Hypertension: The Four Ethical Principles In Medical Practice

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The force in the arteries when blood pumped by the heart hits the walls of arteries is known as blood pressure . When the heart contracts,the highest pressure in the arteries is known as the systolic pressure . Whereas , the lowest pressure in the arteries in between two heart beats is referred to as diastolic pressure . A normal individual would have a blood pressure of below 120/80 mmHg.
High blood pressure or otherwise known as hypertension is a condition when the force in the arteries are abnormally high .An individual has hypertension the systolic blood pressure exceeds 140 mmHg and diastolic pressure of more than 90 mmHg .
There are a few risk factors for developing hypertension . Few common risk factors that can be associated with
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A good doctor-patient relationship is essential in clinical and it is the basis of the ethical principles used nowadays . In Jothi*s point of view , she stated that there was a good rapport between her and the doctors whom she consulted . The doctors were very friendly and helpful towards Jothi* which also acknowledges the ethical principles of beneficence and non maleficence which simply means benefiting others and not doing harm to anyone . Respect for autonomy is one of the important guideline in medical practice nowadays . Autonomy states that competent adults have the right to make their own decisions . The concept of informed consent originates from the ethical principle of autonomy . A good doctor-patient relationship is vital for consent and patients should be given sufficient information to enable them to make relevant decisions . In this case , Jothi*’s autonomy was not acknowledged because before performing any procedure such as a blood test , the nurses did not provide adequate details regarding the procedure . They also did not ask for her consent before the procedure . This can be argued as implied consent as she did not object to the procedure . There was also no implications to the patient as Jothi* did not mind …show more content…
For consent to be legal and valid , a few requirements need to be met . Firstly , the individual consenting must have the capacity to consent .He or she must be able to understand the information given and must be able to apply that information in making an informed decision . Secondly , consent has to obtained voluntarily without any form of coercion . Thirdly , the individual consenting must be informed about the relevant treatment or procedure such as the nature of the treatment , alternative treatments and the risks involved . In the context of this case , Jothi* is considered as competent because she is above 18 and does have the capacity to decide . However , she was not informed about the nature of the procedure being performed on her . Also , as mentioned before , no consent was obtained before the . Therefore , no valid legal consent was obtained .
There are a few exceptions where valid legal consent is not required . For example , if the patient is incompetent , then the next-of-kin is eligible to consent

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