ETHICAL OCCURRENCES IN THE HOSPITAL SETTING AND THE PROFESSIONALS’ PERCEPTIONS

Abstract

The hospital environment possesses, as part of its nature, natural tension due to the delicate fact of working with the complexity which encompasses life and death. Therefore the importance of care related to ethics and to professional confidentiality stands out, considering that negligence with such questions can worsen the tension extant in the hospitalization. This research aimed to uncover the perceptions of the managers of areas and sectors regarding ethical occurrences in the hospital setting. Using a qualitative approach, open questionnaires were administered to 13 managers of sectors in a children’s hospital between August and September 2011, giving rise to four analytical categories: Un-noticed conceptualizations in practice; The health team’s infractions; Implications for the patients and their companion; andSuggestions and responsibilities. Through the research, reflections and proposals for educational actions were detected, based in ethics and professional confidentiality, with a view to improving hospital attendance.

Keywords

• Ethics
• Hospitalization
• Health personnel