan needed for the complete recovery.

The second principle proclaims that the rights of individuals who belong to a certain community should be respected. In other words, trying to improve the state of the health of this very community, public health should not discriminate representatives of any social group who belong to this very community. For instance, poor people might suffer from different chronic or infectious diseases that will have the negative impact on the functioning of this very community and increase the risk of the new cases of a disease. However, these people should not be isolated. On the contrary, they should be provided with care to improve their and communitys state.

The next principle introduces the idea that community members should be provided with an opportunity to participate in numerous activities which are suggested by health policies, programs, and other institutions. It is needed to increase the efficiency of these very events and guarantee their positive impact on the functioning of this very community. For instance, in case the local hospital admits the necessity of vaccination to prevent the spread of a certain disease, it is crucial to gather support from people living in the region as they should recognize the great importance of the given practice and involve in the process.

It has already been stated that the healthcare should be provided to any member of a community, no matter what his/her social status is. The same goes for disenfranchised people. They should also be assisted and ensured that in case they fall ill all needed care will be delivered to them. There are numerous cases when the representatives of other states need urgent medical aid and the local health care organization is obliged to help them and guarantee their complete recovery.

Besides, promotion of health is the main task of public health. For this reason, the next principle states that the constant search for the new information needed to increase the efficiency of the care delivery is crucial (Weed & McKeown, 2003). It will help to introduce new policies and save lives. For instance, progress helps to improve the quality of peoples life. That is why the modern practice of the monitoring of the communitys health helps to determine a disease on its early stage and prevent its spread. It results from this very principle.

Public health institutions are not able to make significant decisions on their own as they should obtain the communitys consent (Weed & McKeown, 2003). Besides, to make it informed, they should provide the information that is needed for these decisions. It is another important principle. For instance, if the situation is complex and a certain disease threatens a community, a public health institution has to accept an appropriate course of actions to improve the current environment. These actions might be unpopular; however, people should be explained the necessity of these actions implementation to agree or disagree.

The seventh principle proclaims that health institutions should act in a timely manner on the information they have within the resources and the mandate given to them by the public (Public Health Leadership Society, 2002, p. 4) which means that all their actions should be performed at the most important period of time. In other words, in case there is the information about the existing threat to a community, it should not be hidden. People should be informed about the current situation.

Therefore, one should also realize the fact that any community is not homogeneous. There are bearers of diverse values, beliefs, and representatives of different cultures. In this regard, another principle states that public health programs should respect these aspects (Thomas, 2004). For instance, Moslems have another mentality and food habits. However, their needs should also be respected when creating a certain policy aimed at the improvement of the state of communitys health.

Additionally, public health programs should enhance both physical and social environment. It means that there is no need in the course of actions appropriate for other regions when the peculiarities of the given one are not considered. For instance, if a certain community is characterized by a great number of people suffering from diabetes, who also have the low level of incomes, the program aimed at the improvement of its state should take these facts into account.

The next principle states that confidentiality of information is a crucial component of the functioning of the healthcare sector. If a patient does not want to share the information, he/she should be assisted in it. However, some exceptions should be justified. If an individual suffers from an extremely infectious disease, his/her state could not be hidden as it poses a great threat to a communitys well-being (Thomas, 2004).

According to these very principles, only skilled professionals are allowed to work in this very sphere. It is quite obvious that only qualified specialists know how to help patients recover. It means that in case the competence suffers, an employee is not permitted to work.

Finally, public health institutions and their employees should collaborate with public and other institutions to increase their efficiency and contribute to better outcomes. For instance, a hospital working in a certain community could also work with another hospital to help certain patients and improve the quality of their lives.

Altogether, the given principles are introduced to improve the functioning of the health care sector, its image, and efficiency. The adherence to them will contribute to the increased understanding between health workers and representatives of local communities, which, in its turn, will also help to achieve the most important goals and create the basis for the further improvement of the functioning of the given sector.

References

Public Health Leadership Society. (2002). Principles of the ethical practice of public health. Web.

Thomas, J. (2004). Skills for the ethical practice of public health. Web.

Weed, D. L., & McKeown, R. E. (2003). Science, ethics, and professional public health practice. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 57(1), 4-5. Web.

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