Love Conquers Everything: Is Hospital Romance Even Ethical?

_{Photo by Павел Сорокин}

Hospitals are arenas where life and death duke things out.

Yet, it can also be a rather surprising place for love to take center stage. The uniqueness of its setting makes it prime real estate for the interplay of emotions, professional obligations, and ethical considerations.

However, this might break the traditional notion that “love conquers everything.”

If that’s the case, is what happens in books like Love, Lies & Lab Coats even possible?

While healthcare providers are bound by stringent codes of conduct, they manage to push through by navigating a delicate balance. One that has their personal feelings on one end and their professional duties on the other. Perhaps love is still possible because of that.

The Ethics of Being a Healthcare Provider

It is critical to understand the foundational principles of ethics that healthcare professionals use to guide themselves before any discussion about the specific challenges of love in the hospital.

In the circles of these professionals, there are the so-called four pillars of medical ethics. These form the foundation of ethical practice in healthcare, giving healthcare professionals a robust framework on how to make complex decisions.

_{Photo by Jozemara Friorili Lemes}

• Autonomy. The respect for a patient’s right to make informed decisions about their own care. What this means is that a doctor or a nurse should never leverage their authority over a patient, especially where it concerns interpersonal relationships.
• Beneficence. The vision is to aim for the patient’s best interests and improve their well-being while minimizing harm. If there is indeed love that manifests in the hospital, it should not be at the cost of jeopardizing a patient’s health.
• Non-maleficence. The comportment to avoid causing harm to the patient, whether intentionally or unintentionally. All romantic entanglements cannot interfere with a patient’s well-being and care.
• Justice. The necessity of treating every patient with fairness and equitability. Healthcare professionals should never let their personal affairs interfere with their medical judgments, especially when it comes to distributing resources and delivering care.

Is Hospital Romance Even Ethical?

The hospital is practically a breeding ground for emotions. When people spend as much time together as healthcare professionals do with teach other and their respective patients, there’s bound to be something that blossoms.

But, it cannot be denied that in such a high-strung environment where trust is essential to ensuring lives are saved, very strong emotional foundations for romantic relationships can be quite common.

_{Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko}

Ethical Dilemmas: Can Romance Overcome All?

While love is indeed possible inside a hospital, the question of can it endure is an important one to ask. There is a range of ethical challenges that crop up with office romances, what more when it’s in a hospital?

Here are some examples:

• Conflicts of interest. A common romantic entanglement is between a healthcare provider and their patient. This can be harmless at first glance, but a person’s ability to make objective judgments can be severely strained and compromised when it comes to their loved ones–which may lead to suboptimal care and violating the pillar of non-maleficence.
• Professional boundaries. When indulged haphazardly and without limit, romantic relationships between colleagues can overstep professional boundaries. This creates tension in the workplace and signals favoritism, inviting harassment. As such, it is important to maintain appropriate professionalism lest the pillar of justice is infringed.

So, Love Conquers Everything?

Love and ethics can still stand side-by-side in the hospital, but only if they’re approached with careful consideration, and there exists a commitment to professional responsibility.

• Professionals should act like professionals and have self-awareness, knowing when to separate public and private matters.
• Clear communication is, of course, important and pivotal. There should be no barriers between the involved parties and their respective departments.
• Above all, as people who have taken the Hippocratic oath, patient care should be prioritized, especially inside the hospital. If a relationship complicates the ability to provide for the patient, perhaps the relationship should be reevaluated.

Through a better awareness of the ethical considerations of romantic relationships inside the hospital, healthcare providers have the opportunity to make more informed decisions. This, in turn, helps them prioritize the well-being of their patients and better uphold the integrity of their profession.

For a look at what possible hospital romance might be like, take a look at Dee Bostic’s Love, Lies & Lab Coats and order a copy through this link now!