What Are Ethical Lapses - Definition, Examples, and Causes of Ethical Mistakes

What is ethical lapses? An ethical lapse is a mistake or error in judgment that produces a harmful outcome. A lapse in ethics doesn’t show a complete lack of integrity, just an oversight or an ethical blind spot. Routinely producing harmful results is not considered a “lapse”, that’s just considered unethical. Ethical lapses can be large or small scale, kept private or publicized and be illegal or within the realm of the law, but immoral. In academia, the causes of these lapses (in a regularly ethical person) are sometimes called fallacies. Ethical lapses that occurs in healthcare:High ethical standards are necessary for healthcare. These standards fall under the umbrella of health or medical ethics, the field of applied ethics that is concerned with moral decision-making applied to medical practices and policies. A standard approach to health ethics, developed by Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress, often refers to the following four basic principles when evaluating the merits and difficulty of a medical procedure: Autonomy: Determine the wishes of the patient to protect their autonomy. Justice: Follow the due process to determine limits on healthcare and treat patients alike. Beneficence: Seek the patient’s best interest and assess what counts as goods to be pursued Non-maleficence: Determine what counts as harms to avoid. Why it consider to be ethical lapses:. 1. Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders A Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) order is written by a doctor and it instructs healthcare providers not to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if a patient stops breathing or if their heart stops beating. The DNR doesn’t have instructions for any other treatment and can only be permitted after a physician speaks with the patient. Ethical concerns can arise when it’s not clear if a patient was capacitated to choose a DNR. In 2017, the case of a Florida man who was rushed to the hospital unconsciously with a “do-not-resuscitate” tattoo across his chest rose questions amongst the hospital staff. After questioning the seriousness of the tattoo and his critical existing medical conditions, the ICU unit decided to honor the message expressed in the tattoo, despite the man’s inability to talk. According to the ethics consultation on the case, “…the law is sometimes not nimble enough to support patientcentered care and respect for patient’s best interests.” Hospital administrators should consider that CPR can sometimes worsen preexisting conditions. In such cases, questioning if the degree of pain is worth the benefits can help professionals navigate severe situations that involve life or death. 2. Doctor and Patient Confidentiality Violating a patient’s confidentiality can have legal and ethical consequences for healthcare providers, according to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). The act requires physicians to protect the privacy and security of a patient’s medical records. HIPPA also sets forth who can see the confidential information and who cannot. Despite the law’s straightforwardness, there are some gray areas. For example, withholding information about a patient’s condition could be unethical because it could harm the patient or someone else. The opposite can be harmful too. A health practitioner could be suspended or, in some cases, fired for posting information about cases on social media. Despite how unintentional a practice like that can be, HIPPA laws prohibit any disclosure of health information on social media channels, arguing that a patient loses their privacy immediately after the fact. 3. Malpractice and Negligence Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., according to a study published in the BMJ journal. Despite the decreasing rate of malpractice suits, patients who are affected by it may never recover. For others, it may take years. The high-risk nature of the healthcare atmosphere can increase the likelihood of malpractice. Administrators, as well as physicians and nurses, must cover the essential responsibilities of patient care to avoid litigation. In the case of hospitals, ordinary negligence can be due to defective medical equipment, a misdiagnosis, or a delayed diagnosis. Sometimes conditions can come up in unusual ways that wouldn’t make sense unless a doctor was looking for the symptoms. Lines can be blurred when doctors disagree about procedures or necessary tests to provide accurate treatment. In cancer cases, a diagnosis can be challenging to prove, as there is a possibility that cancer would have progressed the same way regardless of when doctors started a treatment. 4. Access to Care In 2017, the number of people with health insurance coverage increased by 2.3 million, up to 294.6 million, according to the United States Census Bureau. Despite peak access to healthcare insurance, Americans without coverage face difficulties when accessing medical services. A Kaiser report Informs that one in five uninsured adults in 2017 did not seek medical care due to costs. With the increase in healthcare resource demands, financial costs that cover the resources are very high, and hospitals weigh down the price. Emergency departments across the U.S. can charge a patient up to $900 for a routine medical service that doesn’t require complex treatment, according to a year-long project focused on American healthcare prices published by Vox. The report found that insured patients can be affected too. Health administrators justify bill increases based on the need for a high quality of healthcare. But a recent JAMA article emphasizes that the “U.S. citizen is not getting good care for the money spent on healthcare.” The World Health Organization (WHO) argues that despite the demand for service, healthcare institutions should prioritize efforts to reduce prices and administrative costs if the benefits are not worth the burden. The WHO recommends that It’s justified to shield people from health-related financial risks, too. This recommendation, as well as the debate of affordability and access, sparks difficult questions that institutions and healthcare providers must navigate. 5. Physician-Assisted Suicide Physician-assisted suicide is the act of intentionally killing oneself with the aid of someone who has the knowledge to do so. In the most basic sense, the only person fully qualified to participate in the process is a physician. PAS is subject to criminalization by the state only. According to federal law, legalizing PAS is a matter of states’ rights. In states where PAS is allowed, a patient who qualifies must be terminally ill, can take the assisted drug themselves, and is mentally capacitated to understand what they’re doing. Actions to legalize PAS are increasing despite its ethical prohibitions, according to the American College of Physicians (ACP). PAS is currently legal in seven states and the District of Columbia. In Montana and California, assistance is an option given to patients via court decisions. How to prevent ethical lapse? 1. Establish straightforward guidelines:You should develop an easily understood yet comprehensive code of conduct that outlines company expectations for ethical behavior at work. Identify common missteps and how to avoid them while unambiguously relating the consequences of ethical failings. 2. Promote knowledge:Don’t just offer code of conduct or ethics training to new hires as one of the ways to prevent unethical behavior in the workplace. Routinely provide refresher courses to your existing staff. Bring in guest speakers to help employees build problem-solving skills so that they can react appropriately to employee misconduct. 3. Provide tools Consider implementing a reporting system that allows your employees to disclose conduct violations anonymously, and identify procedures for staff to request private meetings with supervisors responsible for ethics oversight. 4. Be proactive According to the ACFE study previously mentioned, organizations that lacked anti fraud controls suffered greater average losses-often twice as much-from ethics violations. 5. Employ data monitoring Another effective way to prevent unethical behavior in the workplace is to establish management review boards to investigate possible violations to the code of conduct. Set up reporting hotlines or email accounts that are capable of capturing relevant details including corresponding documentation or the names of potential witnesses. 6. Foster ethical behavior When evaluating candidates during the hiring process, you should consider their values and whether they fit into the company’s vision. Distribute responsibilities across employees and departments, creating a system of checks and balances that reduce the risk of unethical behavior. How to avoid ethical lapses in the first place? /Five Ways To Reduce Ethics And Compliance Risk:1. 2. 3. 4. Honestly assess your needs and resources. Establish a strong foundation. Build a culture of integrity — from the top down. Keep a “values focus” in moments big and small. 5. Re-evaluate and revise as needed.