Week 4 paper

.docx

School

Delaware State University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

407 - 01

Subject

Philosophy

Date

Dec 6, 2023

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by AgentGorilla5147 on coursehero.com

Week 4 paper Option 1: The first option is to name and describe in detail a key specific and recent healthcare technology. What are at least two key moral problems this technology creates? What are the proper moral guidelines for dealing with it in your view? Compare your approach to what a utilitarian and ethical egoist would say (each independently). Consider whether differing ethical beliefs globally might or not agree with what you say. A patient portal refers to a platform where individuals access health care and information about their health. It is a website that helps a patient keep track of their test results, prescriptions, billing, and health care provider visits. The online tool provides individuals access to their medical records, which improves patient satisfaction and health outcomes. They facilitate patient-provider communication as one can access their electronic medical records. Health care providers use the platform to communicate with chronically ill individuals and provide them with day-to-day guidelines to improve their health. They also use the platform to monitor the patient's progress, making evaluations easy. Moral Problems as a Result of the Technology. One issue facing the portal technology is healthcare data security concerns as unauthorized persons may use patients' data to their advantage. This practice also leads to a breach in patient-doctor confidentiality, discouraging patients from providing accurate information about themselves. The portal technology is also expensive to install, maintain and monitor, and it requires the hospital to plan and allocate more financial resources into the venture. Health care providers also need to hire experts to run these platforms to ensure they function efficiently. One can use the utilitarian and ethical egoism approaches to review the problems facing the portal technology. A utilitarian approach assesses an action based on its outcomes or consequences. The technology has pros and cons, which may help determine whether patients and health care providers should adopt it. However, the benefits of the practice outweigh the disadvantages, and entities should consider installing the infrastructure. Management can quickly sort the platform's cons by hiring specialized personnel to monitor and ensure they are running efficiently. These experts will also audit the systems to identify any loopholes and system breaches. Ethical Egoism supports that people should act in their self-interests without thinking about other people. It encourages medical practitioners to continue using the system regardless of its adverse effects on the patients.The theory expresses that as long as the moral agent benefits from an action, they should pursue it. Therefore, health care service providers should assess the platform's benefits to the institution and judge it based on its efficiency.

Do Ethical Beliefs Agree with the Proposal The ethical beliefs agree with the proposal as they encourage hospitals to accept and use the portal technology to enhance their productivity and enhance patient satisfaction. One of the main criticisms of utilitarianism is its disregard for individual rights and justice. This ethical theory is primarily concerned with the overall happiness or utility of a group, which can sometimes lead to decisions that infringe upon the rights of individuals. Disregard for Individual Rights Utilitarianism operates on the principle of "the greatest good for the greatest number." This means that if a decision or action increases the overall happiness or utility of a group, it is considered morally right, regardless of how it affects individuals within that group. For example, consider a scenario where a group of ten people are stranded on an island with limited food. According to utilitarianism, it would be morally right to sacrifice one person to feed the others if it increases the overall survival chances of the group. However, this decision clearly infringes upon the individual rights of the person being sacrificed. Injustice Utilitarianism can also lead to injustice. If an action leads to greater overall happiness, it is considered morally right, even if it is unjust. For instance, punishing an innocent person for a crime they didn't commit could be justified under utilitarianism if it leads to greater overall happiness (e.g., by calming a fearful public). In conclusion, while utilitarianism can be a useful ethical theory for making decisions that benefit the majority, it can also lead to decisions that infringe upon individual rights and perpetuate injustice. This is one of the main criticisms of this theory. Like 0

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