Principles Of Distributive Justice

Ethical decisions are decisions that can sometimes be seen as either right or wrong depending on the situation and the people involved. These decisions are made on a daily basis in the medical field, but the outcome must always be reasonable and thought-out for the situation. One scenario where ethics is necessary is the decision to prescribe different medications for family members and for family friends. This topic has both its benefits and its downfalls; however, how the moral principles intertwine with the convenience of this can cloud the judgement of the prescriber. Inconsistencies in the principle of nonmaleficence and the principle of distributive justice can be seen in different situations such as in Carol Buppert’s “Can I Prescribe

When healthcare professionals provide prescriptions to family members this can be seen an unethical in regard to this principle. Because these practitioners do not typically provide the proper paper work after prescribing family members a medication, this can be seen as inappropriate. The principles of equality and need play into this situation. It is unequal treatment when it comes to differentiating the patient from the family member when prescribing treatment. The practitioner may give the family member a higher maintenance remedy that has a higher effectiveness than the remedies typically given in order to assure a recovery. The principle of need coincides with the principle of equality. What each individual needs may not necessarily be what each individual can afford. For example, elderly adults may not receive adequate government health insurance that covers a particular treatment compared to adults who may receive adequate health insurance under an employer that covers the same particular treatment. These principles are more in depth portions of the principle of distributive justice. These principles revolve around the insufficient benefits shared among all individuals. While a family member patient of a healthcare professional can receive more of these benefits than normal nonfamily member patient, this can also be shown among all divisions of

However, according to Buppert’s piece, “If a state requires that a nurse practitioner have a collaborative relationship with a physician in order to practice, that collaborative relationship does not usually extend to cover evaluations and treatments performed by the nurse practitioner outside the practice setting” (Buppert; pg 1). In other words, the action of prescribing medication to a family member is seen as unethical. It goes beyond the restriction a collaborative relationship because the physician is not always aware of the prescriptions processed for APRN’s family members. These relationships can be seen as a good thing because they create a system of checks and balances between healthcare professionals and patients. Moral principles are important in the medical field in order to keep the emotions of healthcare professionals from clouding their judgement. These two principles are necessary in order to provide adequate care for all patients, family members included. When these principles practiced, less fallacies are likely to occur in the medical