When it comes differentiating between the demands of legal policies, ethical issues with relevance to the needs of the provider and the patient there is a very fine line in my opinion.

I automatically think of procedures such as abortions that could be an issue for providers who legally have to perform, the procedure if it's within their scope of practice although they may feel like it is ethically and morally wrong to take a human life and end it.

Legal policies within the healthcare industry can stem from different reasons that ethically don't have to be wrong. When a provider provides some kind of malpractice, it isn't necessarily an ethical issue at hand.

From a provider perspective, I feel they have more at risk when it comes to the demands of legal policies. Providers need to ensure that they are abiding by so many different laws and guidelines that keep them within their legal realm. It seems that the career as a provider can be very stressful and ethically providers take an oath that holds them to very high standards in regards to the treatment and care that they provide.

Morally, providers must make sure they are doing everything in their power to save a life regardless of their personal beliefs because this is what's ethically right.

For patients, I think the legal policies and ethical issues differ because they are looking at it from a different perspective. Patients may not necessarily know what they are to expect legally from their provider besides being treated. Patients may not know if a provider is performing ethically and therefore that line can easily be crossed.

Ethically as a patient I think they are legally and ethically expected to tell the complete truth about their health history so they can be treated properly.

You hear a lot about patients who lie about ailments and symptoms so they can receive medications that they wouldn't otherwise receive. This is not only illegal; it is also ethically and morally wrong.

References

Pozgar, G. D. (2016). Legal and Ethical implications in Healthcare. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.