The Role of Consciousness
With respect to the Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), employees and their employees are eligible to access healthcare services under the health insurance coverage. According to Califf & Muhlbaier (2003), the act outline that a physician has the responsibility to maintain discretion about the patient’s health unless the patient request otherwise. Since the pilot visited for a regular checkup, the role of the physician is to create awareness about his health condition, advise him about health management and treatment and let him decide on whether he will continue to work until he retires. The physician should not report about the condition because the airline had not requested the pilot’s health checkup, which implies that he has no obligation to inform the airline.
A proper treatment plan is vital since a murmur can best be managed with medicine as well as making all the necessary lifestyle changes. The main concern is that it is not clear how long the patient has lived with the condition. However, with proper treatment, this can help in disabling the symptoms and allowing the pilot to go on with his work for a month before he retires. Despite the fact that he serves a delicate role that involves flying hundreds of patients on board, he does not work alone. There is always a co-pilot on board to assist and other staff, such as engineers and a medical team, which means that the passengers would be safe. A murmur being a manageable health condition implies that with proper treatment, the patient can make conscious decisions about his job. Reporting to the airline would jeopardize his retirement benefits, which are unethical since treatment can be useful in slowing its overall growth.
Adults can remain healthy for a long time after being diagnosed with a murmur since the condition is not severe when it is well managed. The medical treatment provides almost immediate recovery, and it is apparent that the doctor should recommend an appropriate and comprehensive treatment to relieve the patient from the symptoms of the heart condition and enable him to work efficiently. The doctor should, therefore, act in a professional manner, which means protecting the privacy of the patient and promoting autonomy. The patient has the right to decide without the interference of the physician or any other person (Abdalrahman et al., 2015). In addition, he has the capacity to make decisions about his health and work as he has an independent mind that is capable of personal reflection. The physician should, therefore, respect the decision that the patient makes irrespective of whether it aligns with his personal beliefs.
In summary, the physician owes the patient a duty of care, which includes protecting his health information if the patient does not want it to be disclosed. Besides, the airline has no contract with the physician, which eliminates the need to report to it about the health of the pilot. As an individual with the mental capacity to make the decision, the physician should only inform the patient about his health as well as the treatment and management plan that he needs to adapt to control the symptoms better and allow him to make the decision. Reporting to the airline about the patient’s health status is a violation of confidentiality.
References
Abdalrahman, I. B., Osman, A. M. A., Ali, B. M. A., Mustafa, E. I. E. S. M., Ali, E. E. H., & Muneer, M. S. E. (2015). Autonomy and confidentiality: patients’ perspectives. Tropical doctor, 45(2), 79-83.
Califf, R. M., & Muhlbaier, L. H. (2003). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Must There Be a Trade-Off Between Privacy and Quality of Health Care, or Can We Advance Both?. Circulation, 108(8), 915-918.
