Childhood Cancer Ethical Issues

Values and Ethics The NASW (2010) and the Texas Department of State Health Services provide a foundation on how social workers interacts with clients, colleagues, practice setting, and their environment. This code of ethics and Code of Conduct provide to the social workers with ethical responsibilities and values in practice setting. By analyzing this ethical responsibilities and values in practice setting it is easy to identify the ethical responsibilities I am currently using. The Texas Department of State Health Services [TDSHS] has a Code of Conducts for social workers that provides a standards of behaviors need to follow as to stay professional and avoid damaging clients’ lives and self. For example, The NASW (2010) describes an ethical principle to practice setting in which 3.07 Administration is describes has advocating for adequate services for clients to

In some cultures, family members make treatment decisions on behalf of their loved-ones. Provided the patient consents to this arrangement and is assured that any questions about his/her medical care will be answered, the physician may seek consent from a family member in lieu of the patient.”

Individuals have the right to a choice, to determine what will and will not be done to their body, including accepting or refusing medical treatment (Taylor, 2010, p. 148). However, one cannot make these types of decisions until they are 18-years-old. This provision explains that patients should be involved in their own plan of care if they are competent and choose to participate. In this case, C.C. refuses to participate and since she is a minor, her mother is the one who can make the decision by law. C.C’s mother agrees with her daughter in the refusal of medical treatment.

Dr. Seuss once said, “a person is a person, no matter how small”. Children are often looked at as properties of parents and our caretakers instead of actual human beings. Often time’s people mistreat and under nurture their children because they do not see them as equal human beings. Some parent/caretakers over nature and over care their children. In a world where so many things are often happening to everyone people are often misinterpreting medical problems with signs of abuse.

The first individual right under the health care system is "rights related to receiving services provided under healthcare, health financing, or health insurance laws. An example of this right is the Patient Self Determination Act. This act is a federal law that requires health care organizations, such as hospitals and nursing homes to provide information on advance directives, must ask you whether you have an advance directive, and provide information of your rights under state law, such as the right to refuse treatment. This law ensures that a patient 's right to self-determination in health care decisions is communicated.

The ethical issues involved the need for both parties to be treated, separation from spouse, lack of health insurance and lack of space in home. The patient had several different complex issues that need to be addressed. Another example consisted of the mother who wanted to place her daughter on birth control. This situation can create a complex ethical issue. It provided an opportunity to use critical thinking pertaining to an obligation to the patient or fulfilling the desires of the

Reading this article for the elderly care, I feel that ethical issues commonly occur anywhere in the treatment of older patients. I had a clinical experience both in an acute-care hospital and in a long-term care facility. Before working in a long-term facility, I was not aware of how many ethical principles were violated in the treatment of older patients as a daily routine as stated in the article. In reality, there are many situations in which older patients don’t completely exhibit their autonomy because they are vulnerable physically and emotionally and dependent on others. Therefore, they become more conscious of caregivers or healthcare professionals.

The following ethical principles are based on social work's core values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence (NASW, 1999). These principles are to be used when assisting clients and their needs. Social workers also should be attentive of the impact on ethical decision making of their clients' and their personal values and cultural and religious beliefs and practices. They should be aware of any conflicts between personal and professional values and deal with them responsibly (NASW, 1999). Ethical dilemmas are

Some ethical codes are; As a professional obligation, a social worker or social service worker must prioritize the best interests of the client above all other concerns. (Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice - OCSWSSW,

Social workers will have clients from all types of cultures and backgrounds that are exremely different than their own, and it is important for the social worker to be able to work with the client in a way that adhears to the Code of Ethics while at the same time respecting the client’s culture in the most

In the UK, policies for health, safety and security are not only give positive impact it also creates dilemma in relation to implement. Dilemma refers to a situation in which a difficult choice has to he made between two or more alternatives, especially equally undesirable ones. There are different types of dilemma in safety. This includes * Resource implications

Colin Newmark was diagnosed with cancer. The cancer was life threatening. His parents were Christian Scientists and refused to consent for chemotherapy for Colin. Their refusal was protected under State Law as it exempted parents from the neglect and abuse statutes if the refusal was supported by medical reasons. The plaintiff, Child Protective Services petitioned to continue treatment for Colin.

The ethical principle of autonomy provides for respect for the patient’s autonomy to make decisions and choices concerning their life and death. Respecting the patient’s autonomy goes against the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. There also exists the issue of religious beliefs the patient, family, or the caretaker holds, with which the caretaker has to grapple. The caretaker thus faces issues of fidelity to patient welfare by not abandoning the patient or their family, compassionate provision of pain relief methods, and the moral precept to neither hasten death nor prolong life.

Ethical Issues in Social Work Practice The social work profession and its Code of Ethics dictate that social workers must act in the best interest of the client, even when those actions challenge the practitioner’s personal, cultural and religious values. In practice; however, ethical decision-making is more complex than in theory. As helping professionals, social workers are constantly faced with ethical decision-making or ethical dilemmas. As noted by Banks (2005), an ethical dilemma occurs “when a worker is faced with a choice between two equally unwelcome alternatives that may involve a conflict of moral principles, and it is not clear what choice will be the right one” (as cited in McAuliffe & Chenoweth, 2008, p. 43).

And instead, they may wish to encourage the client to choose another alternative. Hence, in such cases, the practitioners faced the struggle between balancing their own value systems and their professional obligation as a social worker. The third ethical dilemma is when the social work practitioner overheard the conversation between the patient and her family members that the hospital staff has been verbally abusing the patient. However, the social work practitioner does not have any evidence to prove the abuse.