BUSI 302 Week 1 Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread Example

Reviewed by Laura Hargrove, MPH · Liberty University · Updated

This BUSI 302 Week 1 sample thread uses a real kind of problem from a physician practice to show how law and ethics can point in different directions: a patient's abnormal lab result sat unread for three weeks, and the question is whether, and how, to tell her. Drawing on Judson and Harrison's distinction between what the law requires and what ethics asks, it applies a three-question ethical check to the decision and brings in research on apology laws, which mostly protect expressions of sympathy but not admissions of error, and on communication-and-resolution programs, which have not raised liability costs for the hospitals that use them. The thread ends by recommending full disclosure. In the BS in Healthcare Administration, Liberty University BUSI 302 begins its forum series here, and the thread alone is worth 75 points.

CourseBUSI 302 Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare (BUSI302)
Module/Week1
AssignmentDiscussion Board Forum 1 Thread
Paper typeDiscussion thread
Lengthabout 503 words (thread and replies). Course guide: a thread of at least 450 words demonstrating course-related knowledge and citing at least 2 scholarly sources other than the course textbook in current APA format
FormatAPA 7 citations and reference list
Points75
SchoolLiberty University Online
ProgramBS in Healthcare Administration
Where it sitsModule/Week 1 in Liberty's published BUSI 302 course guide; current sections can differ
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for BUSI 302 Week 1

1

Discussion Board Forum 1: Law, Ethics and the Duty to Disclose

BUSI 302 Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare, Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread

Thread by [Student Name]

The practice, the error and the people involved are composites; the textbook and the journal articles cited are real.

Why this part earns its pointsThe thread starts with a decision the writer's office actually faced, so the law and ethics distinction has something to work on.
2

Last month, a patient at our family medicine practice called to ask why no one had contacted her about her blood work. When our staff checked, they found that her potassium had come back critically low three weeks earlier and the result had been filed without a physician's review. She had not been harmed, as far as we know, and the physician repeated the test the same day. Her potassium had recovered on its own, but a critical value that sits unread for three weeks is exactly the kind of failure that harms the next patient. The question that reached my desk as practice manager was what to tell her. One physician suggested saying only that the result "needed follow-up." Another wanted to explain exactly what happened.

Judson and Harrison (2016) distinguish law, which sets enforceable standards with penalties, from ethics, which concerns what is right and often asks more than the law does. In our case, the legal minimum and the ethical answer seem to diverge. No statute requires a practice to describe its filing error in detail, but the ethical principles of honesty and respect for the patient's autonomy suggest she is entitled to know. Judson and Harrison present a simple check for ethical decisions: Is it legal? Is it balanced and fair to everyone involved? How will I feel about myself afterward? A vague explanation passes the first question, but it fails the second, because it protects us at her expense, and I doubt any of us would feel good about it.

Why this part earns its pointsThe research is used to answer the practical fear behind the vague option, which is liability.
3

The real reason for the vague option is fear of liability. Many states have passed apology laws to address that fear, but Ross and Newman (2021) explain that most of these laws protect expressions of sympathy or regret and not disclosures of error, so they have not reduced malpractice claims as intended. In other words, saying "I'm sorry this happened" is protected in many places, but "we made a mistake" may not be. That is a gap in the law, not a reason to avoid honesty, and it is one that a practice can manage with careful wording and advice from its insurer.

The evidence on transparency is reassuring. Kachalia et al. (2018) studied four Massachusetts hospitals that adopted communication-and-resolution programs, in which hospitals disclose adverse events, explain them, apologize and offer compensation when warranted. None of the hospitals saw liability trends worsen, and some saw fewer new claims and lower defense costs. A 2026 rapid review reached a similar conclusion: the strongest programs reduced claims and legal costs, though evidence on patient outcomes was limited (Sokol-Hessner et al., 2026).

I recommended that the physician tell the patient exactly what happened, apologize and explain the new safeguard we added, a daily report of unreviewed critical results. The law sets the floor for what we must say; ethics decides whether we stop there. I also proposed that our practice adopt a written disclosure policy so the next decision does not depend on who happens to be in the room.

4

References

Judson, K., & Harrison, C. (2016). Law and ethics for the health professions (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Kachalia, A., Sands, K., Van Niel, M., Dodson, S., Roche, S., Novack, V., Yitshak-Sade, M., Folcarelli, P., Benjamin, E. M., Woodward, A. C., & Mello, M. M. (2018). Effects of a communication-and-resolution program on hospitals' malpractice claims and costs. Health Affairs, 37(11), 1836-1844. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0720

Ross, N. E., & Newman, W. J. (2021). The role of apology laws in medical malpractice. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 49(3), 406-414.

Sokol-Hessner, L., Stewart, C. M., Sharma, R., Zhang, A., Gallagher, T. H., Kachalia, A., Bass, E. B., & Clifton, M. (2026). Programs for responding after patients are harmed by their healthcare: A Making Healthcare Safer IV rapid review. Journal of Patient Safety and Risk Management, 31(3), 128-138. https://doi.org/10.1177/25160435261422384

What the BUSI 302 Week 1 instructions ask

BUSI 302 splits its first forum across two weeks, with the thread due in Module/Week 1 and the replies in Module/Week 2. The week's study is chapters 1 and 2 of Judson and Harrison's Law and Ethics for the Health Professions, a presentation and a video case, alongside the course checklist, introductions and the first Connect homework. A thread of 450 words or more is expected, grounded in the week's reading and backed by two or more scholarly sources besides the textbook, all cited in APA style. Respond to the posted prompt with an example you can analyze in depth rather than a general survey, since the replies next week will build on what you choose. A narrow case analyzed well is worth more than a broad one described quickly.

How this BUSI 302 Week 1 example is built

The thread opens with a missed lab result at a family medicine practice and the office debate about what to tell the patient. It sets out the textbook's distinction between law, which sets enforceable minimum standards, and ethics, which asks what is right when no law requires it. It then runs the decision through a three-question ethical check and examines what apology laws protect and why they have not reduced malpractice claims. Evidence on communication-and-resolution programs answers the fear that disclosure invites lawsuits. The thread closes with the practice manager's recommendation, a safeguard against the same error and a proposal for a written disclosure policy.

BUSI 302 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go

Threads in this course are usually graded on reaching 450 words, using the week's chapters accurately, applying them to a concrete healthcare situation, citing at least two scholarly sources beyond the textbook and writing clearly in APA style. Faculty look for analysis that uses the course concepts to reach a reasoned position, not just definitions of law and ethics. Because replies come a week later, a thread that takes a clear stand gives classmates something real to answer. Relying on the textbook alone, or citing general websites in place of scholarly sources, costs points even when the writing is strong.

BUSI 302 Week 1 help: mistakes that cost points

Choose a situation from a healthcare workplace where the legal answer and the ethical answer might differ, such as error disclosure, confidentiality or a patient's refusal of care. Explain the difference between law and ethics using the week's chapters, then apply an ethical decision model one step at a time. Find two scholarly articles that bear on the situation, such as studies of disclosure or of apology laws, and cite them in APA format. State your conclusion plainly and say what you would do as an administrator. Post early in Module/Week 1 so classmates have the whole of Module/Week 2 to reply. Reread the chapter's definitions once more before posting, because classmates will quote them back to you in their replies.

Related BUSI 302 sample papers

Other BUSI 302 weeks

BUSI 302 Week 1 questions, answered

What is BUSI 302 Discussion Board Forum 1?

The first of three 75-point forums in Liberty's healthcare law and ethics course, with the thread due in Module/Week 1 and two replies due in Module/Week 2.

Where can I find a free BUSI 302 Week 1 sample paper?

This page shows a full BUSI 302 Week 1 forum thread on law, ethics and disclosing a medical error, with references, free to read.

How many sources does a BUSI 302 forum thread need?

At least two scholarly sources other than the course textbook, cited in current APA format, in a thread of 450 words or more.

What is the difference between law and ethics in healthcare?

Law sets enforceable rules with penalties for breaking them; ethics describes standards of right conduct that may ask more than the law requires.

Do apology laws protect admissions of fault?

Most protect only expressions of sympathy or regret; few protect statements admitting an error, which is one reason they have not reduced malpractice claims as hoped.

Use it as a model, or ask for your own

This paper is an original model written by our desk for study. It is not a submitted student paper and not an official Liberty University document. Read it for structure and reasoning, then write your own to the instructions in your Canvas course. If you want a version built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

Ask for a custom BUSI 302 Week 1 sample · All BUSI 302 weeks · All courses