Ethics: Liz Jackson Health Issues

Introduction

Liz Jackson does not seem to take matters regarding her health seriously. It is the reason why she thinks that eating vegetables alone can safeguard her from chronic diseases. Liz therefore, assumes that her health condition is okay. If Liz does not realize that her health behavior is risky, then her health might continue to deteriorate. Liz might not be taking issues regarding her health seriously because she may not be aware of the impacts of chronic illness such as cancer. Also, it could be as a result of the lack of proper communication between GP and Liz Jackson. As a result, the GP could not be giving the patient the support she needs. Since Liz lives alone, she may not have the motivation to go and see a GP for assistance. This is because she lacks an individual who can motivate her to seek such services.

Moreover, the GP might not have made any attempts to meet Liz through other platforms such as via the email. Lack of sufficient advice from the doctor made her have a wrong perception about modern medicine. Also, the pharmacist accessed her Liz confidential health but did not take appropriate action to rectify her situation.  This is the reason why she refused to consume contemporary medicine and instead took herbal medicine. However, Liz deteriorating health was as a result of her negligence.

Body

Consent and Confidentiality

The term consent means that the health expert should not access the patient’s health records without permission.  It is evident that the pharmacist obtained Liz health information without her consent. The health expert never followed the right principles that obligate her to seek the patient’s permission before taking such action(Raj, 2008). This is contrary to the requirements of professional ethics that obligate pharmacists to keep information regarding their patients confidential. As a result, the pharmacist might be punished by the disciplinary organ if the law is followed to the latter. The young pharmacist known as Sonal speaks about Liz drug history in public.

Moreover, she speaks about the issue in the presence of one of Liz neighbours in the ward. The ward also has other visitors who had come to see their patients. Even though Liz is reluctant to answer her, she emphasizes on the matter until Liz reveals that she uses herbal medicine.

Therefore, anyone who was near them could hear this private and sensitive information. In this case, the pharmacist breached the professional code of ethics (Yeaman, 2005). Additionally, she checks Liz SCR to see her health record without informing her after leaving the ward. This action amounts to an invasion of a person’s privacy which is against the law. In this case, the pharmacist could have respected Liz confidentiality by avoiding such actions.

Moreover, Sonal shares the patient’s information with another passenger while on her way home (Mishra and Saranath, 2019). They even laugh about the condition of Liz with her friend. It is contrary to the rules of privacy which prohibits professionals from discussing the patient’s matters with other people. The information about the patient should be shared between Liz and the pharmacist. This is a trend that should be stopped in the future by taking action against those who breach the code of ethics.

Help-seeking behaviors

The pharmacist should seek information regarding Liz health from her friends or family members. It will enable the expert to understand whether Liz condition is hereditary or an ordinary case of high blood pressure or cancer (Pronello and Gaborieau, 2018). The information is vital to the pharmacist as it will determine the type of healthcare that Liz should receive. Sonal should also make arrangements that will ensure that Liz gets professional counseling services. This will assist the patient to relieve stress that emanated from her worsening health condition (Giarelli, 2002). The depression might be as a result of the loss of her parents and lonely life. It can significantly help in improving her condition in the future. Additionally, the pharmacist should also assist Liz to maintain her blood pressure and cancer. One of the measures the Sonal can take is to ensure that Liz eats a healthy diet regularly.

Behavior change

The pharmacist should assist Liz to change her behaviors to decrease the health challenges facing her. The professional should advise her to avoid actions that can separate her from friends. For instance, she needs to embrace her former faith and exit Buddhism that is separating her fromher peers. This can assist in decreasing the problem of loneliness and depression that is currently disturbing her. Going forward the pharmacist should advise Liz to take matters of health seriously and stop relying on assumptions. For example, it was not right for her to think that she was living a healthy life by being a strict vegetarian (Dunn et al., 2015). Instead, Liz Jackson could have gone for medical checkups to discover if she was suffering from any illness. Finally, Sonal should advise Liz to follow the doctor’s advice and not her feelings. For instance, the pharmacist should inform her about the importance of contemporary medicine in the treatment of chronic illness. Also, Liz should be advised that herbs are dangerous since they are given without a prescription. As a result, the medication can have adverse effects on her health. Finally, Liz Jackson must change her behavior if she expects to improve her health condition in the future.

Conclusion

Liz Jackson is experiencing several health problems which made her life terrible. It is evident that she assumed that her health was excellent before being diagnosed with high blood pressure and cancer. Liz failed to go for medical check-ups to know the true state of her health. Therefore, she discovered about the two illnesses after her condition became chronic.

Moreover, she has been opposing her doctor’s advice and has been using her own medicine. In future,the pharmacist should advise her to follow the doctor’s advice. Besides, the health expert should teach Liz how to deal with her chronic illness on a regular basis. Finally, the pharmacist should maintain confidentiality while dealing with the patient. All these measures will assist to improve the health status of Liz.

 

References

Dunn, J., Adams, C., Holland, J. and Watson, M. (2015).Reinforcing the role of psycho-social oncology in global cancer prevention: applying psycho-oncology research in programmes and practice.Psycho-Oncology, 24(10), pp.1217-1221.

Giarelli, E. (2002). Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2a (MEN2a): a call for psycho-social research. Psycho-Oncology, 11(1), pp.59-73.

Mishra, V. and Saranath, D. (2019).Association between demographic features and perceived social support in the mental adjustment to breast cancer.Psycho-Oncology.

Pronello, C. and Gaborieau, J. (2018).Engaging in Pro-Environment Travel Behaviour Research from a Psycho-Social Perspective: A Review of Behavioural Variables and Theories.Sustainability, 10(7), p.2412.

Raj, K. (2008).Stress management. Delhi: IVY Pub.House.

Yeaman, A. (2005). Professional ethics.TechTrends,49(2), pp.14-17.

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