Social contract Flashcards
(38 cards)
What is the social contract?
- basis for all interaction between professions and society and the relationship between healthcare providers and patients
- a deal where we are obligated to do things and society rewards us
Societal expectations placed on healthcare professionals / medicine acc. to the social contract
- Services of the healer
- Guaranteed Competency
- Altruistic Service
- Morality and Integrity
- Address the healthcare needs of individual patients and society / promotion of the public good
- Transparency
- Accountability
Rewards from society acc. to the social contract
- Status
- Respect
- Autonomy in practice
- Self-regulation
- Financial rewards
What is the most basic understanding of professionalism?
learning and maintaining specialised knowledge, skills and expertise that benefits members of society
commitment to use this expertise, always, for others
What does “Services of a healer” mean?
- this is the primary expectation - individuals will receive the services of the healer
- caring and compassionate treatment with confidentiality respected and dignity preserved
- patients retain control of direction of treatment
What does “Guaranteed competence” mean?
- expects profession to ensure the competence of each physician by setting and maintaining standards for education, training and practice
- by disciplining incompetent, unethical or unprofessional conduct
What does “altruistic service” mean?
- physicians are empowered to ask intrusive questions and carry out invasive procedures, pts must trust that the physician won’t pursue self-interest
- not an open-ended commitment that is incompatible with a healthy physician’s lifestyle
- pervasive nature of conflicts of interest must be recognised and managed by individual physicians if they are to maintain patient trust
What does “morality and integrity” mean?
expected to demonstrate this in their practice and their day-to-day lives
if you lose trust this will reflect badly on the profession as a whole
What does “promotion of the public good” mean?
it is expected that its members will address the problems faced by individual patients and also concern itself with issues of importance to society (bc of monopoly over practice)
What does “transparency” mean?
expected that public membership in regulatory bodies will be significant and that the establishment and maintenance of standards and policy will be done in consultation with public representatives
What does “accountability” mean?
physicians recognised that they were accountable to individual patients, to the public for advice on policy and to each other for self-regulation
What is the “duty of candour”?
refers to the professional responsibility of openness and honesty required of chiropractors with patients when something goes wrong with their care, which has the potential to cause harm or distress
(Principle B7!!!)
What is the patient-practitioner relationship built on?
trust, confidence and trust
What does the integration of candour mean?
when pt care goes wrong and they experience or may experience harm/distress as a result, you should:
- tell the pt immediately something has gone wrong
- apologise to the pt
- offer appropriate remedy / support to put matters right if possible
- explain fully to the patient the short + long term effects of what has happened
- if the pt was caused harm and requires medical attention, you must take responsibility for referring for additional care
What is informed consent?
A process of communication between you and your health professional that often leads to agreement / permission for care / treatment
What are the virtues of a chiropractor?
honesty, integrity, empathy, humility, consideration, compassion
What are the prerequisites for consent to be valid?
- have to be acting voluntarily
- have sufficient/balanced information to make an informed decision
- be capable of using / weighing up the info provided
- have capacity to give consent
The decisions have to be respected
Types of consent
explicit, implied
Explicit consent
when a pt gives you specific permission either in writing or orally.
Only valid if pt knows / understands to what they are consenting
Implicit consent
when a patient indirectly indicates their agreement to undergo a procedure
Stress vs Burnout
stress: over engagement, loss of energy, takes a physical toll
burnout: characterised by disengagement, loss of motivation, takes an emotional toll (accumulation of unchecked stress over long periods)
Code on burnout:
B1: Protect Patients from harm if your health, conduct or performance of that regulated healthcare professional, puts patients at risk
As governed by the code, chiropractors would need to recognise this conflict and refer patients for temporary measures if needed.
What are examples of respecting a pt’s dignity?
ensure privacy by closing clinic room door, giving the pt an area to speak in confidence, offering a gown, knocking on the exam room door before entering
What is “Fitness to practice”?
the importance of staying at peak physical and mental performance and well-being as healthcare professionals, pursuing optimal health is essential and a virtue
