Health progress (Saint Louis, Mo.)
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To test the hypothesis that patients will receive a higher quality of holistic care through a "joint venture" of nurses and chaplains than they will from each individual working independently, a nursing unit of 30 medical/surgical beds was chosen for a six-month pilot study. Part of the experiment included the use of a small index card, which the nurse filled out with the patient's name, religion, and church. The card also included two questions. ⋯ The admissions clerk could become a part of the "joint venture" by asking the patient if he or she would like a church notified and wished to receive the sacraments (if Catholic). The nursing staff would then need only to assess whether the patient would benefit from a pastoral visit. Through this cooperation, the chaplain would be free to minister to patients with identified needs, especially to those most in need of care.
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Business ethics begins with the recognition of the various values and "goods" involved in judgements of what to do. Four key values are individual rights, individual self-interest, the company's best interest, and the public good. Often a company has to choose which of these goals or values should be subordinated to another. ⋯ In many ways, however, the social impact of healthcare policies and decisions has not been as carefully considered as it should be. Institutionalizing deliberation about clinical ethical issues has helped to raise awareness about the ethical dimensions of medical care. It would also be useful to institutionalize attention to business ethics in healthcare.
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The Jehovah's Witnesses base their belief that they must not submit to blood transfusions on a biblical prohibition against consuming blood. It is a fundamental religious conviction for the Witnesses, one that has the most profound consequences for them: eternal salvation. In their zeal to promote health and save lives, however, some healthcare institutions have reacted to a patient's refusal to receive a blood transfusion by appealing to the courts. ⋯ The question is more than legal, however; it is profoundly religious. Vatican II's "Declaration on Religious Freedom" proclaimed that all people have a fundamental right to religious freedom and an inherent freedom from coercion based on human dignity. In Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Facilities, the bishops say, "The total good of the patient, which includes his higher spiritual as well as his bodily welfare, is the primary concern of those entrusted with the management of a Catholic health facility."