Provide examples of ethical issues in patient education and compliance, and describe how an effective professional/patient relationship and a poor health professional/patient relationship can impact these issues.

Healthcare professionals may be faced with conflicts during patient education. They must act as patient advocates. Healthcare professionals should not ignore these ethical dilemmas but instead meet them and identify ways to solve them. The patient’s right to autonomy and dignity should always be the priority. Healthcare professionals should not share patient information without consent or withhold patient education.

An effective patient-healthcare professional relationship allows for effective and open communication, improving the quality of healthcare services (Birkhäuer et al., 2017). A poor relationship, on the other hand, creates mistrust and thus negatively impacts the quality of healthcare services (Birkhäuer et al., 2017)

Explain what is meant by “ethical patient education practices.”

Ethical patient education practices are the proper ways in which patients, through their own accord and after effective patient education, make decisions concerning compliance and acceptance of the proposed treatment plan (Reach, 2016). This is a way of convincing patients to take part in the treatment plan by doctors after an open and honest discussion.

Explain the purpose of informed consent.

Informed consent is the patient’s right to be informed about the medical treatment being proposed and make the autonomous decision to take part in the procedure (Haddad & Geiger, 2020). The healthcare professional should inform the patient of the medical practice and obtain consent after a meaningful and honest discussion. Informed consent protects patient autonomy.

Discuss what factors determine the patient’s ability to give informed consent.

Several factors determine the ability of the patient to make an informed decision, and they include:

• Age – Individuals under 18 are minors and, hence, cannot make informed medical decisions independently.
• Medical conditions- Individuals with debilitating medical conditions such as schizophrenia may not make informed decisions.
• Level of disclosure of information- The clinician should give the patient all the information required to help them make an informed decision.

Compose a sample informed consent form.

Patient Consent Form

Procedure:  Craniotomy

I understand that if this surgery is not taken, my condition could worsen, leading to death.

The possible complications that have been clearly explained to me are :

• Memory loss
• Brain death
• Loss of speech
• Infections
• Death

I have discussed all the information I need to know with the operating surgeon, and I consent to the surgery.

Patient/parent/guardian……………………………………………………

Surgeon…………………………………………………………..

Witness………………………………………………………….

Date…………………………………………

Discuss the communication process with the patient and the family when obtaining informed consent.

Open discussion with patients and family members of what is expected of them. The physician should establish a good therapeutic relationship with the patient and have a good setting for the discussion. The physician must make the patient comfortable and use simple terms that the patient can easily understand. The physician should discuss the procedure, the benefits, the risks, and how it will be done. He should answer any questions the patient has and seek verbal consent. If the patient consents, he should be given a consent form to sign.

References

Birkhäuer, J., Gaab, J., Kossowsky, J., Hasler, S., Krummenacher, P., Werner, C., & Gerger, H. (2017). Trust in the health care professional and health outcome: A meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 12(2), e0170988. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0170988

Cohen, D. (2015, June 28). Common misconceptions about alternative medicine. Edzard Ernst.