Ethics Case Study Jerry has the credentials to write a prescription and to authorize a refill. In this circumstance, although Jerry has the medical training that allows him to make requests for medication and refills, Jerry should not put in the refill or authorize a new script. Jerry should take the patients information and make sure this information is correct. Once confirmed Jerry could have this authorized by the Doctor and contact the patient as to what will take place. The patient may be on a time constraint but this liability is much more important to weigh.
Autonomy is an individual’s right to make their own decision, self-determination. Miller states that physicians are obligated to respect treatment refusals by independent patients. But autonomy is a confusing conception and may possibly be used in a number of different senses. Four senses of autonomy that are relevant to medical decisions: autonomy as free action, autonomy as authenticity, autonomy as effective deliberation, and autonomy as moral reflection. Autonomy as free action is when a patient’s choice is both voluntary and intentional.
This form requires health professionals to document both how they have come to the conclusion that the patient lacks the capacity to make this particular healthcare decision, and why the proposed treatment would be in the patient’s best interests. It also allows the involvement of those close to the patient in making this healthcare decision to be documented. The development of these forms does not change the current position on when written, as opposed to oral, consent to treatment is necessary. It is a matter of local determination what form of consent is appropriate for individual procedures, within the broad guidelines set out in the model consent
This would be difficult without informing the parents. The patient’s parents must be informed because the patient is at an age where she in not capable of making her own medical decisions. The committee may have been called in to advise the nurse and physician involved as to what steps they should take to inform the parents. Patient confidentiality is vital to maintain patient trust. When a nurse breaches this trust patient outcomes can be jeopardized.
It is best that ‘dual relationships’ are avoided, such as when the therapist knows the client as a friend as this can be detrimental to the client. Records must be kept and referred to throughout treatment, but should be confidential between client and therapist. There may be times when the therapist may have to break client confidentiality, i.e. when a client poses a risk to themselves or someone else. The therapist must also work within the confines of the law, for example if treating a child who has suffered sexual abuse then the therapist has a duty to disclose any details of the offender.
If the nurse is not sensitive to these minute needs, it can cause the patient to be unable to trust the medical team meeting the needs, and understanding the importance of more serious issues. As a nurse, it is important to understand state and institutional policies regarding certain situations. Restraints are not recommended for this patient who is able to respond appropriately to questions and express needs. A nurse must consider the serious consequences that applying restraints may lead to, and with this knowledge, restraints would not have been considered. As a nurse it is important to make sure that tasks are being delegated appropriately to UAPs and they understand when they need to report problems of concern to the nurse.
Thus, a person’s health should not be sacrificed due to that patient’s autonomy or right to make his or her own choices. As long as a patient is informed about the consequences of their actions, then one should be able to do what he or she deems necessary. Ms. Selbstmord’s case illustrates the shift that society is beginning to make further from autonomy and to other principles that place less value on a patient’s rights. References Callahan, D. (1994). Bioethics: Private choice and common good.
When Dorothea was 7 years old she was seriously affected by polio that led to have a permanent limp, and having a lonely childhood. Her dad left her and her mother and he vanished from their lives and she never saw him again. Her real name was not Dorothea Lange but it was really Dorothea Nutzhorn she change it because she wanted a new beginning. She marry two times the first was Maynard Dixon but she divorced him then she married Paul Schuster Taylor. What you may not know about Lange is that she the one that took the most famous photographs about the Great Depression.
While the physician did not believe that, at the time of treatment, the patient was competent to make this decision, the patient had an advanced directive that clearly stated that he did not wish to be intubated. Provision 2.1 of the ANA Code of Ethics also directs that the nurses primary concern is always for the patient and the best interest of the patient while Provisions 3.1 and 3.2 discuss the nurses responsibility for providing the patient with privacy and confidentiality, all of these provisions were ignored, to a degree, during the course of this scenario. While the scenario describes Mr. E as having a mild developmental disability we do not know his actual level of competence at the time the advanced directive and the medical power of attorney was signed. Just because he has a developmental disability does not mean that the disability was severe enough that the patient was unable to comprehend the choices he made when instituting these
One of the important ethical issues to check, is that you do not know the person, and that you are not connected in anyway that is inappropriate, this is called a dual relationship this may be unavoidable in small towns, we would also need to assess that that there are no sexual attractions, on this basis the therapist may decide they cannot work with the client, and may offer the client an alternative therapist. The prospect that this could happen must be explained to the client in the initial consultation, so you can build trust, and the client can feel that you are working in their best interests. It is also important to make sure that the power of the relationships formed between therapist and client is of an equal one, it is extremely valuable to empower your client, and not take the power. The only time a therapist should show authoritarian power is when using inductions which require this