Assignment on Commercial impact of COVID-19 on corporate ethics in the medical sector

Ethical challenges faced by medical sectors:

the most critical dilemmas which are initiated till now are surged due to shortage of important and necessary resources, mainly personal protective equipment (PPEs) for clinicians working on the frontline and the emerging area of needing to take highly critical decisions about which patient are in criteria to be provided a limited supply of ventilators. The professionals are forcefully making decisions under the cloud of huge uncertainty, we still lack accurate data.

In a large part of U.S, many like us, have never experienced such circumstances where we can widely observe as optimal care in a simple manner is not feasible. We are unable to practice in a manner that we have been doing so and this is quite unsettling. But these are the measures required for us to do in time of a pandemic when the requirement is more then our actual capacity How should physicians’ approach each of these decisions? the decision making shouldn’t be only put in the hands of physicians. They also require guidance from the upper level which includes institutions, states or national bodies. The institution should make the decision following the system procedure about the allotment of ventilator which is quite a better solution regarding to an ethics perspective other then leaving the situation in the hands of patient’s caretaker. Following the procedures and instructions of a designated committee or institutional officer to take the decision based on SOP guidelines helps understand that the decisions taken are adequate and helps take the burden or guilt away from the physicians and other workers who are working endlessly for the individual patients diagnosed.

We are aware that most of the institutions and states are updating their policies according to the situation developed from what we know about COVID-19: others are in development process. How can physicians deal with the mental stress of making life-or-death decisions caused by equipment shortages?

The idea that I have discussed above regarding institutional protocols taking the decisions on life-and-death which we are facing is the most impactful way to trigger physicians deal with the ongoing uncertainty and toll in psychology of the pandemic.

However, we are also visualizing professional communities coming out with physicians discussing concerns, Ideas and information on social media. Not only including clinicians in their local institution or community, but going further state lines and mostly internationally. They are providing support to the colleagues which is very impactful.

This began as a testing communication, but virtual activities are being created more systematically by institutions and communities. Things like powering virtual town halls which are able to connect the public with physicians in order to provide them support in any way possible. The state in Colorado is initiating these virtual town halls who introduce public state health experts who provide information and update the citizens on the situation and answering the questions from physicians who are practicing or retired.

With a shortage of PPE, what ethical dilemmas do physicians face when it comes to caring for patients who may be infected with COVID-19 but the doctors lack the proper equipment to safely treat the patient? One of the agreements the physicians accepts on joining the field is to accept personal risk which is far more then usual in scenario of urgent need, which includes a event like an outbreak of disease. With priority we’d ensure the production of top of the line personal protective equipment because its very important to provide safety to the physicians working on the front line against the pandemic and to meet ongoing needs of health. If a shortage of PPEs occurs, physicians should be willing to accept the scenario of suboptimal but safe protection until the supplies are back in order

The job to substitute PPEs are more like to provide ventilators or other supplies for patient use, and like previously discussed all this decision should be initiated following the set SOPs of the institutions and their protocol must be followed.

Analyzing on which personnel is at most need for PPEs due to they are facing the most critical risk looking after seriously ill COVID-19 patients have a justified claim to protection available. There can be multiple ways to ensure protection to physicians who are at high risk personally due to the reason of an underlying medical condition. If they are given a task to give care to non-COVID-19 patients.

The institutions for example are required to look for multiple ways for increasing the rate of supplies of PPEs or analyze if PPEs can be re used by adequate sterilizing until new equipment supplies are available, or need to dig out other ways to ensure the requirement is full filled.

Fraud triangle also endured due to its simplicity and accurate. Therefore a ACFE had never stated this is the triangle which could also explain the various case of fraud. Thus should be very careful when used the fraud triangle for the detail analysis of PPE examples. The fraud triangle is very useful which is also help to understand that in what way the people commit the fraud which is not the scientific theory. Physicians also used the fraud triangle to undergo the process of analyzing the damage if the think to not show up for work and they have to understand that what impact will be done to their patients who are in desperate need of them. In topic to provide safety to the members of the house hold strict precautionary measures should be applied at their home. Many physicians have young children or elderly parents at home. Is it ethical for them to not show up for shifts at a hospital where COVID-19 is prevalent? How should physicians keep their families safe while still meeting their ethical obligations as a doctor?

I don’t have clear data on how many physicians of our have families or household member who are currently at high risk, but the information we do have is there are many of these families out there. Maintaining an equilibrium between the professional commitment to perform our duties which are urgently needed in a pandemic and maintaining the responsibility of our household is tough.

There has been reports of un-adequate hand sanitizers being sold and increase in their prices? The reports surrounding the social media regarding the sale of un adequate sanitizers are a matter of health department. They should look into the matter on immediate basis because it will only create more problems for the health workers to deal with and they should also go for the culprits who are increasing the prices of their products during this epidemic.

This is a big challenge since all all of the cases, because the system is unable to cope with so many patients who need care as a result of the virus infection, even if there is no other case related to heart problems or lungs or metabolic diseases or cancer.

The challenges vary from country to country but some things are emerging everywhere. Didgital adoption for example have become disappointment for everyone when they promised to give care and access digitaly. This year 2020 will not only remembered as the time of corona virus infections but also the dodgial transformation time and where it became the mainstream solution. History told us that it is difficult to put gennie back into the bottle once it is out. This time is a clear example. Ther are many ways to cope with the problem like use of technology in health care centers by linking the data from labs to development of technological solutions to fastly relate it to testing in many regions of the world. The use of telemedicine for care of the patient directly for public health sectors have been described.

How to cope with situation:

People are experiencing variety of feelings and thoughts these days during this situation of COVID-19. How to cope with this evolving situation so that it will not spread a lot and will not affect our economy more. This is obviously be stressful time for everyone. This is totally upsetting for everyone in this world right now. Many of us are thinking that the world is about to end. Students are bearing lose of their studies due to major lockdown. all people, one who are affected, one who are watching media all over the world everyone is in stress right now. Children especially are at the risk as they are frightened. The image that was in their mind about the safe world is temporary lost. We should talk with them and make them calm and seriously tell them the protective measures.

A lot of anxiety comes from not knowing what will happen regarding corona virus outbreak and for how long the lock down will continue. We often experience paralyzing anxiety. Accept that our life is going to be different for a while. Accepting this situation will be really helpful. Even a well-off person is now worrying about money and this stress is natural as the lockdown is impacting our economy individually as well as globally.

Start prioritizing your mental and physical health care. Stay aware about the latest information regarding COVID-19 outbreak. Most people who become infected face mild illness and can recover easily but can be more severe to some people having weak immune system. Do following things to protect yourself and your loved ones;

Wash hands regularly and thoroughly with some alcohol bases hand wash or soap. This can easily kill the viruses present on your hand

Maintain at least 1 meter of social distance and anyone who is sneezing or coughing. Because when someone sneeze or cough they put small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus if you accidently breathe in those virus containing droplets you will get the disease too.

Try to avoid touching your own eyes, mouth or nose as our hand touch many surfaces and can pick the virus. And once it transferred to eyes, nose or mouth, the virus can sneak in the body and make ourselves sick.

Take precaution about respiratory hygiene like putting on the mask on nose and mouth and bet your elbow when cough or sneeze then throw the used tissue immediately.

If you have any symptom regarding corona virus, seek the medical care as early as possible.

Stay informed and share advises regarding current situation to people around you because together we can fight this disease to spread and together, we can save our economy and ourselves.