Exploring ethical implications in hospital management: Aligning business objectives with patient care ethics

Shruti Patne; Deepika Kanyal

doi:10.31893/multirev.2024259

Keywords:

ethics consideration

ethical leadership

financial transparency

patient centered

resource allocation

hospital management

Abstract

Hospital management is a complex process that involves balancing operational efficiency, financial sustainability, and patient care. As healthcare institutions operate within commercial frameworks, the intersection of business objectives with patient care ethics becomes a significant concern. Ethical considerations in hospital management include resource allocation, stakeholder relationships, conflicts of interest management, and decision-making processes. Balancing profitability demands with ethical obligations poses challenges for administrators, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of managerial practices. Hospitals must balance business objectives with patient care ethics, ensuring ethical practices in resource allocation, managing relationships with multiple stakeholders, and ensuring patient autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. As hospitals operate within commercial entities, it is crucial to ensure that profitability does not compromise patient well-being or erode trust in healthcare institutions. Healthcare professionals must be aware of the ethical implications of dual relationships with clients, resource allocation, and other ethical decisions. Collaborating scholars, policymakers, and healthcare practitioners can promote ethical excellence in hospital management, enhance patient care outcomes and advancing healthcare ethics.
References
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Patne, S., & Kanyal, D. (2024). Exploring ethical implications in hospital management: Aligning business objectives with patient care ethics . Multidisciplinary Reviews, 7(10), 2024259. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2024259

[1] American Medical Association. (2020). Code of Medical Ethics. Chicago, IL: American Medical Association.

[2] American Medical Association. (2024). Code of Medical Ethics. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/ethics/code-medical-ethics-overview

[3] American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.

[4] Baeroe, K., & Cappelen, C. (2016). A study of resource allocation decisions in Norwegian hospitals. Health Care Analysis, 24(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10728-014-0282-9

[5] Beauchamp, T. L. (2003). Methods and principles in biomedical ethics. Journal of Medical Ethics, 29(5), 269-274. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.29.5.269

[6] Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2019). Principles of Biomedical Ethics. Oxford University Press.

[7] Brown, M. E., & Mitchell, M. S. (2018). Ethical and unethical leadership: Exploring new avenues for future research. Business Ethics Quarterly, 28(2), 103-131.

[8] Brown, M. E., Treviño, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117-134.

[9] Courtright, P., et al. (2018). Strengthening health systems by investing in ongoing education of physicians. BMJ, 362, k2875. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k2875

[10] Crigger, N. J. (2015). Ethics education: What, why, when, and how. Journal of Professional Nursing, 31(5), 395-402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2015.03.004

[11] Crisp, N. (2014). Mutual learning and reverse innovation—where next? Global Health, 10, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-8603-10-14

[12] Daniels, N. (2008). Just health: Meeting health needs fairly. Cambridge University Press.

[13] DiCuccio, M. H. (2015). The relationship between patient safety culture and patient outcomes: A systematic review. Journal of Patient Safety, 11(3), 135-142. https://doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0000000000000058

[14] Donaldson, T., & Davis, J. H. (2018). Ethical issues in business: A philosophical approach. Pearson.

[15] Emanuel, E. J. (2012). The high cost of health care. In Reinventing American Health Care (pp. 25-48). Public Affairs.

[16] Emanuel, E. J., Emanuel, L. L., & Pearson, S. D. (2021). Value-based healthcare delivery: A framework for health systems transformation. Oxford University Press.

[17] Emanuel, E. J., et al. (2016). Regulating how we die. New England Journal of Medicine, 375(17), 1613-1615. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1607996

[18] Epstein, R. M., & Street Jr, R. L. (2011). The values and value of patient-centered care. Annals of Family Medicine, 9(2), 100-103. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.1239

[19] Gillon, R. (2015). Ethics needs principles—Four can encompass the rest—and respect for autonomy should be “first among equals.” Journal of Medical Ethics, 41(1), 1-6.

[20] Harnett, M. J. (2016). Transparency in healthcare. AMA Journal of Ethics, 18(9), 930-935. https://doi.org/10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.9.stas1-1609

[21] Jones. (2016). Stresses the importance of transparency in financial management, asserting that hospitals must uphold ethical standards by openly disclosing financial information to stakeholders.

[22] Kapucu, N., et al. (2019). Whistleblower protection in healthcare organizations: A review of best practices. Public Integrity, 21(3), 287-302.

[23] Lemoine, G. J., et al. (2019). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Journal of Business Ethics, 156(4), 1013-1038.

[24] Loewenstein, G., Sah, S., & Cain, D. M. (2012). The unintended consequences of conflict of interest disclosure. JAMA, 307(7), 669-670.

[25] McCormick, R. A. (1983). Ethical principles in health care. Hastings Center Report, 13(3), 11-15.

[26] Miller, D., Buchanan, A., & Beauchamp, T. L. (2016). Ethical issues in resource allocation, research, and new technologies. Oxford University Press.

[27] Musa, H., et al. (2021). Transparency and accountability in healthcare management: A conceptual framework. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 14(1), 15-27.

[28] Rosenthal, M. B., et al. (2020). Addressing conflicts of interest in healthcare: A call to action. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 35(2), 570-575.

[29] Sarto, F., & Veronesi, G. (2016). Clinical leadership and hospital performance: Assessing the evidence base. BMC Health Services Research, 16(Suppl 2), 169. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-016-1395-5

[30] Schulz, J., et al. (2017). Accountability mechanisms in healthcare: A scoping review. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 6(5), 245-252.

[31] Sims, R. L., & Brinkmann, J. (2020). Enabling ethical leadership through ethical decision making: A case study in organizational ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 171(3), 531-548.

[32] The American Nurses Association (ANA). (2024). Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/official-position-statements/id/informatics/

[33] Truog, R. D., et al. (2017). Patients and physicians at risk: Ethics, economics, and the transformation of healthcare. Oxford University Press.

[34] Ulrich, C. M., et al. (2014). How health care organizations can demonstrate accountability. New England Journal of Medicine, 371(8), 751-753. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1406212

Abstract

References

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