Final answer:
Policies for initiation or termination of medical treatment are guided by ethical, legal, and healthcare considerations, with therapeutic communication providing support to patients in a structured manner. The complexity of health policies demands balancing patient privacy, treatment costs, and ethical dilemmas while navigating laws like HIPPA.
Step-by-step explanation:
Therapeutic communication differs from normal communication as it involves specific techniques to support the patient's mental and emotional health. This includes the use of specific terms or jargon, clear enunciation, and using respectful language to enhance the understanding and comfort of the patient in a medical setting.
In the context of end-of-life decisions, the role of medicine is heavily debated, with topics such as the potential for misuse in cases of active euthanasia and whether it is wrong to terminate another person's life. Concerning patient privacy, legal considerations such as HIPPA must be balanced with ethical questions like the disclosure of sexually transmitted diseases to at-risk partners, especially when the patient does not consent to such disclosure.
Policies developed must address complex questions, such as balancing treatment costs with quality of life, risks to individual privacy, and the competing rights involved when dealing with medical information, particularly in sensitive cases involving minors or infectious diseases.