Ethical Dilemma
Ethical dilemmas are a common occurrence not only in the field of healthcare but also in their day-to-day lives. The occurrence of such moments in society brings out the inherent conflicts in rights and value, which may, at times, lead to tension between individuals or community groups. One such event once occurred to me. One of my very closest friends, who I will refer to as J.C., once disclosed to me that she had been having symptoms of what she suspected to be an STI. J.C. was confident enough to disclose this to me since she knew I had good medical knowledge and that I could offer her advice on what healthcare actions to take. Moreover, J.C. and I had grown up together for a good part of our lives. The two of us were virtually best friends. Our parents and other family members also knew each other as we had been in several family gatherings together in the past.
After disclosing her condition, I advised J.C. to get tested at the local clinic. The results showed that she has syphilis infection, a sexually transmitted infection. J.C. refused to initiate her care in the clinic, and I later sought a good doctor for her. She promised me that she would seek care and get treated. However, after 3 days, J.C. still had not gone to see the recommended doctor. Her excuse was that she had been having a series of dates with her 1-week old boyfriend. M.N., and had kept postponing her hospital visit. She also attributed her reluctance to seek care as she claimed that her symptoms had improved. This made me get worried about her health. On probing her further concerning her dates, she disclosed that she had gotten into intimate contact with her boyfriend on both dates but had not disclosed her condition to him.
At this point, I was in a dilemma. I knew that J.C.’s actions were a threat to her health. Should I force her to get medical care? Moreover, J.C. was posing a threat to the health of her new boyfriend. Should I approach M.N. and inform him of J.C.’s condition. I knew that if I did this, I would be protecting the health of both J.C. and her boyfriend. However, this would mean that I would have to go against J.C.’s privacy, thus making ethical omissions. Disclosing the J.C.’s condition to her boyfriend would also be a move that is aimed at promoting beneficence as it aims at promoting and preserving the health of the two individuals
When faced with such moments, one needs to exercise caution and utmost care while applying well-thought-out principles for resolution. Thus, I decided to utilize moral/ethical theories while adhering to ethical principles of healthcare (justice, beneficence, autonomy, and non-maleficence) (Selgelid 98). Some of the theories that I applied include the virtue theory, the duty theory, and the rights theory and consequentialism. I had to make sure that the decision was virtuous. In the case of negative outcomes, the consequences must not outweigh the good. I also had to ensure that I was exercising my duty to make the decision while preserving the rights of both parties. Thus, I decided to have a meeting with both J.C. and her boyfriend. I the meeting, I informed M.N. that J.C. was sick and that the two needed to have a discussion. This would prompt J.C. to open up to her boyfriend. Moreover, I later had a private talk with J.C., encouraging her to seek immediate care. Ultimately, J.C. disclosed her condition to her boyfriend, and the two sought healthcare services together.
Works Cited
Selgelid, M J. “Disease prevention, and control.” Public health ethics: Cases spanning the globe [Internet]. Ed. H Barrett, W Ortmann, and A Dawson. Springer, 2016. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK435775/ doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-23847-0_4>.