Capacity is the legal principle, that a person is able to make decisions about their own healthcare where they can demonstrate an ability to understand relevant information given to them about their condition, retain that information and use or weigh that information to make an informed and considered choice (Mental Capacity Act 2005). In such circumstances, clinicians have the added consideration of not only treating the patient but also ensuring the other vulnerable party is protected. You will see the questions are broken down into the 5 different categories you will be tested on. These preferences can then be communicated to paramedics during attendances and care should be consistent with these preferences whenever practicable. Paramedics must deliver appropriate clinical care within the boundaries of the law, clinical guidelines and evidence-based standards. Health care professionals may be more likely to use the MCA to enforce treatment should they consider the patient unlikely to meet the threshold for detention under the MHA. The ethical and legal dilemmas paramedics face when managing a mental 4 Conducting ethical research in paramedic practice. Hamish Carver, Dominique Moritz, Phillip Ebbs, Research output: Contribution to journal Article peer-review. A. It affirms the supremacy of law and appreciation of human rights and freedom. Interestingly, in some Australian states, paramedics have been granted powers under their MHA to detain mentally ill patients who require involuntary treatment (Parsons and O'Brien, 2011). With this considered, it appears that in John's case, the MCA would have been an appropriate means with which to act in John's best interests and convey him to a place of safety for further treatment, which would most likely have been the nearest emergency department. It means that all actions taken by the practitioners should demonstrate positive effects on the patients and improve their health conditions. That said, given the earlier acknowledgment of paramedics feeling undertrained to assess mental health patients (Roberts and Henderson, 2009; Berry, 2014) it could be questioned how equipped paramedics would be to utilise this act. D. personal safety. Our researchers and research supervisors undertake their studies within a wide range of theoretical frameworks and models relating to the development of policy and practice that takes account of: lived experiences of health and social issues, health and social care use, and, service delivery by the nursing, midwifery and paramedic professions . Least restrictive option and maximising independence - Where it is possible to treat a patient safely and lawfully without detaining them under the Act, the patient should not be detained. However, the Department of Health (2015) clearly state that it is, so long as the patient hasn't already had their liberties removed under the MHA (1983). Continuing Professional Development: Ethical issues in paramedic practice Apart from being a paramedic, entails checking for dangers as part of your primary survey, to protect yourself, bystanders and the patient. Should paramedics ever accept patients' refusal - BMC Medical Ethics Among the main legal principles to be fulfilled in paramedicine, protection of personal data, regulation of drugs consumption, suitability of the medical equipment, and protection and safety of the patients should be considered (AAOS, Elling, & Elling, 2009). Specifically, if a child has sufficient intelligence and maturity to understand the nature and consequences of particular treatment, they are able to consent to that treatment independently and without parental input according to the UK's Gillick competence doctrine. Legal and Ethical Aspects of Paramedic Practice Article - Studentshare Paramedicine occurs in the social fabric of society. You'll develop your knowledge of the legal, ethical & professional issues in paramedic practice. Ethics and law 1 The ethical, legal and professional issues that inform and shape paramedic practice. In such a way, they will not violate personal freedom and demonstrate respect for patients demands and plans (Blaber, 2012). Therefore, they suggest the introduction of ethical education for doctors and staff working in this sphere (Stirrat et al., 2010). 2 Function, build and sustain collaborative, professional relationships as a member of a team within multidisciplinary teams and agencies At the same time, the education should not be subjective, prejudiced, or convincing as the patients have to make their own decisions concerning their lives and health conditions. In other words, paramedics need to adopt the principle of confidentiality and credence. Children are individuals so, although they have not reached adulthood, they should not be excluded from participating in healthcare decisions that affect them. Some patients with a disability are considered vulnerable in a similar way to older patients: they sometimes lack the defences or resources to deal with threats to them. Our paramedic test questions are listed below. Paramedics must deliver appropriate clinical care within the boundaries of the law, clinical guidelines and evidence-based standards. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like As an EMT, the standards of emergency care are often partially based on: Select one: A. Such a situation is irresponsible and dangerous in terms of not only morality and ethics but also legislation. It can be used by . Chapter 4 Medical, Legal and Ethical Issues Flashcards | Quizlet However, children's life experiences, maturity and understanding differ from one individual to the nextdepending on factors such as their age, culture, health, upbringing, background and environmentsand their ability to process healthcare-related information also varies. In the case of paramedicine, both ethics and law should remain unprejudiced and objective. Among the most significant and complicated ethical dilemmas in nursing, it is possible to distinguish the problem of euthanasia, abortion, truth-telling as opposed to deliberate deception, and freedom contrary to control. According to Harris and Millman (2011), in the earlier stages of schizophrenia, a chronic form of psychosis, the patient is likely to behave in a bizarre manner that is out of character to them, as was true of John. An act done, or decision made, under this Act for or on behalf of a person who lacks capacity must be done, or made, in his best interests. This exploratory case study utilized semi-structured interviews of thirteen North. Fitness to practise - Health and Care Professions Council Confusions surrounding said laws have been extracted from the case report and discussed in more generic terms in order to be more readily applicable to other similar cases. OverviewThis CPD module will focus on some of the key ethical issues in relation to paramedic practice and prehospital care. For example, the patients who suffer from mental disorders have the same right to apply different procedures as those who do not. All rights reserved, Continuing Professional Development: Ethical issues in paramedic practice. In respecting older patients' choices, their vulnerability requires clinicians to take additional precautions to protect them. Paramedics are required to make these decisions within settings that are often disordered, uncontrolled and unpredictable, where all the relevant information and circumstances are not fully known. The crew's assessments and thought processes surrounding the management of John will be discussed. John's risk to the public must also be considered, which, in spite of public opinion, is not usually any higher in psychotic patients (Davies, 2009). ethics of paramedics - SlideShare Paramedic practice must consider all of these factors to ensure ethically good care. It then explores practical issues of capacity, autonomy and beneficence as these apply to some of the most common vulnerable groups that UK paramedics may encounter: children, older people, persons with a mental illness and those with a disability. It shall discuss the legal and ethical aspects of the issue and how these aspects can be resolved. Ethical issues in medical malpractice - PubMed Paramedics' decisions on patients' treatment will often impact others. In the first article of this series on applied ethics in paramedicine, the authors examined the ethical principles of autonomy and beneficence in the context of principlism (Ebbs et al, 2020). The police, however, do have the power to utilise section 135 and 136 of the MHA (1983). @article{6040c026e1e34bd9b7239761b13480e7. All relevant services should work together to facilitate timely, safe and supportive discharge from detention. A progression of learning in terms of acting morally and ethically is necessary when nurses undergo training on both an undergraduate and a specialist level. Another ethical principle in paramedicine is beneficence. Principles of consent, autonomy, beneficence, malfeasance 4 Current UK law that relates to . This third and final article in the series starts by describing the relationships between the legal principle of capacity and the ethical principles of autonomy and beneficence. John had arrived at a friend's house during the night, behaving in a strange, confused manner. If a person is then deemed to have capacity and continues to refuse care, paramedics are forced to balance their duty to protect life against the patient's right to make autonomous decisions (Hodgson, 2016). Practitioners must be mindful that, despite the frequent interactions with these patients, their behaviour is often perpetuated by mental illness, and the patient needs care for their chronic illness just the same as they would for any other illness. It seems paramount that whichever decision is made and Act is used, should the patient receive any form of involuntary treatment, the principles of the MCA and the MHA are upheld, and any decision made is in the patients best interest (Department of Health, 2005). MA Healthcare Ltd Although ethical and legal conduct and practices are often in harmony, in many areas ethical principles and the issues surrounding medical liability appear to come into conflict. U2 - https://doi.org/10.12968/jpar.2020.12.10.CPD1, DO - https://doi.org/10.12968/jpar.2020.12.10.CPD1, JO - Journal of Paramedic Practice: the clinical monthly for emergency care professionals, JF - Journal of Paramedic Practice: the clinical monthly for emergency care professionals. Some people's mental illness will not prevent them from exercising their autonomy and their mental illness will not affect their decision-making capacity. Ethics and law in paramedic practice: Boundaries of capacity and