Discussion post: Hospitals are supposed to be a place of healing however, not all situations have a happy ending. Careless behavior by physicians when treating their patients in high-risk environments or not, can have serious consequences.

Read these Discussion post and answer what you think about it separately with 150 words each.1. Hospitals are supposed to be a place of healing however, not all situations have a happy ending. Careless behavior by physicians when treating their patients in high-risk environments or not, can have serious consequences. Depending on my role at the time of the observation of the physician would determine my course of action. I would never in any instance, let the physician get away with his/her behavior; there is too much at risk. Hopefully the facility I work with will have protocols already in place and guidelines that are followed. A newer way of practicing medicine, which would allow mistakes to be found, is through evidence-based guidelines.
Evidence-based guidelines, also called clinical practice guidelines, \”are systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances\” (ktdrr.org, 2014, para. 1). However, not everyone is on board with these measures. Physicians’ tend to perceive these new guidelines as “a way of forcing them to “do “cookbook” medicine. \”Physicians’ and nurses’ feel that documenting care on the medical record is meaningless paperwork that takes time and effort away from real patient care” (Dlugacz, 2006, p. 159-160). Physicians that do not follow evidence-based guidelines are not only putting their patients at risk but are also putting themselves in dangerous situations that could cost them their jobs. If a physician chooses to be ignorant of the facts, it can be a very costly decision.2. A physician has many responsibilities and that primary responsibility is to be professionally competent, in addition to treating all patients with the same standards. The American Medical Association (AMA) has taken a primary role as being the leader in outlining ethical standards of behavior for physicians (Fremgen, 2012). In Table 5.2 Fremgen has examples of physician duties, of those are conflict of interest: where a physician should not place their own financial interest above a patient’s welfare and Reporting unethical conduct of other physicians which states a physician should report any unethical conduct by other physicians.The American Medical Association Opinion 9.031- Reporting Impaired, Incompetent, or Unethical Colleges, states that “Unethical conduct that threatens patient care or welfare should be reported to the appropriate authority for a particular clinical service. Unethical conduct that violates state licensing provisions should be reported to the state licensing board. It is appropriate to report unethical conduct that potentially violates criminal statutes to law enforcement authorities. All other unethical conduct should be reported to the local or state professional medical organization.”All unethical behavior, regardless of personal outcome, should be reported. As healthcare providers we are the patient advocate and are expected to maintain these professional standards. If a physician is not treating patients appropriately and documenting inappropriately or billing for services that were not provided it must be reported. Each facility should have a policy for reporting unethical or illegal conduct. Also Most facilities allow clinicians to report unethical behaviors anonymously so an investigation can be done.