Health ethical issues are invariably accompanied by legal questions and the causes include society plus professional misconducts. When it comes to in-depth definition of what is medically ethical or moral and/or what is not, the answer has almost always goes to owns personal belief. As for my personal opinion, I think the issue of conscience clauses is controversial in itself. According to conscience clauses, it is similar to saying, ‘no physician or healthcare professional or healthcare organization is liable to any medical damage for the reasons (which if not clearly stated by law as it is in the conscience clauses, could be faith-based decisions), which is conflicting to the morality of such physician or healthcare provider’. Even though conscience clauses are regarded and set forth in the laws of various states, they have their own demands of themselves, such as “what is ethical for one physician, may not always be ethical for another.” keep in mind that some physicians may built ethical decisions based on their belief affiliate or religion affiliation. For example, parents sometimes deny their children the benefits of medical care because of religious beliefs, which could also be denied by physician based on his or religious beliefs. The two positions are distinguishable because if there is no need to be pregnant then there is need for emergency contraception–and no need for abortions. Therefore, abortion and contraceptive emergency in the case of morality depend on self-ethical view.
In the case of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), it is important in the effective delivery of health services. However, it may have potential ethical issues, if not used properly. Electronic health records (EHRs) have the potential to evolve the quality of health care in United States by providing timely access to patients’ health information, tracing patients over time to ensure that they receive guideline-recommended care, and offering decision-support mechanisms to reduce medical errors. A majority of U.S. physicians have now adopted an electronic health record system as part of their routine practices, a new national survey reveals–U.S. Doctors Embracing Electronic Health Records: Survey, 2017. This is evidenced based on responses provided by nearly 3,200 doctors across the country who completed a mail-in survey in 2011. The survey was conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics–as part of an ongoing three-year effort (continuing through 2013), designed to assess perceptions and practices regarding electronic health record systems. The results of the researched findings found out 55 percent of U.S. physicians have adopted some forms of electronic health recording systems (U.S. Doctors Embracing Electronic Health Records: Survey, 2017). Additionally, out of the mentioned percentage margin, 75% of them have informed some types of approval and usefulness in its application. The article also found a correlation between physician’s age and the likelihood of adoption; “physician age seems to have played a role in how likely a doctor was to have already brought an electronic health record system into their practice, the findings showed (U.S. Doctors Embracing Electronic Health Records: Survey, 2017). While 64 percent of those under the age of 50 have done so, the poll revealed that the same was true of only 49 percent among those aged 50 and older.”
U.S. Doctors Embracing Electronic Health Records: Survey, Alan Mozes, July 17, 2012, MedlinePlus: HealthDay; Retrieved September 8, 2012 from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_127314.html
