Monday, January 27, 2020

Informed Consent in Treatment

Informed Consent in Treatment Danelle J. Hollenbeck Introduction Informed consent is an ethical idea or concept which clients must understand and agree to prior to receiving an assessment, treatment, etc. This paper explores informed consent in treatment and confidentiality. It explores why it is important to acquire informed consent and maintain confidentiality when providing treatment. Due to restrictions in length of the paper, I will not focus on informed consent involving minors or the incapacitated. Informed Consent in Treatment Informed consent is an ethical and legal design to ensure clients are provided with knowledge and information about the treatment in which they are seeking, thus decide whether or not they want to participate in the treatment when the consent has been given to them and is worded in language that is easy to understand (Fishers, 2013, p.12). Standard in informed consent would be the nature of all information that is included in the procedures and steps that must be taken to protect the rights of children and adults with impairments, thus not able to provide consent (Fishers, 2013, p.12). It is important that a practitioner receives informed consent for evaluations, assessments, and treatment, except when mandated by law (â€Å"APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, â€Å"n.d.). Practitioners using the services of an interpreter must obtain informed consent from the client in order to use that interpreter, which ensures on behalf of the client that confidentiality is maintained. It is also imperative that practitioners inform (whilst obtaining informed consent) they inform clients as early as possible about fees involved, limits of confidentiality, and involvement of third parties (â€Å"APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, â€Å"n.d.). Where I work we have a packet in which the first 4 sheets are consent to share information and include consent to share data to NTDMS, two charities we work in partnership with and would be providing services to clients, and social services. There is also a form they sign which states t hat information obtained in this assessment is confidential unless they are at risk to themselves or others, or have put a child at-risk. Informed consent also includes identifying a person’s professional identity, explaining the risks, and the client’s ability to discontinue treatment at any time. According to Hudgins, et al (2013) â€Å"informed consent also includes the notice that is  required by federal or state laws, professional ethical codes, or both, concerning the patient rights†Ã‚  (pg.11). this is very important to have so people entering into treatment know what their rights  are. Effective ways to ensure the ethical standards are being met is to put informed consent in the  patient handbook (Hudgins et al, 2013, p 8). The most powerful tool in compliance and ensuring  ethical standards is to create a pathway into the informed consent process which exists right at  the beginning. HIPAA patient material that is required and Part 2 can be included in the patient  handbook, along with the â€Å"Mental Health Bill of Rights† that may be required by state statute  Hudgins et al, 2013, pg. 8). Informed consent, as with any medical procedure, should be revisited  and documented. The practitioner has a duty to ensure the client is involved in ethical decisions  about his or her care. The process of securing informed consent involves patient education by the  practitioner (Rock Hoebeke, 2014, pg. 4). Each patient is expected to be the guardian of their  own body, as long as they are of sound mind. A patient of sound mind may choose not to go  ahead with treatment, even if it is life-saving (Rock Hoebeke, 2014, pg. 2). American law does  not permit the practitioner to have personal judgment over the client (Rock Hoebeke, 2014, pg.  2), nor permit the practitioner to assert personal judgment over the client. According to Rock   Hoebeke, â€Å"Respect for human dignity requires the recognition of specific patient rights,  particularly, the right of self-determination. Self-determination, also known as autonomy, is the  philosophical basis for informed consent in health care. Patients have the moral and legal right to  determine what will b e done with their own person; to be given accurate, complete, and  understandable information in a manner that facilitates an informed judgment; to be assisted with  weighing the benefits, burdens, and available options in their treatment, including the choice of  no treatment; to accept, refuse, or terminate treatment without deceit, undue influence, duress,  coercion, or penalty† (2014). It is therefore imperative each person entering into treatment has  the means allowed to accept or deny treatment by under which the means they understand it. Another point to consider regarding informed consent is that although a practitioner  may appoint a receptionist or nurse to obtain the written informed consent, it is legally and  ethically the practitioner’s sole responsibility to ensure his or her client has been educated in  regards to assessment and treatment. This cannot be delegated to a latter employee (Hock   Roebeke, 2014, pg. 3). Ethically and legally reliability getting informed consent lies within  the practitioner providing treatment, which includes also the risks and benefits of the treatment. Although delegation clearly is appointed at the pathway of treatment when doing an assessment,  the practitioner does so at the sole discretion that they are doing so risking liability. Those who  have been delegated this work should be properly trained as outlined in Standards 2.05 (â€Å"APA  Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, â€Å"n.d.) which states those who are  delegated work have been properly trained (apa.org). Therefore the person witnessing the  signature is knowledgeable and looks for clues to determine if the person is lucid and  comprehends the informed consent. This can cause further ethical and legal  situations if each person providing informed written consent is not coherent. Finally, spontaneously signing the form by a patient should not be allowed. It is  imperative that each patient reads and understands the forms they are signing. Signing without  reading has been a habitual practice (Rock Hoebeke, 2014, p. 4). The receptionist, nurse, or  other point of contact before seeing the practitioner is the advocate of the patient, thus should  assess the patient’s understanding of treatment. In practice, I have taken clients into a private  room and read to them the informed consent forms to make sure they understand what they are  signing. I already employ all of these methods in my daily practice setting now when undertaking  first contact, initial assessments, etc. I plan to use the Ethics Code and guidelines in the same  manner in which I was trained. Because I am providing a service to people I must ensure they  understand the service they are receiving. If they are not able to read or write, I will read it for  them in a private setting, or if they require an interpreter I will employ Standard 2.05 (â€Å"APA  Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, â€Å"n.d.) and hire a trained interpreter. It  is imperative I follow the Ethics Code in strict line with my work so that I am not  jeopardizing my clients or also myself. References APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://memforms.apa.org/apa/cli/interest/ethics1.cfm#10_01 Fisher,C.B. (2013).Decoding the ethics code: A practical guide for psychologists: includes the 2010 APA amendments to the ethics code(3rded.). Los Angeles [etc.: SAGE. Hudgins, PhD,C., Rose, PhD,S., Fifield,P., Arnault,S. (2013).Navigating the Legal and Ethical Foundations of Informed Consent and Confidentiality in Integrated Primary Care(Vol. 31). Retrieved from American Psychological Association website: http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.lib.kaplan.edu/eds/detail/ Rock,M., Hoebeke,R. (2014). Informed consent: whose duty to inform?MedSurgNursing,23(3), 4. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.lib.kaplan.edu

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Stuff Happens by David Hare

Stuff Happens is a play by David Hare, written in response to the Iraq war during the Bush administration. It talks about the events that led to the war on Iraq in 2003, which spans from George Bush’s election in 2000 up till his stepping down from office in 2008. The title is inspired by Donald Rumsfeld’s response to journalists about the looting happening in Baghdad where he replied â€Å"Stuff Happens†. The writer already states in the authors note that it is â€Å"knowingly true† but he had to use his imagination in parts that were not covered especially when the politicians were behind closed doors. The Bush war cabinet, which is made up of Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Paul Wolfowitz, Colin Powell, George Tenet, Dick Cheney mad Donald Rumsfeld is made of fantasists who want to attack Iraq except Colin Powell who is a stern realist. When there is a showdown with Bush Powell puts the point, which comes to no avail that war should be seen as a last resort were diplomacy has not worked. Here he points out the hypocrisy of Americans where he asks, â€Å"people keep asking of Saddam†, â€Å"how do we know he’s got weapons of mass destruction? How do we know? Because we’ve still got the receipts. † Here in this particular scene Powell speaks his mind to the president where he points out hypocrisy by saying that they used to trade with Saddam not long ago and now they want to go to war with him. Also an example of power of leadership is shown but in a very indirect way when Bush summons Powell to the Oval office. Here Bush asks for Powell’s permission to go to war and then Powell replies he does not disagree with the idea but after he leaves he says he didn’t need Powell’s permission. This shows that no matter the situation and even if Powell had said no the president had already made his decision. It seems in way that Bush is sometimes abusing his power to gain the upper hand of people and not a lot of people would disagree with the President of the United States of America. As for political maneuvering, this is shown as Rumsfeld telling the press indirectly that they don’t need the British and there is also a bit of deception, as he has no sense of regret in his words. Finally a very strong point of society’s perception of the events is given by an Iraqi exile at the end of the book. The Iraqi even admits to hating Saddam Hussein by saying â€Å"I even longed for the fall of the dictator†, but the comment that Donald Rumsfeld totally changed his perception of things. He shows this by bringing up the way the Americans who died are counted and given an honorary ceremony but the Iraqi’s are unaccounted for. This shows how the war was totally unfair and that they considered the Iraqis not to be human. The Iraqi exile then solidifies everything by the last words he says where people say to him, â€Å"look tell America†, and he replies by saying â€Å"you are putting your faith in the wrong person. Don’t expect America or anybody will do it for you. If you don’t do it yourself, this is what you get. † What this is saying is that even if people think America is like the world body they should expect that America could turn their backs on them anytime and that if you put your faith in them you will be disappointed.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution Essay

Darwin was a British scientist who first set the building blocks for the theory of evolution, and transformed the way in which we think about the natural world and the organisms within it. Charles Robert Darwin was born on the 12th of February 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. He was born into a wealthy and well-connected family. Initially, he had planned to follow a medical career path, and studied firstly at Edinburgh University, but then changed to Cambridge. In 1831, he joined a 5 year scientific expedition on the survey ship – HMS Beagle. At this time, most Europeans believed that the world and animals/plants had been created by God in seven days, as described in the Bible. However, Darwin believed the rich variety of animal life and geological features within our world suggested something different. On the 5 year voyage, Darwin was especially interested in his findings within the Galapagos Islands, which seemed to support his initial thought of evolution within a species. Also, on his travels, Darwin read Lyrell’s ‘Principles of Geology’, which suggested that the fossils found in rocks were actually evidence of animals that had lived many thousands or even millions of years ago. This reinforced Darwin’s own mind, and his visit to the Galapagos gave the evidence to his ideas. Darwin noticed that each island supported its own form of finch which were closely related, but different in important ways: for example, the birds that lived on an island where its main food source was berries, the finch would have more of a ‘parrot beak, which was smaller with a point at the end, while those which ate cacti had much longer and thinner beaks. In 1836 he returned to England, and began trying to solve the riddles of these observations and the puzzle of how species could evolve. After being influenced by the ideas of Malthus, Darwin proposed a theory of evolution occurring by the process of ‘natural selection’. The animals (or plants) that were best suited to their environment are more likely to survive and therefore reproduce, passing on the characteristics which helped them survive to their offspring. Gradually, the species changes over time. For 20 years Darwin worked on this theory, then after learning that another naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, had developed similar ideas. The two made a joint announcement of their discoveries in 1858. A year later, Darwin published ‘On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural  Selection’, which was extremely popular, and informed many people of this new idea. The book was extremely controversial, because Darwin’s theory was that homo sapiens were simply another form of animal. It made it seem possible that even people might just have evolved – quite possibly from apes – and destroyed the theory of the Bible, which had been believed for many centuries, on how the world was created. Many people did not want to go against their religion, and passed the idea to stay with what they had always been taught. Darwin was vehemently attacked and frowned upon, particularly by the Church. However, his ideas soon gained currency and have become the new orthodoxy. Darwin died on 19 April 1882 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Hitler s Foreign Policy During The World War II - 2305 Words

The official start of the Second World War is most commonly linked with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. Nevertheless, there are still ongoing disagreements as to whether Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany at the time, aspired to spark an extensive world war through his actions in Eastern Europe. In the years leading up to September 1939, Hitler’s foreign policy had become increasingly dependent on the idea of expansionism. Constructed through Hitler’s foreign policy at the time, there are many historians that view the occupation of Poland as nothing more than an extension of the two previous successful Nazi annexations of Austria and Czechoslovakia, with Hitler expecting a coy reaction from the other European countries. Richard Overy and A. J. P. Taylor are among the historians that believe that the outbreak of war ensuing the Polish invasion, was a direct result of the underestimations generated by the German government, who were heavily distracted by continuous issues occurring inside of the Reich. In contrast, some historians including Adam Tooze and Klaus Hildebrand, view the invasion of Poland as much more than just a trial of expansion. These historians believe that the invasion was a conscious attempt to draw Europe into a conflict that would catapult Germany to the top of the European powers by increasing their influence and status throughout the world. These historians acknowledge that Germany had prominent racial motivations at the time thatShow MoreRelatedHistory Essay Spanish Civil War957 Words   |  4 PagesWhat were the key effects of the Spanish Civil War? Spanish Civil War was war which lasted from 1936 to 1939. 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