Political Issues and Abuse of Power in Healthcare

Political Issues Validity of the do not resuscitate order.

Even though do not resuscitate (DNR) is a healthcare issue, it can be treated as a political matter, just like abortion, since different political groups have different opinions about it. All states accept DNR orders; but it is guided by different laws in different states. For instance, a DNR order can only be valid in Texas if there are signatures of two witnesses or a notary public who were there when the patient was signing the document (Texas.gov, n.d). On the other hand, only the signature of the patient and physician is required in California (California Emergency Medical Services Authority. (n.d.). The validity or invalidity of DNR is, therefore, a serious political matter. The power of one family member’s attorney to authorize it is also a sensitive and serious legal issue.

Buy this excellently written paper or order a fresh one from acemyhomework.com

Potential Abuse of Power.

The visiting family member's statement that s/he can have the facility surveyed as a supervisor for the Department of Health and Human Services raises the issue of who can survey a nursing home at what time and for what reason. Even if the family member has the authority to order a survey of the facility, doing it when s/he is visiting a relative at the facility could amount to an abuse of power.

What I would Do. Firstly, I would have someone record everything to ensure that when a legal battle ensues, there would be video evidence of what happened. I would then listen to the family members and acknowledge their concerns. According to Messmer, (2019), acknowledging the concerns of both parties is a sign of empathy and unbiasedness, which are very important mediation skills. I would then check state laws to confirm whether a family member’s attorney has the power to authorize a DNR. If the laws allow it, I would declare the document valid and tell anyone with further concerns to follow legal procedures. If the document is invalid, I would apologize to them and seek legal action against the family member and his attorney. I would ensure that I remain calm and compost throughout the process. It is crucial for the healthcare administrator to maintain a professional demeanor during conflict resolution (Dordoni et al., 2019). Calming the situation will help defuse tensions and create a more conducive environment for conflict resolution.

References California Emergency Medical Services Authority. (n.d.). Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) and Other Patient-Designated Directives. https://emsa.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/2017/07/DNRGuidelines_2018.pdf Dordoni, P., Kraus-Hoogeveen, S., Van Der Heijden, B. I., Peters, P., Setti, I., & Fiabane, E. (2019). Live to work or work to live? An age-moderated mediation model on the simultaneous mechanisms prompted by workaholism among healthcare professionals. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 868. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00868 Messmer, H. (2019). Features of procedural fairness: communication in decision-making about diversion and victim-offender mediation. In Procedural Justice (pp. 137–160).

Routledge.

Texas.gov. (n.d.). Frequently asked questions for DNR - Texas Department of State Health ... https://www.dshs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/emstraumasystems/FAQsforDNR.pdf