Final answer:
The hospital's written process for accepting a patient should include eligibility criteria and referral procedures, but not discharge procedures, which are separate. Policy development for health records must balance treatment costs, patient quality of life, and privacy concerns. Ethical issues around infectious diseases involve balancing patient rights with public health and safety.
Step-by-step explanation:
The hospital's written process for accepting a patient is required to include a comprehensive set of procedures and protocols. These typically encompass criteria for determining the patient's eligibility for care, treatment, and services; procedures for accepting referrals; and a host of other operational guidelines. What is not required as a part of the acceptance process, typically, are procedures for discharging patients. Discharge procedures are a separate aspect of the hospital's responsibilities and are usually documented in another section of hospital operational policies. Developing policies for health records involves addressing several considerations including the balance between treatment costs and diagnosis, patient quality of life, and privacy risks. Questions that might arise in this context could include: 'How do we ensure affordability of treatments while maintaining high standards of care?', 'What measures can we put in place to protect patient privacy while still providing comprehensive care?', and 'How do we evaluate and manage the trade-offs between aggressive treatment and the quality of life for the patient?'.Ethical considerations also extend to situations involving infectious diseases like MRSA, where patients have rights that may need to be weighed against public health concerns and the safety of other patients and hospital staff. Decisions on whether to allow patients the right to decline testing or treatment, and the hospital's right to refuse service if they pose a risk, must be carefully considered and balanced against ethical norms and legal considerations.