Professionalism in patient care: Patient’s rights and ethics in the United States of America (USA)

Afolami (Fagorala) Omolayo*

Introduction: Professionalism as one of the core competencies in health care service is addressed from a patient’s point of view. This paper covers the rights of patients and the ethical obligations of health care workers to ensure patient’s satisfaction.

Methods: This research is of a short span and an opportunity to bring about a change in the health care institutions across the nation. Hand written documentations, and patient’s daily notes were used to gather information in this article. Internet searches based on medical publications were also used to support this article.

Results: Unprofessional behaviors displayed signified infringement of patient’s rights. For instance, false statements on routine court order to ensure mandatory medication use. Disregarding the dangers accompanying such actions. With professionalism overlooked, the normal became verbal abuse and false claims on patient’s daily notes in order to justify prolonged hospital stay and wasteful use of health funds.

With reports made to the ethics and grievance committee, patient was given a little bit more audience. However, certain privacy rights were still ignored. Professionals that verbally abused patient were still kept on ward with minimal change to their invading of patient’s privacy.

Conclusion: Regular meetings by the board of ethics and grievance committee, which reviews these institutions and their actions regarding abuse of patients’ rights, are necessary. Documentations of actions taken by the committee are essential to cause feasible changes that ensure quality of human life. Research has shown that lack of prompt response to unethical or unprofessional behavior as observed in the institution addressed in this paper leads to more professionals mirroring these unprofessional behaviors as if they were normal and patients left to bear the brunt. Thereby creating poor well-being of patients’ and the health care system.

Keywords:

Published on: Jun 13, 2020 Pages: 30-33

Full Text PDF Full Text HTML DOI: 10.17352/apt.000017
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