Factors affecting treatment

For some conditions there are a number of treatments from which to chose. A practioner miht present a choice of treatments to a patient, with info about the advantages and disadvantages of each. In such cases, the patient can exprss a preference (empowered).

Wherever possible, paients should have the opportunity to give informed consent to suggested treatment. This means that the aims, procedures, benefits and risks of the treatment should be explained in terms they can understand. However, this might not be possible in emergency cases. 

Giving a patient the opportunity for informed consent also implies that the patient can withhold consent and refuse treatment. A patient who refuses recommended treatment is also making a choice.

A patient who has thought about and agreed to a treatment is more likely to feel confident about it and to cooperate with any guidelines for recovery such as taking prescribed drugs and/or exercise.

The outcome of treatment can be influenced by a range of factors including:

• Early diagnosis and treatment
• Lifestyle choices
• Age
• Health of the immune system
• Genotype

In some conditions, particularly cancers, early diagnosis and treatment is much more likely to result in a cure. Diagnosis and treatment might be delayed in cases where the disease exhibits no symptoms at first or develops so slowly that patients do not notice changes in their consition. In other cases, patients observe symptoms but delay seeking help, perhaps because of fear or embarrassment.

Lifestyle choices can limit the effectiveness of treatment. For example, patients with ill-health conditions associated with obesity might not follow advice to take mor exercise or to eat a balanced diet. Excessive alcohol consumption is also likely to reduce the effectiveness of treatments, especially for liver conditions. 

Age can influence the outcome of treatment.

A patient's immune system - Some illnesses, including immunodeficiency diseases such as AIDS, impair the body's immune system and make the patient more susceptable to infection.

A person's genotype can have an effect on his/her ability to benefit from some treatments because genetic variety can cause differences in body chemistry.

See other resource for a full list of bullet points for the essay.

Ethical issues in daily healthcare

These are certain ethical issues that have to be dealt with, in healthcare on daily basis. These may:

• Prioritising activities in order of importance
• Maintaining a clear distinction between what is right and what is wrong
• Deciding when a patient's are free to leave the hospital and being accountable for their decisions
• Supporting a patient's decisions and choice
• Taking decisions for patients when they are not fit to do so
• Taking actions that will benefit the patient's health
• Taking decisions without any considerations of race, gender and class.
• Deciding how much time they should be giving to each patient - based on their record
• Maintaining the privacy of the patient.