Smoke free policies in health care settings have not been well regulated even though hospitals are an obvious place where smoking should not be tolerated. Tobacco remains the largest avoidable illness and death in United States and responsible for 1 out of 5 deaths. It is still considered as an epidemic to women with the lung cancer dipping in men. The smoke has killed over 60 million people since World War II. Banning smoking outdoors in health care facilities provides a better healing environment for patients. Health care facilities need to adopt smoking-free polices in an effort to promoting and protecting public health. It is essential that important that the health care and social services agencies promote behaviors that lead to good health (Kaufman & Lewin, 1997). Tobacco use has remained the most preventable cause of illness hence the need for health care facilities environment to remain healthier and safer for both workers and patients. Tobacco smoking also impacts healthcare costs through medical illness and indirectly through lost productivity. The ban will ensure that there is reduced maintenance and cleaning costs including decreased accidents, fires, and health insurance costs. All this efforts are towards ensuring an increased life functioning and quality of life. It is unethical to support the use of a substance which is responsible for millions of death. It is even ironical to allow it in healthcare setups when it has contributed to increase in patients in the hospitals with diseases like lung cancer, heart disease, and emphysema (Bernhard, 2011).
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Ethical issues
3. Supporting banning of outdoor smoking in health care facilities
4. Advocacy plan
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This work examines the critical necessity of implementing comprehensive smoke-free policies within healthcare settings, focusing on the public health and ethical imperatives to protect patients, staff, and visitors from both direct and secondhand tobacco exposure.
- The ethical responsibility of healthcare facilities to foster healing environments.
- Health risks associated with secondhand and third-hand tobacco smoke.
- Economic and social impacts of tobacco consumption on the healthcare system.
- Evidence-based strategies for promoting smoking cessation.
- The role of policy and advocacy in eliminating tobacco use in public spaces.
Excerpt from the Book
Ethical issues
Healthcare facilities are places where individuals go for treatment from various diseases hence it feels abnormal permitting individuals to get more diseases from there. Healthcare facilities that permit the use of tobacco are in sense condoning and at the same time reinforcing addictive behaviors and ineffective dangerous way coping strategies. It should be understood that secondhand smoke is the number three leading preventable cause of disability and early death. These individuals risk getting heart diseases by 25-30% and at the same time are affected by lung cancer with same rate (Wang & Scot, 2005).
The ethical principles demand that common good should be preserved. Activities that promote good health of the whole society should be adopted while those behaviors that are against a safe and health co-existence eliminated. It is also required that non-smokers should not be exposed to any environment that can result to contacting diseases hence the need of the health facilities to be maintained free from the effects of smoke. Tobacco smoke contamination is another issue since it remains on facilities furniture, walls and surfaces even after putting out the cigarettes. Carcinogens contained in third-hand smoke can be transmitted through the skin and is considered as a health hazard. This therefore means that danger is posed not only through the smoke emitted in the environment but also through contact with the smoke ashes left everywhere after smoking.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This chapter highlights the prevalence of tobacco-related illnesses and argues that healthcare facilities must adopt smoke-free policies to ensure a safer healing environment.
Ethical issues: This section discusses the moral responsibility of hospitals to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke, emphasizing that permitting smoking undermines the core mission of healthcare.
Supporting banning of outdoor smoking in health care facilities: This chapter reviews the evidence regarding the health benefits of smoking bans and the government's role in regulating tobacco to protect public welfare.
Advocacy plan: This part outlines the need for evidence-based health practices and coordinated efforts between individuals, agencies, and the government to eradicate tobacco use.
Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes the economic and health-related evidence, reiterating the urgency of legislative action to restrict smoking in all hospital environments.
Keywords
Tobacco Smoking, Healthcare Facilities, Public Health, Secondhand Smoke, Third-hand Smoke, Ethical Issues, Smoking Cessation, Disease Prevention, Advocacy, Smoke-free Policies, Social Justice, Respiratory Health, Economic Impact, Patient Recovery, Tobacco Control.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work investigates the health, ethical, and social justifications for banning tobacco smoking, specifically outdoors, in hospital and healthcare settings.
What are the central themes discussed?
Key themes include the health risks of secondhand smoke, the ethical duty of healthcare providers, the economic burden of tobacco-related illnesses, and the importance of smoke-free public policies.
What is the main research objective?
The objective is to demonstrate that restricting and banning tobacco in healthcare environments is a necessary action to protect public health and uphold social justice.
Which scientific approach is utilized?
The work employs an evidence-based approach, synthesizing public health statistics, epidemiological data on disease prevention, and ethical reasoning.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The body covers ethical dilemmas, the specific hazards of environmental smoke, the history of government-led smoking regulations, and strategies for effective advocacy and policy implementation.
How can this work be characterized by its keywords?
It is characterized by terms related to tobacco control, public health advocacy, and the medical necessity of creating clean, smoke-free environments in professional healthcare settings.
Why is "third-hand smoke" considered a significant risk in hospitals?
Third-hand smoke refers to carcinogens that remain on surfaces like walls, furniture, and skin, which can be transmitted to individuals even after the cigarette has been extinguished, posing a hidden hazard.
How does the author relate economic costs to the smoking debate?
The author argues that smoking leads to billions of dollars in lost productivity and healthcare expenses, making it a financial burden that society can no longer afford to ignore.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Clinton Kelly (Autor:in), 2013, Outdoor smoking in hospitals and health facilities. Should it be banned?, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/271702
