Ethics of Personhood and Health, Essay Example

Introduction

The ethics of health and its role in defining the person requires sound and reasonable moral judgments from the health professional when providing the person with care and treatment. Pharmacists, for example, must exercise effective decision-making and moral judgments at all times in order to ensure that their patients are treated with the utmost respect. These conditions support the ability of pharmacists to recognize the person as the core focus of the treatment plan. The rights of all individuals when receiving care and treatment via medications must be respected and supported with the actions taken by pharmacists. Their primary role is to provide patients with medication to improve their quality of life in order to achieve greater satisfaction and contentment throughout the life span. Therefore, pharmacists must recognize the importance of their roles in the healthcare process and must consider their responsibilities to be effective communicators and facilitators to promote greater health and wellbeing.

Body

From a pharmacy perspective, it is necessary to examine a human being from a variety of angles in order to preserve health for as long as possible. This includes an understanding of the physical, the spiritual, the social, and the psychological, amongst other considerations. Therefore, the moral responsibilities of pharmacists must address these perspectives of humanity in order to treat the entire person and not solely his or her physical symptoms. If a pharmacist does not provide person-centered care in this manner, he or she is not fulfilling the moral obligations of the profession and the responsibility to patients. When pharmacists provide effective and comprehensive care and treatment, patients in turn respond through improvements in the quality of their lives. Furthermore, pharmacists must exercise discretion in their decision-making processes and in supporting the objectives of their patients through ethical approaches that respect the rights of patients and their care. Ethical approaches to healthcare must coincide with pharmacy roles and responsibilities in order to achieve optimal treatment objectives for all patients. No patient should be left out of this equation and must be provided with the tools and resources that are necessary to treat patients with respect, compassion, empathy, and encouragement at all times. Pharmacists in this capacity must reflect upon their ability to make effective decisions and to recognize the needs of their patients first above all other objectives.

Pharmacists must demonstrate ethical responsibility for their actions at all times and must consider the role that individual decision-making plays in this process. At the same time, the ability to care for patients must be morally aligned with key pharmacy objectives so that patient care is maximized and has a positive impact on patient outcomes. From this perspective, it is more important than ever to address the challenges of healthcare practice methods and to demonstrate ethical responsibility and consistency in making important decisions. Professional ethics is critical in supporting the integrity of the profession and the ability to exercise sound and reasonable judgment in all decisions. However, some decisions may have several options; therefore, the option that is in the best interest of patient care and wellbeing must ultimately be considered.

It is expected that pharmacists will treat their patients not only out of obligation, but also because they care about their health and wellbeing. This demonstrates basic compassion and an understanding of patient care as it relates to specific outcomes and greater wellbeing. The primary principles of ethics, including justice, autonomy, and beneficence, support the development of approaches to patient care and treatment that emphasize the person and his or her needs at the time of treatment. Furthermore, other factors must be considered that support the objectives of patient care that involve ethical responsibility, including decision-making and determining the decisions that will promote effective patient care and treatment and optimal wellbeing. It is evident that pharmacists play a significant role in these processes and are trained to provide ethically responsible and morally appropriate care to all patients in a variety of patient care settings. When patients receive this type of support, they are likely to respond well to treatment and will improve their wellbeing as desired. However, pharmacists must fully participate in this process and establish themselves as successful care providers by making ethically and morally responsible decisions for their patients.

Conclusion

The development of successful pharmacists requires an understanding of morals and ethics and their role in pharmacy practice. It is necessary to train pharmacists to make ethically responsible decisions that affect their patients and that impact pharmacy practice as a whole. These efforts will support and encourage the development of new perspectives to improve patient outcomes and promote their wellbeing. Pharmacists must learn how to make decisions that will have a positive impact on patient care and that support ethical frameworks that drive clinical decision-making activities. This perspective also encourages the development of approaches that will exercise sensitivity in regards to ethical issues and that influence patient outcomes in a positive manner. These considerations must provide patients with opportunities to recover from illness and to improve their overall wellbeing at all times. Pharmacists must also consider the impact of their decision making and whether or not it is ethically responsible and is aligned with patient care outcomes that improve quality of life and overall quality of care for patients, regardless of the circumstances or the environment in which the patient resides.