Medical JurisprudenceEssay Preview: Medical JurisprudenceReport this essayMedical JurisprudenceBesides a happy policy as to civil government, it is necessary to institute a system of law and jurisprudence founded in justice, equity, and public right. Besides a happy policy as to civil government, it is necessary to institute a system of law and jurisprudence founded in justice, equity, and public right. (Quote by Ezra Stiles)
When thinking of what to write a term paper on, I had originally picked one subject that felt close to home with me. Banking. As the semester continued though things in my life started to unfold in which situations and circumstance were brought to my attention that seemed more important. About two weeks ago my grandmother fell in her assisted living facility breaking her shoulder and her leg. To someone my age this is not that big of a deal, but when you are 90 years old that is a different story. I began to wonder, how did she really manage to fall? Other questions began to pop in my head such as :
Why was she sent to the hospital by herself with no on from the assisted living riding along with her in the ambulance?Why could they not 5 minutes for my mother to get there who works right around the corner?Why has no one returned any of the phone calls to my mother who simply wants to know what happened?Although, they seem to petty questions, wait until it happens to you.I began to give the matter a great deal of thought, and as she went into the hospital it really started to bother me. Where are people when we need them to be there to support us. Where is the support for people who sometimes can not mentally of physically care for themselves? I began to really wonder about the other people in society who are constantly in need of care. Children, mentally challenged, and elderly are just a few to start with.
As I began research on the topics, I found many articles in which people were not getting the support that they needed, whether from parents, caregivers, or fellow professionals. In this paper I am going to explore different situations that I found and how they relate to medical jurisprudence. They will range from the care from the elderly to a doctor with Aids not receiving support from his fellow coworkers.
To begin with, what is ethics? According to our text, jurisprudence is the study of legal ethics. These ethics include the ethics of power, justice, custom, norms of conduct, civilization, reality, and utility () Lets take it a bit further. What exactly is medical jurisprudence? In my opinion you could define medical jurisprudence as the study of legal ethics in how it pertains to persons receiving, performing, or interpreting anything related to the medical field. This would entail all leagues of medicine including mental, physical, and emotionally health.
At some point in our lifetime we will have to care for someone. Many times it will not be a family member or friend. It may be a stranger. Lets look at my grandmother. Say that my mother could not have been there for her and she was just delivered to the hospital. What is a 90 years woman suppose to do? I found a great article in NURSING2004, where it explains how come nurses are leading the way in helping others.
The article “CRACKING THE CASE: Your role in FORENSIC NURSING,” outlines they way in which nurses should think as a patient comes into your emergency room or doctors office. The point that forensic means establishing the facts in any legal case, was one of they key points in the beginning of the article. () The article focuses on what nurses should do as they examine someone in order to present testimony either for or against them. These cases include domestic violence to sexual assault. As I read through this article, I feel that all nurses should pay special attention to what is listed, because they may not know it, but they could be the only person who could ever help someone out in an abusive situation.
The article goes through and lists specific things that the nurses should look for. I feel that it is important to take at look at these steps, not just for a nurse but for any concerned citizen. Like I said, even outside of doctors offices, it is our responsibility to look out for fellow human beings, and see if they are in need.
Be Suspicious-dont be nosy, but pay attention to what people are saying and doing around youDocument your Findings- keep clear documentation and a visual recordIf need be gathers physical evidencePreserve the Evidence]Protect the chain of custodyIf need be testify in court or report it to the proper authorities ()If we just simply look over these situations we are guilty in my book of negligence.Does this mean that this is strictly used for physical circumstances only? NO. Not only as citizens or medical professionals are we responsible for the physical care of society, but the mental care as well. I found an extremely interesting article in Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, a publication from Great Britain, about interventions at the police station. Many times I feel that as a society we overlook opportunities in which we can help each other. I find that this is prevalent especially at say a place like the police station.
Imagine all the times a drunkard or an abuser comes in as a detainee. What do they do to them? They either through them in the drunk tank or let them have a few nights in jail or some time of monetary fine. Is this all they can really do? Could the go a step or two ahead and try and help them, especially repeat offenders? I feel that they could. Again this goes back to that idea of being the front line person that takes the step to help that person.
In the article it suggests that the FME (forensic medical examiner) may be the only healthcare professional that they every see. It goes on further to discuss that when these detainees come in, many times (22-25%) already clearly drunk, and need help with their alcohol problem. The study suggests that there should be a clear focus on who they need to target. The major groups who need to be targeted are young binge drinkers (reminder it legal to begin drinking in Europe at age 18), drunk drivers, and finally and especially domestic violence offenders. These front line interventions would include a 20 minute assessment, and some suggest that these detainees that are clearly drunk should be put in a special
n. Many of the detainees are in very good health, able to take their medication quickly, while most drink from hand sanitizer. A more recent study found that some of these detainees are better able to keep a steady work schedule and to find safe drinking places in the first place – particularly when they’re not at home.
There is one big problem with the whole idea of using the FME over the general population. It has got to have some sort of political agenda for those of us who will actually have to look at them more often (because they’re likely to become a bad influence). I will not go into so much detail about that but there is actually one particular group of people who do very well under FME. This group, however, are people who are really into making a living. Many of them were at St. Peter-on-the-Sea, and once they got into the FLE, they took an active role which, even as they got to the airport at a later date, probably helped them into getting the health of their families in order. They’ve done in the past really well, getting food and clothing, and, perhaps most important, they have made a significant contribution as a social group. They deserve credit for their contribution to the society, because the government seems to believe that they are the most important public servants of a country. I do not believe that there is any way of changing that, because those who are best judged by having a long-term impact on the system really aren’t really part of the public services.
A few further points for me that I can see as being important: Â
• Even when the FME has been mentioned, it generally starts from a political position. The British government was forced to take some time and work with the FME because they believe they would have to support the British government with the money given by the FME, although they also want to support the welfare system in Britain.
• In principle, all FLE participants should be treated fairly. But the British government’s stance has changed considerably over time since the original FLE. They have now come to believe that they are the only ones that need the services that the UK does.
• The FLE may not work well in public places. This is something everyone can understand but if you look at the scale of the problem, you can see their reaction in their very public, almost silent, very visible public places and the kind of anger they feel at the politicians that are giving us support. Most of the social service providers in Britain are not getting the benefit of FLE because they do little or nothing to improve the living conditions they are providing – and that’s okay.
My final point: