Assignment

You will submit a 5-page essay synthesizing course readings and outside research into an articulate and cogent response to the following question: are there occasions in the delivery of health care when deception is warranted?

Based on your reading of the textbook(s), Scripture, and additional sources:

Identify 1 scenario when deception by a health care provider may be appropriate, if any;

Provide a rationale (in terms of biblical commandments, guidelines, or inferences) on whether or not a Christian clinician should deceive a patient;

Identify 1 scenario when ethical concerns might be associated with the physician's actions.

Recount occasions from your personal life experiences of being lied to/misled by a health care clinician and, in retrospect, comment on the correctness of this decision.

Essay Instructions

In Module, you will be required to submit a 5-page essay synthesizing course readings and outside research into an articulate and cogent response to the following question: are there occasions in the delivery of health care when deception is warranted?

Provide a detailed presentation that is organized according to the following format:

Part I - Provide a brief introductory summary (must include a clear thesis statement).

Part II - Select 1 of the following scenarios of medical deception and address if/when it might be justifiable. Make sure to include at least 1 professional resource to support any observations or discussion in this section.

1. A physician intentionally submits faulty information to an insurance company in an attempt to help a sick patient obtain necessary healthcare services.

2. A physician recognizes that his/her patient is dealing with psychosomatic symptoms and prescribes a placebo pill in hopes that the emotional relief of the placebo will help the patient recover (thus saving the patient from possible treatments which would be more invasive and/or extensive).

3. A physician does not provide full disclosure of a surgical procedure because they suspect the patient is not stable enough to handling all the details of what is required for treatment and recovery.

Part III - Provide a rationale (in terms of biblical commandments, guidelines, or inferences) on whether or not a Christian clinician should deceive a patient. Be sure to provide clear, biblical support for your rationale.

Part IV - Select 1 of the following scenarios and explore any ethical concerns that might be associated with the physician's actions. Make sure to include at least 1 professional resource to support any observations or discussion in this section..

1. Physicians often accept pharmaceutical perks if they use a specific drug for treatment.

2. When prescribing pain medication, some physicians may "undertreat" a patient if they sense their patient may have a propensity for addiction.

3. Some physicians who are treating a patient with a terminal illness may choose not to disclose secondary ailments/diseases which may arise (in an attempt to protect the patient's emotional stability and will to fight).

Part V - Recount occasions from your personal experiences of being lied to/misled by a health care clinician and, in retrospect, comment on the correctness of this decision. If this never happened in your life, outline a scenario you have heard about or researched where deceit was part of a health care decision. Comment on your perception of that scenario (this is the only section of the paper that will include any personal references).

Bibliography - Note that you must have at least 3 supplementary sources (in addition to the text and the Bible) that are used in the development and presentation of your paper. It is important to note that Wikapedia is NOT a credible source for this paper. Make sure to use current APA or AMA formatting when citing your work.