Problem 1. "When a reporter makes a mistake in a magazine article, you can run a correction; but when a health care worker makes a mistake, someone can die." Reflecting on this statement, should we hold people in certain professions to higher standards of legal accountability and responsibility? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your position? How is your response to these questions consistent with the moral philosophy you described in the Unit 1 discussion board assignment? Explain. If it is not consistent with that philosophy, explain why your philosophy has changed.
Problem 2. You are the office manager for a large physician practice. There are registered nurses, physician assistants, laboratory technicians, and x-ray technicians that also work in the office. Several of the physicians routinely use abbreviations in their medical notes and instructions to other staff. On one occasion Joan, a medical assistant, was going to follow-through on something a senior physician in the office wrote, and another medical assistant, Dave, discovered that Joan had misread an abbreviation. You overhear Dave telling Joan, "Oh, that's Dr. Smith's way of writing 'every day.'" Even though this was not a patient care note, you are concerned that Dr. Smith's abbreviations might cause problems running a busy office and possibly even with patient care. You decide to take some action to eliminate these misinterpretations. What kinds of actions would you suggest?