Question: In healthcare, the ethical principle of justice refers to the equal and fair distribution of resources. An example would be a community hospital that implements a project to provide flu-shots to elderly members of the community at no cost. There are only 60 openings per month for this service, and the program will only run from November to March. Justice requires a fair method that is free of bias to determine which elderly adults would receive the flu shot.
The first question is based on your own experience so that you can begin the discussion immediately without having completed all of your readings. Can you provide an example of a situation when there was injustice in healthcare?
The following questions will be based upon the following:
Ryan White was an American teenager, who had hemophilia and contracted HIV/AIDS from a needed blood transfusion. Because of his HIV/AIDS diagnosis, he was expelled from middle school. Together with his Mother, he fought AIDS-related discrimination and his right to attend school. His determination gained national attention and the importance of public education about the disease.
By using the ethical principle of justice, discuss how a healthcare professional is legally and ethically bound to provide care for a patient who has been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
What conflicts could occur in the healthcare setting and how would they be resolved? Base your post on your readings and the website provided.