Ethical Dilemmas in Medical Advocacy and How to Navigate Them
Ethical conundrums in medicine are rarely as straightforward as we might think. Although practitioners are taught to always work in patients’ best interest, there are cases where they might go against optimal treatments to respect their wishes.
For example, many patients are unwilling to consider certain procedures because they go against their ethical, social, and religious values. In other cases, doctors might aggressively try to procure dying patients’ organs in order to help another person.
Similar to doctors and nurses, an independent patient advocate sometimes works in the medical gray area. They have to do everything in their power to assist their clients, even if that means taking actions they don’t fully condone.
The Sensitivity of the Patient Advocate Role
Although patient advocates won’t diagnose or operate on a healthcare user, their role is every bit as important. They assist patients in finding the best facilities and doctors in the area. They also provide the necessary information so that a person can make better medical decisions.
In many ways, a patient advocate is a Jack of all trades, requiring complex knowledge of medicine, insurance, and administration. They have to deal with all sorts of situations, which occasionally put them in a precarious position.
Common Ethical Issues for Patient Advocates
During their relationship with a client, patient advocates may encounter all sorts of ethical issues. Some of the biggest challenges include:
- Many patient advocates are hired to manage conflicts between patients and doctors. Unfortunately, in a lot of these cases, they have to side with doctors, who were right to begin with.
- It is a patient advocate’s duty to find the best suitable provider for their client. Unfortunately, due to a lack of options, they might point a user to a clinic or specialist that won’t provide the highest possible quality of service.
- Healthcare experts should be committed to patient privacy. They must be very careful how they disclose information about their clients.
- At the end of the day, every patient advocate should respect their patients’ wishes. The problem occurs when a patient isn’t willing to administer a drug or treatment that would give them the best odds of survival.
- A patient advocate should be careful when onboarding new clients. If they believe they’re not the best expert for the job, they should point the person to the best option available.
5 Ways to Address Ethical Dilemmas
If you think that these professionals are not as important for your recovery process, you would be dead wrong. They not only make things easier for you, but they also improve the eventual outcomes. So, when dealing with ethical dilemmas, patient advocates have to stick to the following rules.
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Identifying the Problem
Before you can address a dilemma, you must first identify it. By relying on your medical knowledge, common sense, and emotional empathy, you must determine potential conflicts of obligations or values. To do so effectively, you must also talk to a patient to determine what they consider a potential religious, social, or political hurdle.
Besides interviewing the patient, you should also talk to their family. Make sure that your decisions don’t interfere with their viewpoints and what they perceive as moral.
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Using Medical Framework
The good news about any medical situation is that there’s always a solid set of rules you can fall back on. In fact, dating back to the Hippocratic Oath, we’ve known what is considered right or wrong in these situations.
For example, a patient advocate should stick to the rules of beneficence, autonomy, justice, and non-maleficence. In other words, they should act in the patient’s best interest while avoiding harm. A patient advocate should also respect patients’ wishes while properly and fairly using the resources at their disposal.
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Seeking Professional Assistance
You should talk to experienced colleagues to get a different viewpoint on different situations. As someone who has been doing this for a while, they’re well aware of the potential ethical conundrums doctors, nurses, and patient advocates have to deal with on a daily basis.
If we’re dealing with an especially touchy case, we should talk to professional advisors or the ethics committee. The last thing you need is to lose your license because you lacked information. So, the smart thing to do is to consult people who are much better informed about the legal and professional policies.
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Talking to Patients and Their Families
One of your main objectives as a patient advocate is to start an honest conversation with your patient. Inquire about their goals and budget. More importantly, ask them about things they would want to avoid during the medical treatment. For example, some of your clients might be unwilling to undergo certain procedures or take certain drugs.
Your task is to give the patient as much quality information as possible so they’re aware of their options. To avoid potential legal or ethical issues in the future, we recommend that you document all these conversations. A rule of thumb is to send an email to your client whenever you’re discussing a touchy subject.
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Creating a Plan of Action
Create a plan of action for the patient’s recovery. Explain your role in all of that, and how you can improve their medical outcomes. Consult with the client whether this plan is ok with them, and whether they’d want to change something. For example, if they have a problem with a doctor, you should find a substitute early on.
Reach out to the client’s family and provide support when necessary. Keep them in the loop about the patient’s state and your next moves. If you notice a potential ethical problem, notify the patient and his family immediately. Depending on the situation, you might also want to contact the medical board or other governing body.
Last Thoughts
Patient advocacy comes with a handful of ethical dilemmas. It is your job as a professional to identify these problems and address them the right way. If you don’t know what to do, you should contact the appropriate organization or a veteran colleague to help you out.
