Synergy - November/December 2012 - 11

continuing education

• I am always ethical. • I am mostly ethical. • I am somewhat ethical. • I am seldom ethical. • I am never ethical. “There are really only two important points when it comes to ethics. The first is a standard to follow. The second is the will to follow it,” Maxwell writes. Collectively, NAMSS members have set the standards to follow, but the MSP must have the will to follow those standards. Have you heard of the term “moral compass”? By placing “moral” in front of compass, we evoke a clear picture of mental processes that point a person in a particular direction in life. These processes are consistent and true indicators upon which personal belief and action can be based. Television commentator Ted Koppel once stated, “There’s harmony and inner peace to be found in following a moral compass that points in the same direction regardless of fashion or trend.”

Ethical Accountability
Why should individuals and or organizations be ethical? For one, ethical behavior builds trust. Without trust, the healthcare field falls apart. Additionally, the public cares about ethics, ethical leadership forestalls regulation, effective partnerships are built on ethical values and ethics provide decisionmaking frameworks. Good marriages, good business relations and good friendships require trust. But how do you build trust? Manchester Inc., a consulting firm in Philadelphia, suggests the following: • Maintain integrity • Openly communicate vision and values • Show respect for employees as equal partners • Focus on shared goals rather than personal agenda • Do the right thing regardless of personal risk • Listen with an open mind • Demonstrate compassion • Maintain confidences Ethics and integrity go hand in hand, but what exactly is integrity? According to

Maxwell, “Integrity can be described as making your beliefs and your actions line up.” Given this definition, does your hospital or organization have integrity? Do you? “Unaccountable,” a new release by Marty Makary, MD, addresses transparency, impaired physicians, “healthonomics,” medical mistakes and what accountability looks like today in healthcare. At a national surgeons conference, Dr. Lucian Leape opened the keynote speech by asking the doctors to raise their hands if they knew of a physician who should not be practicing because he or she is dangerous. Every hand went up. Do you, too, know of someone dangerous in your organization? Each organization should ask itself the following: • Is your hospital aware of its consistently high complication rate for a service it provides, yet has little or no incentive to do anything about it, leaving the public in the dark about its “danger zones”? • Does your hospital leave surgical sponges inside patients, amputate the wrong limbs and tolerate the overdosing of children because of sloppy handwriting? • Do you require a drug test for all practitioner applicants?

• Do you know of a practitioner who does not refer patients to another physician who would provide specialized care because he or she does not want to forego the monetary rewards? Do you know of a practitioner who performs unnecessary procedures or tests? • Does your physician clinic answer professional reference questions accurately? • What is the culture in your organization? Do nurses have safety concerns? To prevent mistakes, the organizational culture must permit free speech. • Transparency builds trust. Is your organization working toward transparency? • Is disruptive behavior tolerated or addressed in your organization? These are all ethical questions we should ask of our administrators, our practitioners and our peers. MSPs can make a difference if we educate all those around us of the principles and values of living with strong ethical standards, as it is all of our responsibility to provide safe patient care through means that are delivered with integrity and respect. This is true “leadership” in the healthcare world of today.
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 SYNERGY

Synergy - November/December 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Synergy - November/December 2012