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THE DONABEDIAN MODEL OF THE BRITISH HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

This is the second part of the Donabedian model for measuring quality of care developed by Avedis Donabedian (Donabedian, 2003). The first part reflected on United Kingdom’s (UK) historical background, government, and economy, including its healthcare overview. The keys to Donabedian’s approach to quality assessment and quality assurance are manifested in three ways of approach: […]

Informed Consent and Patient’s Right to Choose

This posting will identify and analyze controversial patient treatments including an explanation why other treatments are more controversial than others. In the construct of the informed consent, it is important to differentiate between patient’s preferences for specific treatment and patient’s preferences for specific health states.  Issues such as patient’s right to choose treatment or refuse […]

Ethical Issue: The Delicate Balance Among the Principles of Autonomy, Beneficence, and Nonmaleficence.

This posting will contrast the principles of nomaleficence and beneficence including a risk assessment and cost-benefit analyses of a course of action.  From the ancient maxim of professional medical ethics, “Primum non nocere: First, do not harm,” came the principle of nonmaleficence.  This principle implies an obligation not to do harm, thus a physician not […]

Egalitarian Access to Health Care as a Prerequisite for Justice

The development of a rationale for egalitarian access to health care as a prerequisite for justice has been the focus of philosophical reflection on health and justice. This posting will analyze and provide an explanation of the theory of egalitarian theory of justice. John Rawls championed the cause of egalitarian theory (1971). There are two […]