1 Demonstrate an adaptive, flexible and self-directed commitment to the promotion, maintenance and restoration of health and to the delivery of primary health care across the lifespan. This may be necessary to protect a person from harm or to prevent a deterioration in their condition (Department of Health, 2005). The matter is that some spontaneous solutions or actions can negatively influence the patients and fail in the achievement of the desirable results (Beauchamp & Childress, 2008). Here we provide services and products that are for reference purpose only & are not intended to be put forward as finalised work & are to be used strictly for assistance in writing your own research material papers. Aircraft Accidents and Emergency Management, Live Our fitness to practise process is designed to protect the public from those who are not fit to practise. The Iserson Model for ethical decision making in emergency medicine was used as the conceptual framework. If a registrant's fitness to practise is impaired (in other words, negatively affected) it means there are concerns about their ability to practise safely and effectively. The paramedics and patients views on treatments may vary as well as moral and legal explanations of different procedures are different according to the cultural, religious, and social backgrounds. The Bachelor of Paramedic Practice (Conversion) is a fully online program, designed to help currently practicing paramedics and advanced medics in the Australian Defence Force upgrade their existing qualifications. All of these actions may devaluate the positive results of treatment and harm patients health and well-being. Wherever possible a patient's independence should be encouraged and supported with a focus on promoting recovery wherever possible. This article "Legal and Ethical Aspects of Paramedic Practice" shall discuss one of these ethical issues. It affirms the supremacy of law and appreciation of human rights and freedom. For example, some people with conditions such as cerebral palsy may appear to have an intellectual disability that precludes decision-making capacity, where in fact they have no cognitive disability, only communication difficulties. Respect and dignity - Patients, their families and carers should be treated with respect and dignity and listened to by professionals. Summary of the key detaining sections relevant to paramedic practice (Hawley et al, 2013b). Reflective practice is the link between theory and practice and a powerful means of using theory to inform practice thus promoting evidence based practice (Tsingos et al., 2014). It seems that deciding which act is most appropriate must be managed on a case-by-case basis factoring in issues such as access to healthcare professionals available to utilise the MHA (as paramedics do not have it), the likely cause of the persons behaviour (physical/psychological), whether the patient seems likely to meet the threshold for detention under the MHA, and equally whether the patient is likely to be assessed as lacking capacity under the MCA. Therefore, where appropriate, the MHA is likely to take precedence over the MCA where a patient is being treated for a mental health disorder. Elder abuse can encompass neglect, financial duress, psychological threats and violence. This CPD module will focus on some of the key ethical issues in relation to paramedic practice and prehospital care. Overview Fingerprint Abstract Principlism is arguably the dominant recognised ethical framework used within medicine and other Western health professions today, including the UK paramedic profession. Therefore, it is important to consider those principles more precisely. B. EMTs are not liable for any actions that are accurately documented. Some people's mental illness will not prevent them from exercising their autonomy and their mental illness will not affect their decision-making capacity. To assist paramedics in navigating these complex issues, the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (2019) provides guidance on how to refer vulnerable people to services which may investigate the circumstances and ensure the safety and welfare of the patient). Furthermore, the HCPC (2016) standards of conduct place a responsibility on paramedics that they must take reasonable actions to this end. Nevertheless, despite personal values and beliefs, paramedics should provide their patients with essential treatment, medicine, support, and instructions. Any consideration of beneficence is likely, therefore, to involve an examination of non-maleficence. Additionally, according to the current laws, all patients have the right to control their lives without any external interventions, control, and management. People with mental illness may also be vulnerable because their illness may sometimes render them unable to make some decisions or, like older patients, their decision-making ability fluctuates. This article addresses these questions by exploring the relationship between healthcare ethics, health law and evidence-based practice in paramedicine. After that, we provide a few recommendations that can assist healthcare professionals in improving their capacity for making ethical decisions. AB - Decision-making is central to the everyday practice of paramedicine. Due to this misconception, the crew then considered the MHA (1983). The disclosure of confidential information, as well as the announcement of personal data about patients, supposes administrative and even criminal responsibility (Steer, 2007). Perceptions and concerns about receiving treatment at hospital may arise for a number of reasons, such as fear of not returning home, an experience of relatives dying in hospital, worry about pets, stoicism and beliefs about not wanting to bother others. This article explores practical issues of capacity, autonomy and beneficence as they apply to some of the most common vulnerable groups that UK paramedics may encounter: children, older people, those with a mental illness and persons with a disability. The authors have faced all eight of the clinical scenarios in this paper in their routine clinical practice. Ethical issues are closely intertwined with legal aspects of care and this module will therefore consider the four ethical principles, focusing on the two key principles of autonomy and . 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. Allowing a 16-year-old person to make healthcare decisions yet restricting a person one month before their 16th birthday from doing the same seems arbitrary and illogical. This raises the prospect that a patient with legal capacity may still be a vulnerable person, and also that a vulnerable person may be harmed or exploited unintentionally within healthcare settings (Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 2016; Ebbs and Carver, 2019: 27). 40: . Children are individuals so, although they have not reached adulthood, they should not be excluded from participating in healthcare decisions that affect them. Journal of Paramedic Practice is the leading monthly journal for paramedics. OverviewThis CPD module will focus on some of the key ethical issues in relation to paramedic practice and prehospital care. While restraint and sedation may be an option for patient treatment, those options are invasive, contravene autonomy and can perpetuate mental health stigma. From this point of view, paramedicine has to develop a distinct set of ethical standards and rules to cover their sphere of professional activities. They may need to consider whether community rapid response services or home GP visits are appropriate, whether additional support services should be organised or if they may need to ensure family members or friends visit the patient in a timely manner. 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. While the ethical tenets apply to the moral aspect of practices, the legal ones help legally arrange them. They must also deliver care that is consistent with ethical standards and respectful of the expectations, preferences and beliefs of the patient. The use of the other sections of the MHA can require much more time (Hawley et al. This can explain why paramedics also report feelings of confusion surrounding the MCA and a lack of confidence in utilising it (Amblum 2014). doi = "https://doi.org/10.12968/jpar.2020.12.10.CPD1". This situation will hopefully alter over time, so this module attempts to present the four ethical contexts common in other health disciplines and discuss them in relation to paramedic practice.Learning OutcomesAfter completing this module you will be able: To provide an overview of the four key ethical principles that underpin current clinical practice in the UK To explore these four ethical principles in relation to specific prehospital and clinical issues To encourage the practitioner to reflect on their own ethical practice To begin to develop the ability to share, discuss and debate the four ethical principles with colleagues and friends, in relation to your own clinical practice. 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). Some people with a disability may have mobility issues that do not affect their capacity to consent to treatment and decision-making, while others with a disability may not have decision-making capacity for numerous reasons, including communication difficulties or intellectual disability. In such circumstances, clinicians should include the patient in the decision-making where possible, and be mindful of the impact of decisions on patients. Powered by Pure, Scopus & Elsevier Fingerprint Engine 2023 Elsevier B.V. We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content. Furthermore, those with mental illness may at times experience treatment and management that limits their autonomy, such as during times of severe psychosis where a patient's autonomy is lawfully overridden in their best interests through the use of chemical or even physical restraint. Nevertheless, it is important to understand that many ethical issues presented in health care have little to do with paramedicine as the latter focuses mainly on emergencies. The ethical principle of non-maleficence means that paramedicine practitioners should discuss the probable negative consequences of their decisions and prevent them in order not to harm the patients. It is clear from these assessments that there are consequent physical risks to the patient's wellbeing depending on the mental health condition(s) present. Sign up to Journal of Paramedic Practices regular newsletters and keep up-to-date with the very latest clinical research and CPD we publish each month. Ethical dilemmas are in large part situational, and so it may be helpful to briefly describe the occupational nature of paramedic practice. Sign up to Journal of Paramedic Practices regular newsletters and keep up-to-date with the very latest clinical research and CPD we publish each month. C. Patient care cannot be discredited based on poor documentation. The priorities of the medical director C. The wishes of the general public D. Locally accepted protocols, During your monthly internal quality improvement (QI) meeting, you review several patient care reports .

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