Ethics

The ethics of medical humanities come into play in different cases, and there are two categories that these cases can fall under. The first category is bioethics, which includes the morals of healthcare. These are decision-making morals, moral conduct, and moral healthcare policies and methods. Also, biotechnologies raise questions and discussions pertaining to the ethics of medical humanities daily, and how these technologies affect the lives of humans. Biotechnologies allow healthcare professionals to detect genetic disorders in the fetus, genes can be rearranged in a DNA chain, anyone individual’s fingerprint is able to be recorded and examined to every fine detail, and just about anything can be done with genes to change a trait or even allow early identification of cancer in an individual. As science and technology develop, so does healthcare and medicine, and there is discussion and debate in society and healthcare committees that go over the ethics of these certain situations that pertain to medical humanities. For example, one of these cases involves the practice of body enhancements in which the ethics of this practice are questioned due to the fact that biomedical and technological practices are making changes to a person’s body to improve the body and/or its appearance. Also, different types of medications and different practices may risk or cause harm to the body, and it is considered ethical for health professionals to share with the patient these risks and harms [Pickersgill]. Some people abuse the drug that people use to control their ADHD, and it is up to doctors and pharmaceutics to distribute these drugs only to those who are diagnosed with ADHD. It would be unethical to distribute these drugs to those who do not need it, but who are willing to pay for it.

The second category in ethics of the medical humanities is clinical ethics, which refers to the respect that healthcare professionals have for patients and families, and this helps develop a sort of professionalism, respectability, and expertise that healthcare professionals must use in respect to their patients. Another example in the ethics of the medical humanities is bias people and society have against others with disabilities, and how these disabilities correlate with success or what the disabled person is able to do. One source of these biases comes from society and how people perceive disabled people based on what it appears that they are capable of doing. Another source of these biases comes from the actual word ‘disabled’. When you pick the word apart, the word disabled means someone who is incapable. One who is incapable is one who cannot achieve or perform, therefore they may not succeed. It is unethical to judge or assume the incapability of a disabled person because disabled people are able to find ways to become successful through modern technology and even through self-determination.

The ethics of medical humanities are learned at colleges such as Stony Brook University, the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Durham University, the University of Sydney, and King’s College in London. These programs help their students learn professionalism in the medical field so that they may respectfully help their patients and do what it is right in any situation that may arise.