Analysis Of The Tuskegee Syphilis Study In The Film World

As nursing students from day one we have always been taught to advocate for our patients and to make sure the patients are aware of all their options that they have in regards to their health care. Numerous clinical trials in the health care field have gone wrong and display how ethical principles and morals can be crossed or disregarded. These situations, although negative at the time have helped shaped the nursing field today for the better. We use the negative outcomes of previous cases to shape our practices and aid in rules and regulations to help protect the healthcare workers as well as the patients themselves. One of the major cases that raised questions in regards to ethics and morals in healthcare history is the Tuskegee Syphilis

This film portrayed the horrible crimes and mistreatment a group of African American males faced during the years of the study, 1932 to 1972. The four ethical principles: nonmaleficence, beneficence, autonomy, and justice were all violated throughout this experimental study. All health care professionals are taught the four fundamental principles of ethics while attaining their education. Nonmaleficence means to do no harm to others, beneficence is the doing of good, autonomy is the right to make your own decisions or independence, and justice is the idea of fairness for all individuals. Without these ethical principles in place, patients are at risk for maltreatment, harm, and are not guaranteed the proper care they deserve from health care professionals. All four of these ethical principles were questioned and disregarded in the Tuskegee Syphilis

Her morals and ethical principles were challenged by the pressure and persuasion of other healthcare officials. In her mind, she did not want to abandon the men whom she believed she was helping. If I were in her situation, I would have disclosed any information I believed the participants should have known from the get go. They would have been informed about their disease state, normal signs and symptoms of syphilis, what stage they were in, the treatment options available, and any side effects from the medication. Also, once penicillin was discovered I would have told all the participants about the drug and how beneficial it was for another population of people with syphilis. Then, I would have gave them all the information about the medication and let them decide if they wanted to be treated or not. I would not have let anyone go untreated just for an experimental purpose unless they fully knew all their options and chose to go through with the study on their own accord. Patients deserve to know all the information, good or bad, and all of their options; full disclosure is essential to maintaining all ethical and moral principles in the health care