Ethics in Healthcar

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Context.....................................................................................................3
Process......................................................................................................6
Analysis..................................................................................................11
Application............................................................................................13
Activity...................................................................................................14
Works Cited...........................................................................................15

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Context
One aspect of being a medical professional that can be a major determining factor for a
successful career is reputation. Many different factors can influence the type of reputation that a
medical professional can have. These factors include: a good rapport with patients and
colleagues, knowledge of the specific field, and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to make
ethical decisions. One decision can be the difference between a successful career and a
malpractice lawsuit and loss of license. A malpractice lawsuit is the result of negligence on the
part of a health professional or a clear breach of their code of ethics. Each medical professional
has a code of ethics which can result that gives medical professionals guidebooks on the best
ethical decisions to make. The most difficult thing about the concept of ethics is that it is not
clear-cut. Many times what is ethical can be up for personal interpretation. Furthermore, there are
many different factors that can influence what an individual interprets as ethical decision
making. As a future health professional, ethics will play a large part of my career on a daily
basis. Over the course of this paper I will simplify the process of how to make ethical decisions
as a healthcare professional.
To help simplify what ethics are and how to approach ethical problems I will refer to a
multitude of sources that I have analyzed during my research. One of these sources that I will
refer to is my textbook for the Ethics and Healthcare course that I took last semester, Ethical
Dimensions in the Health Professions (Purtilo and Doherty). The purpose of this textbook was to
give the students a six step process for ethical decision making and give the students different
scenarios to put this process to the test. This textbook describes ethics as, a systematic study of
and reflection on morality because it is a discipline that uses special methods and approaches to

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moral situations, and reflection because it consciously calls into question assumptions about
existing components of our moralities that fall into categories of habits, customs, and traditions
(Purtilo and Doherty 16).
The text communicates to the reader that there is a large correlation between morality and
ethics. As a student entering the health professions, you must reckon with at least three
subgroups of morality: your personal morality, societal morality, and the morality of health
professions and institutions (Purtilo and Doherty 9). All of these subgroups of morality can play
a big role in what you believe to be an ethical decision so these groups will be further broken
down over the house of this research paper.
The process of ethical decision making can be broken down into six steps. These six steps
consist of: gathering relevant information, identifying the type of ethical problem, analyzing the
problem using ethics theories or approaches, exploring the practical alternatives, taking action,
and evaluating the process and outcome (Purtilo and Doherty ix). Gathering all the relevant
information in a case is important because the information can help aid the decision-maker in
identifying the type of ethical problem. The information can also aid in figuring out a direction
when it is time to come up with practical alternatives. For example, if a patient has diabetes the
decision-maker will want to make sure that nutrition is involved in the action plan. Identifying
the type of ethical problem helps the decision-maker figure out how they want to attack the
problem. Analyzing the problem using ethics theories and approaches gives different
perspectives which in turn allows you to create different practical alternatives. Exploring the
practical alternatives helps you think of the pros, cons, and consequences that each decision has.
After weighing these options, the decision-maker needs to take the action that they feel are the
best for all parties involved. Evaluation after the action is taken is important because it allows for

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reflection and gives the decision-maker the opportunity to learn from their experience in case
they are part in a similar situation in the future.
There are also many ethical theories that can further factor into your ethical decision
making process. The theories that we discussed during the Ethics in Healthcare class were:
Utilitarianism, Teleology, Deontology, and Egoism. Learning these four theories was imperative
because these were the main theories in medical ethics and we had to use them to back up our
ethical decisions. A good grasp of these theories aids in the understanding of why ethical
decisions are not always cut-and-dry. These a four different ideals that can lead to a drastically
different decision-making process depending on which theory is used in the midst of an ethical
problem. In the early part of the semester the class spilt into groups and each did presentations to
describe these theories to the rest of the class. Each group used credible sources to get an
accurate description of each theory.
Deontology was defined as, Moral theory that guides healthcare professionals to make
choices based on duties and what one ought to do, as opposed to making a choice based on
what the outcome will be (Huesman et al.). The utilitarian group described their theory as, the
best balance of benefits over burden (Nash et al.). According to the teleology group, Teleology
(Consequentialism) states that the rightness and wrongness of an action depends on the
consequences produced (Gherman et al.). My group defined egoism as, the theory that ones
self is, or should be, the motivation and goal of ones own actions (Stallworth et al.). All of
these are key concepts that played a big role in the course because we were tested on our literacy
of these terms and other ethical concepts through an experiential learning project. The goal of
this project was for us to split into groups apply what we learned in the class to an ethical
problem that was present at sites where we volunteered. Gaining these literacies were key in a

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successful project for our group. According to the class syllabus this final project would be worth
150 points out of the 400 total points for the class (Lee).

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Process
The individuals who evaluate my literacy are my peers in the Ethics in Healthcare class
and the instructor, Seung-Yeon Lee. She has a doctoral degree in Human Nutrition and is
currently an assistant professor in the Nutrition and Dietetics department at the University of
Cincinnati. Her areas of interests and publications are geared more towards nutrition and the
impact that it can have on someones life. There are rubrics that show how she evaluates
presentations (insert rubric here). This information can help me prove my literacy because I
know what specific parts of my presentation I need to focus on to get the best grade possible. For
example, we had to make sure we used at least five credible sources for because we would lose
points if we did not have at least that amount.
The specific types of material most often used in my discourse community to convey
information is PowerPoint presentations. These texts function as a visual to go along with your
lecture of the topic you are discussing. The way PowerPoint presentations can convey
information is that you can put the information on various slides that give background
information, graphs, statistics, and other information that proves you have researched the topic.
My professor has chosen this particular genre of text because the class involves scenarios so the
discussion is easier to follow if there are visuals of the ethical problem as well. The fact that I
have to type in the information on the text helps me retain information and the different things
you can do like highlighting certain words can help you remember to stress certain details.
Elements of this text that will best allow me to prove my literacy are the ability to add
background information and videos that show that I fully understand the topic. It also allows

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have a better lecture because I am able to take a quick glance at the slide before I read which
helps me organize my thoughts. I find that I am a more effective speaker when I have bullet
points as opposed to prewriting everything word for word. This allows me to fill details where I
feel they are needed and inject some of my personality into the presentation.
Case studies are also often used in my discourse community. These function to give you
real-world examples of ethical problems that you might face in your health profession. Case
studies convey information by providing you all of the facts and background information of the
case that you need to be able to make an ethical decision. My professor has chosen this genre of
text because it allows students to apply what they have learned to a problem that is similar to
those they might face in their respective careers. It forces students to use their critical thinking
skills to make what they believe to be the best decision in each case. Other important textual
elements that are often used in my discourse community are listed below.

Powerpoint
Presentaions

Glossary

Textbooks

Tables/Graphs

Screenshots

Journal
Articles
Video
Demonstrations

Lecture Notes

Citations

Case Studies

Along with the textual elements, there are also key terms that are important to my
discourse community. These terms are morality, ethics, HIPAA, moral agent, and moral distress.

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Morality is the basis of ethics. There would be no ethics without moral codes set across cultures
over time. Ethics allows each patient to be treated fairly. Without ethics, doctors would surely
take advantage of patients for their own personal gain. HIPAA is important because it makes sure
medical professionals maintain a patients privacy by making their medical information
confidential. Moral agents are the medical employees that make the decision in an ethical
problem. Many health professionals experience emotional distress in intense medical situations
that can hinder their judgment.
Word

Definition
Personal Morality: A collage of values, duties, actions, and

Morality

character traits each person adopts as relevant for his or her

life (Purtilo 9).
Societal Morality: Contains values and ideas of duty that
spring from deep religious, philosophic, and anthropologic
beliefs about humans and their relationship with God (or
gods in some cultures), with each other, and with the natural
world (Purtilo 10).
Group Morality: Moral guidelines adopted by groups that
can include but are not limited to: religious groups, a
workplace culture, a club, a service organization, an ethnic
cluster, or other deep affiliation (Purtilo 11)
Professional Morality: Embraces moral duty, values, and
character traits that do not equally or at all apply to others in
society.

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A systematic study of and reflection on morality
because it is a discipline that uses special

Ethics

methods and approaches to moral situations, and

reflection because it consciously calls into
question assumptions about existing components
of our moralities that fall into categories of
habits, customs, and traditions (Purtilo 16)

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act of 1996. All of the
HIPAA rules include an implicit requirement
that the amount of individually identifiable
health information released or requested for
any specific purpose except for
disclosures authorized by the patient,
disclosures to another health care provider
involved in treatment, or disclosures required
by law be the minimum necessary to
accomplish the purpose (Annas 2).
Anyone responsible for the course of action
chosen and the outcome of her or his action
in a specific situation (Lee 5)

Moral Agent
Experience of emotional and/cognitive
discomfort based on a barrier to taking an
appropriate action (doing the right thing)

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Moral Distress

Type A: You cannot do what you know is

right
Type B: You know something is wrong but
you are not sure what

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Analysis
One of the artifacts that could prove my literacy are pictures from the Seven Hills Neighborhood
house where we volunteered as part of our experiential learning project (see fig. 1). The picture
exists from the documentation of the students in the after school program performing activities to
help further their learning. A photograph can be an important artifact because it gives you visual
proof of what the activities the students do in the after-school program
It was made to show potential volunteers, donators, and community members the positive things
the Neighborhood house does for the community. I have proven my ability to solve ethical
problems in a real-world environment through my experience volunteering at the Seven Hills
Neighborhood House. Furthermore, it showed that I have the ability to adapt knowledge learned
from my course which was reflected in my problem solving.
Two more artifacts are power point slides that I created that described one of the ethical
problems present at the neighborhood house.
This slide exists through a group power point presentation where my group determined an ethical
problem and evaluated possible solutions to fix this problem. However, the two slides that will
be depicted (see fig. 2 & 3) were created by myself. This is
format is significant because it is easy to follow and all of the

FIGURE 1: P HOTO OF A TUTORING SESSION AT

SHNH

presentations for this class were done on power points. This was made for the final presentation
for our Ethics in Healthcare course to be graded by the instructor. The literacy that this proves
was application of knowledge learned from the course to a non medical situation. It proves that

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type of literacy because I was able to clearly describe the problem and what type of moral
distress was associated with it.

FIGURE 2: SCREENSHOT OF THE "ETHICAL PROBLEM SLIDE THAT I

CREATED FOR THE FINAL GROUP PROJECT

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FIGURE 3: 2ND SCREENSHOT OF THE "ETHICAL PROBLEM"

SLIDE THAT I CREATED FOR THE FINAL GROUP PROJECT

FIGURE 4: D IFFERENT EXAMPLE OF THE EVALUATION OF AN ETHICAL PROBLEM

F IGURE 5: F INAL EVALUATION OF THE ETHICAL PROBLEM PRESENTED IN FIGURE 2

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Application
As medical professionals, ethics in a concept that is as imperative to grasp as the
information learned in science courses. Without a good foundational in ethics it would likely be
difficult to start a career as a health professional, and impossible to have a long, fruitful one. The
ability to make critical ethical decisions can be the difference between being revered by patients
and colleagues or a stint in prison, among other things. I gained a foundation in ethics and ethical
decision making skills through my Ethics in Healthcare course. This course gave me an overview
of the basics of healthcare ethics.
The first topics that were covered in the course were essential definitions that were
needed to properly evaluate ethical problems. These definitions allowed me to determine the
types of ethical problems that were administered by the instructor. There are three main types of
ethical problems that can be encountered in the medical field. These problems include: moral
distress, ethical dilemmas, and a locus of authority problem (CITE). A medical professions duty
is to act as the moral agent in these ethical problems.
This course provided consistent tests of each students abilities to act as a moral agent.
The textual element that was used to test this ability the most were case studies provided by the
instructor. One example of a case study provided was that of a 65-year-old diabetic patient who
entered a medical facility because of a broken leg. The patient also suffered from obesity. After
her surgery she was not to bare weight on her right leg for eight weeks. However, the OT and PT
determined that she would not be able to walk on crutches or a walker without putting weight on

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her right leg. They also recommended that the patient receive rehab at a skilled nursing facility
before she return home. Despite this, the MD medically cleared the patient to leave the hospital
the day after her surgery. One of the big issues here is a locus of authority problem. The OT and
PT do not believe the patient is fit to leave the hospital, but the MD has the final say.
The situation is further complicated by the patients insurance policy. Medicare will only
cover the cost of rehab if the patient is hospitalized for three days. Since the MD recommended
for her to return home the day after surgery this would not be applicable to this patient. This
means that the patient would have to pay out of pocket to go into the skilled nursing facility. This
leaves the MD in a situation where exaggerating the patients condition would serve as a benefit
to the patient financially. However, this would be a breach of the physicians code of ethics. As a
moral agent it is the duty of the physician to figure out more practical alternatives for the patient
before risking readmission to the hospital because the patient was not able to get around on her
own.
Exaggerating the patients condition to keep the patient in the hospital for a few extra
days was not considered when search for practical alternatives for the patient. Not only would
this be a breach of the code of ethics, but I would also set a bad precedent for the physician. It
would the physician them in a position where they would have to decide which patients they
would bend this rule for since they have done that for this patient. The most important aspect of
this case to consider was that if the patient were to return to the hospital because of re-injury then
the financial burden would fall onto the hospital. Upon review it was discovered the patient was
covered under Medicare Type B. As you know this means that the patient could have an at-homenurse come and care for the patient which she recovers. Another practical alternative for the

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patient would be to contact her family to see if they could either house the patient or take on
some of the possible finances of placing her in a skilled nursing facility.
We decided that the best first option for the patient would be to appeal to Medicare B to
cover the patients physical therapy services. We also recommended that the patient received the
at home nursing while a family stayed with her for further assistance. If the appeal for the
physical therapy was denied by Medicare B, then the patient could also apply for supplemental
insurance through a private company. My team believed that these were the best possible
alternatives for the patient and the hospital.

Professional Skills
I have proven my ability to solve ethical problems in a real-world environment through
my experience volunteering at the Seven Hills Neighborhood House. Furthermore, it showed that
I have the ability to adapt knowledge learned from my course which was reflected in my problem
solving. The literacy that this proves was application of knowledge learned from the course to a
non medical situation. It proves that type of literacy because I was able to clearly describe the
problem and what type of moral distress was associated with it. These literacies will allow me to
constantly conduct myself in a professional manner and represent the hospital and organization
that I work for properly. More importantly, these skills will allow me to be able to attack intense
medical problems calmly and make the best ethical decisions that will improve the quality of life
of my patients.
While the skills that were discussed above are important, there are many more skills that I
will need to gain in the future in my discourse community. Other skills I will need for the premed discourse community are communication skills, research skills, skills in a lab setting.
Communication skills are important because as a health professional I will come in contact with

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a variety of patients and colleagues throughout my career. My success will depend on these skills
because I will need to work with patients and colleagues to create patient-specific health plans
which require communication and cooperation with patients and staff. Research skills are
important in my discourse community because my research is what could bring money to the
organizations that I will eventually work for. This will also enhance my CV because it shows I
have to ability to conduct research and possibly bring more funds to my employer due to grants
and other funds. Knowledge of lab techniques and skills are important in my discourse
community because most medical breakthroughs happen with experiments in a lab setting. In
order to help make medical advances I will need to be able to hold my own in a laboratory. I will
be able to work on this literacy during this school year as I just got accepted for a research
position at Childrens Hospital.
Over the course of crafting this paper I have learned many necessary skills for my
discourse community. I have learned how to make a paper more interesting with textual elements
which could help with writing grant proposals. I have also learned how to properly search for,
cite, and annotate sources. This will be important in the future because it will add credibility to
papers I will write in the future which will make me stand out more. I will become a genius in
my discourse community because I now have the knowledge of how to conduct research on a
subject properly and how to present this research in an interesting fashion.

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Activity
The students in this course consists of mostly Freshman and Sophomores. This could
mean that they are not as burnout by college as seniors would be at this point in their academic
career. A good majority of the students in the class are pre-med majors so there is a great chance
that they will either have prior knowledge of the topic, or they will find the topic and activity
beneficial to them for their future. There are also a large portion of people who are either in
DAAP or CEAS so it is less likely that they will have prior knowledge on the subject. The
presentation could possibly appeal more to these students if I talk about making ethical decisions
on a broader scope and not get too specific into medical terms and procedures. I am not sure how
much interaction my peers would be willing to do since most of them, including myself, are
usually reluctant to answer questions in class. My topic is vastly different from other students in
the course so I think that will serve as a benefit because they will not have someone else to
compare it to. This also means it is unlikely I will have to worry about someone else having a
presentation that is similar to mine since there are limited ways my topic can be presented in. All
of the students in the room are honors students so I believe that it is safe to say that they will
grasp the knowledge quickly.
One possible topic is for me to set up a scenario where a patient is not fit to leave the hospital but
their insurance will not cover their stay any longer and walk the class through how to make an
ethical decision in this situation. Another topic could be to set up an interactive game where I
will have the class close their eyes and ask them a series a questions to see how each individual

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person would handle ethical problems. The topics could include physician-assisted suicide
among other controversial things. My last topic could be to teach the class the most important
aspects of making ethical decisions which includes: the relationship between morality and ethics,
the role a code of ethics plays for medical professionals, how to identify types of ethical
problems, etc. Three possible genres are a walkthrough activity, an interactive game, and a
lecture.
My topic is an ethical problem where the decision that could be made is open-ended and
up to the person making the decision. A patient has been rendered brain dead from a coma and
her husband wanted to essentially pull the plug. The patients parents wanted to keep her alive in
case she recovered. However, the husband stated that the patient would not want to be kept alive
if she were in a vegetative state. The ethical problem here is the matter of who gets to make this
decision? I am presenting some of the things that you need to think about when you are trying to
make an ethical decision and what consequences are if you make the wrong decision. I am also
presenting a real ethical situation that could be common in the medical field. I am presenting this
because I believe ethics can apply to any field whether it be medical or engineering, but
especially in the medical field ethics holds a great importance. It shows the literacy to adapt
knowledge and apply it to situations that may be different from what you encountered in the
classroom.
I will appeal to my classmates by providing a situation that can get them involved instead
of lecturing them. They might be lacking knowledge on some of the medical terminology like
HIPAA. They also might be lacking knowledge on how healthcare and medicare works for
patients. They will be interested in what I will be presenting because it will be a situation that
they all might encounter sometime in their lives. Every career has some sort of process for

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decision-making so each student might be interested in showing their perspective. I will be sure
to define the terms that are crucial for the activity before it begins and try to avoid using times
that they might not understand that do not apply to this specific activity.
I want to inform my classmates while also making them think because my topic is
something they can be applied to everyday life as it will help them be more conscious of how
their process for making decisions. I am hoping that my fellow classmates get a good idea of
how important it is to make ethical decisions in the medical field. In any field of study the
decisions that you make has an impact on the lives of others. This means that which each
decision that you make in the workplace you have to make sure you fully think about all the
options available and all of the consequences of each option. I will know if I am successful in my
purpose if my classmates make the right ethical decision based on the information I have given
them. If my classmates weighed all of the options during their discussion and thought about all
the possible consequences before they made their decision, then I know I was successful.
Five genre elements include: images, definitions, case studies. I selected this genre
because it would allow me to teach my topic to the class while also making the activity
interactive and more interesting because each student is involved in the process. This is the best
for conveying information because it allows the students to quickly discuss and apply the
information I have given them to make a quick ethical decision and it gives them a real-world
example that they might actually encounter. This shows that I have enough knowledge on the
subject to lead a classroom discussion on the topic. It will also show that I have the ability to
adapt what I have learned to create an ethical problem that could apply to the entire class while
still getting the message across. Some materials I would need for my presentation include: a case
study, slips of paper, and pictures of patient and doctor interaction.

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Works Cited
Annas, G. J. (2003). HIPAA regulations-a new era of medical-record privacy?. New England
Journal of Medicine, 348(15), 1486-1490.

Entry by one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals

Audience: Who is this text for?
o Medical Professionals
Purpose: Why does this text exist?
o To inform the reader of the history of medical record privacy and makes a
conclusion on whether HIPAA will be effective
Genre: How is the information presented?
o Journal Entry
Context: What is this source saying?
o HIPAA will become costly, ineffective, and frustrating to both medical
professionals and patients.

Emanuel, Linda. (2000). Ethics and the Structures of Healthcare. Cambridge Quarterly of
Healthcare Ethics, 9. Retrieved from
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?
jid=CQH&volumeId=9&seriesId=0&issueId=02

Published by a credible journal and has been peer reviewed.

Audience: Who is this text for?
o Physicians and other healthcare professionals
Purpose: Why does this text exist?
o To address the challenges of biology, medicine and healthcare and to meet the
needs of professionals serving on healthcare ethics committees in hospitals,

nursing homes, hospices and rehabilitation centres.

Genre: How is the information presented?
o The information is presented in a journal
Context: What is this source saying?

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o This journal article questions whether ethics can be applicable to
organizations
Gherman, W., Peck, M., Geiser, D. (2016). Teleology. Presentation presented in the University of
Cincinnati

Presentation by students in Ethics in Healthcare class designed to teach the class about
the theory of teleology.
Audience: Who is this text for?
o Students and Instructor of Ethics in Healthcare class
Purpose: Why does this text exist?
o Students were to create the presentations to teach the class about different ethical
theories that could be applied to the healthcare field using credible sources
Genre: How is the information presented?
o Power point presentation
Context: What is this source saying?
o The source is explaining what teleology is and how it can be applied to a
healthcare setting

Huesman, S., Schnell, C., Holdren, H., & Rickard, A. (2016). Deontology. Presentation presented
at the University of Cincinnati

Presentation by students in Ethics in Healthcare class designed to teach the class about
the theory of deontology.
Audience: Who is this text for?
o Students and Instructor of Ethics in Healthcare class
Purpose: Why does this text exist?
o Students were to create the presentations to teach the class about different ethical
theories that could be applied to the healthcare field using credible sources
Genre: How is the information presented?
o Power point presentation
Context: What is this source saying?
o The source is explaining what deontology is and how it can be applied to a
healthcare setting

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Lee, S. (2016, February 10). Prototypes of Ethical Problems. Lecture presented in University of
Cincinnati.

Lecture and power point by instructor of Ethics in Healthcare class at the University of
Cincinnati
Audience: Who is this text for?
o Students of the Ethics in Healthcare class
Purpose: Why does this text exist?
o To help students better understand the different types of ethical problems they
may see as health professionals
Genre: How is the information presented?
o Lecture Power point
Context: What is this source saying?
o Students should be able to identify the basic structural features of prototypes of
ethical problems after reading power point

Loyola Bioethics (2012, October 03). Ethics Consultation Case- Jacque Jones- part 1. Retrieved
July 05, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0RcoTebfSw

Sample case study posted by the Youtube account of an accredited university

Audience: Who is this text for?
o Students, professors, future or current health professionals
Purpose: Why does this text exist?
o To provide a sample case study for students and health professionals who might
find themselves in similar situations.
Genre: How is the information presented?
o Youtube Video
Context: What is this source saying?
o The patient or the spokesperson for the patient always has the right to make the
decisions on the patients healthcare

Nash, A., Mulkern, A., Golfman, B., & Thomsen, H. (2016). Utilitarianism. Presentation
presented at the University of Cincinnati.

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Presentation by students in Ethics in Healthcare class designed to teach the class about
the theory of utilitarianism.
Audience: Who is this text for?
o Students and Instructor of Ethics in Healthcare class
Purpose: Why does this text exist?
o Students were to create the presentations to teach the class about different ethical
theories that could be applied to the healthcare field using credible sources
Genre: How is the information presented?
o Power point presentation
Context: What is this source saying?
o The source is explaining what utilitarianism is and how it can be applied to a
healthcare setting

Purtilo, R., Doherty & Doherty, R. (2011). Ethical Dimensions in the Health Professions, 5th
Edition.

Written by professors in who teach or work in the field of philosophy and ethics.

Textbook on ethical theories and application to health professions

Audience: Who is this text for?
o The audience of this text is students who want to gain more knowledge on

ethical theories and situations.

Purpose: Why does this text exist?
o This text exists to give students a guide to making effective choices that lead

to a professional and caring response to patients.

Genre: How is the information presented?
o The information is presented through a textbook in an academic manner
Context: What is this source saying?
o Students will learn to recognize, understand, and solve ethical problems
through study of theories and case studies

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Stallworth, M., Recker, A., Sultan, H., & Wong, S. (2016). Egoism. Presentation presented at the
University of Cincinnati.

Presentation by students in Ethics in Healthcare class designed to teach the class about
the theory of egoism.
Audience: Who is this text for?
o Students and Instructor of Ethics in Healthcare class
Purpose: Why does this text exist?
o Students were to create the presentations to teach the class about different ethical
theories that could be applied to the healthcare field using credible sources
Genre: How is the information presented?
o Power point presentation
Context: What is this source saying?
o The source is explaining what egoism is and how it can be applied to a healthcare
setting

Washington v. Glucksberg (1997) (Google Scholar, Dist. file).

Supreme court case that determined whether physician assisted suicide was constitutional

and ethical in the state of Washington in 1997.

Audience: Who is this text for?
o Those who inquire about the supreme courts opinion on whether physician-

assisted suicide is ethical and constitutional and their reasons for that opinion
Purpose: Why does this text exist?
o This text exists so that this court case can be cited in future decisions regarding

the ethics of physician assisted suicide

How is the information presented?
o Court Case file
What is this source saying?
o The court decided that banning physician-assisted suicide did not violate the 14th
amendment.

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Winkler, E. C., Gruen, R. L., & Sussman, A. (2005). First principles: Substantive ethics for
healthcare organizations. Journal of Healthcare Management, 50(2), 109-19;
discussion 119-20. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/206728451?accountid=2909

Published by a credible journal related to how to manage healthcare procedures

Audience: Who is this text for?
o Healthcare or aspiring healthcare professionals

Purpose: Why does this text exist?

o To provide what they believe to be four main principles of ethical healthcare
Genre: How is the information presented?
o Journal
Context: What is this source saying?
o They are saying that with these four principles they can bridge the gap

between different healthcare organizations

Medical Logo Stock Photos and Images. (n.d.). Retrieved August 04, 2016, from
https://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/medical_logo.htm

Stallworth