National Center on Elder Abuse

Requirements: 500-600 words

Answer preview

As Fulmer (2014) illustrates, autonomy or self-governance are ethical codes that health professionals should respect since patients have the authority to make healthcare decisions. Therefore, complying with this code would promote healthcare ethics. However, in a suicide case, this will full death results from an individual’s life’s challenges and not necessarily a health issue. Usually, the victims do not request or inform anyone about their intent; instead their risk their life using harmful actions such as shooting themselves, overdosing, or jumping from a high surface, among other strategies. If an individual presents signs and symptoms of suicide, the ethical approach to handle this is informing relevant authorities and providing clinical and social support. This would comply with ethical codes of non-maleficence and beneficence, meaning preventing harm and promoting good, respectively (Fulmer, 2014). Generally, the physician should evaluate the situation and identify the ethical code to implement to enhance professionalism.

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National Center on Elder Abuse
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