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Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism focuses on the consequences of decision-making, arguing that public health has to consider each person affected by an action. This ethical aspect holds that a moral action is one that focuses on maximizing good and minimizing harm after considering each affected person (Darr 34). For instance, a dental practitioner may observe an employer leaving overhangs regularly on restored teeth. Given that these may affect the periodontal health of patients negatively, the practitioner has to find the proper action to take. The practitioner may neglect to take any action, and this could create severe periodontal diseases. On the other hand, the practitioner may opt to remove the overhangs, even though some states consider it illegal for dentists to remove overhangs. Lastly, the practitioner could talk to the employer to practice more carefully. While the practitioner may have his employment terminated, if the employer is not one to be corrected, utilitarianism requires that the practitioner does what is good, even if it is not in his or her best interests.
I dug more into the utilitarian perspective to investigate the need to allocate more medical care resources to the greatest number to allow public health focus on the greater good. I looked at this against the background of the rule of rescue, which holds that services should be provided first to the most needy and most vulnerable (Coughlin 67). Various literatures suggest that different countries balance societal fairness against individual rights and that they use different processes to evaluate decisions made in public health. Therefore, the transparency, accountability, and legitimacy of decisions may differ across countries, even if they apply the utilitarian concept in public health.
Communitarianism
Today, there are strong communitarian elements that play significant roles in public health (Darr 48). The dominant themes in this ethical aspect are balancing social responsibilities and patient rights, shaped by communal cultures and values. Redressing the balance towards the community is important because public health remains a communitarian service that includes matters, which affect all people. For instance, if people argued that citizens themselves and not the government should fluoridate water, public health will always stand, even if the public considers the costs of dental care always.
Many researchers hold that individualism in public health hampers the pursuit of equitable healthcare. According to Coughlin (72), the communitarianism approach might help in pursuing equitable healthcare because they respect and nurture bonds capable of uniting and identifying communities. The author proposes that healthcare equity is achievable only by recognizing, and harnessing these bonds. The concept is desirable when pursuing public health goals, especially for Australia’s public health systems. Having a communitarian approach can progress this vision further, especially considering the Aboriginal communities in the continent.
Social justice
In this ethically complex world, we espouse a fair society as the ideal living standard (Coughlin 27). The constitution of social justice, laws conforming to equal treatment without prejudice, and the ways of obtaining it, should be outlined in public health practice. For instance, issues of patients with earlier treatment failure or special patients such as handicaps and the elderly in nursing homes deserve attention. Other issues include treating patients who are off the record because for their pain or the obligations around treating patients with AIDS. This issue of social justice encompasses several concerns that deserve attention in public health.
Personalism
Personalism compensates the conflicts and shortcomings associated with principlism by taking on a common shared human nature. This ethical aspect holds that all humans deserve respect because only they can self reflect or comprehend life’s meaning (Coughlin 55). This principle considers human life sacred, justifies any life intervention based on its therapeutic value, and stresses on achieving common good through the well-being of each person. Public health covers duties deriving respect of an individual, extends to respecting an individual’s autonomy, and safeguards patient confidentiality to guarantee equity in public health resource allocation.
Structural and socioeconomic disparities in health status
To end health disparities, the utilitarian perspective can benefit the community through workforce diversity. Earlier research on disadvantaged populations shows that diverse public health equates to better care access and quality. Thus, having a culturally and linguistically diverse workforce carries competitive advantages that are associated with better customer service (Coughlin 91). This in no way suggests that minority public health professionals should limit their roles to this niche alone or that they are obligated to serve this group. According to the author, having such an interpretation is unfair for these minority health workers, but also risks the absolution of health professionals from the collective responsibility of ending health disparities.
The utilitarian perspective guides ethical thinking by weighing harms against benefits to promote the good of the majority. I have learnt that evaluating the outcome of an act is more valuable than evaluating the actions taken to achieve these outcomes. Therefore, I focus my thinking on right actions that produce the best intrinsic good. For instance, a patient visiting a dentist is good because he will leave with healthier teeth and less pain. Failing to visit a dentist would not give a patient these benefits. In my career, I have also learnt to weigh whom the intrinsic good benefits most. Since public health focuses on the society, my actions are only good if they benefit the entire community. In my career, I have learnt to evaluate the actions that are open to me, their effect on others, and the outcome of each action on the people affected. I then weigh the net effect of this happiness on the actions that I am undertaking and pick on the action that has the best net effect on happiness for the majority. It is the utilitarianism perspective that I believe has the most impact in my career as a dentist.
The personalism perspective also adds value to my competence as a dentist. I have learnt to avoid discriminatory actions in the public health sphere by investigating the laws and regulations governing discrimination in my area of practice. Different states may have differing laws on discriminatory practices and the burden lies on me look keenly into discriminatory laws governing each state. I have to accept a patient who is in pain or who suffers from acute dental conditions before treating or appropriately referring them. Confidentiality is another aspect of personalism that I accept as a standard competence in my career. However, I have come to accept that in instances where confidentiality takes on a more central approach, I am able to break confidentiality according to the severity of risks or the chances of its occurrence. Summarily, the all-encompassing value that this principle adds to my career is the knowledge that I have to remain aware of the laws governing confidentiality.
Bibliography
Coughlin, Steven. Ethics in Epidemiology and Public Health Practice. Washington, D.C.: American Public Health association. 2009. Print.
Darr Kurt. Ethics in Health Services Management. 4th ed. Baltimore, MD: Health Professions Press. 2005. Print.
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