PTE Write Essay Task:
You will have 20 minutes to plan, write and revise an essay about the topic below. Your response will be judged on how well you develop a position, organize your ideas, present supporting details, and control the elements of standard written English. You should write 200-300 words.
Is it ethical to hold medical professionals legally responsible for the outcomes of their patients’ treatments?
The controversial practice of holding medical professionals legally accountable for the outcomes of their patients’ treatments raises numerous ethical and practical concerns. Some say it’s vital to establish accountability and defend patients’ rights, but others say it’s unjust and pressures medical workers. I think it’s unethical to hold doctors completely responsible for their patients’ outcomes.
Medical personnel are not infallible, and numerous variables can influence the outcome of a treatment. Patients’ health status, underlying medical conditions, and other variables can all influence the treatment’s outcome. In some instances, medical professionals may be required to make difficult decisions based on the available information and resources, as not all medical conditions have a clear treatment or cure.
Holding medical professionals legally accountable for the treatment outcomes of their patients could result in a culture of fear and defensive medicine, in which medical professionals are more concerned with protecting themselves from legal action than with providing the best care possible to their patients. It could also discourage medical professionals from taking on high-risk cases or experimenting with unproven but potentially beneficial treatments for patients.
Instead of holding medical professionals solely accountable for treatment outcomes, the medical profession should adopt a more comprehensive approach to accountability. This may involve evaluating the quality of care provided, the appropriateness of treatments and interventions, and ensuring that medical professionals are practising within the limits of their training and expertise.
Although there is a need for accountability in the medical field, it may not be ethical to hold medical professionals solely liable for the treatment outcomes of their patients. Instead, a more comprehensive approach to accountability should be adopted, one that takes into consideration the complexities of the medical profession and places the emphasis on providing patients with the best possible care.
