Advanced Directives and Do Not Resuscitate Kimberly Stanton HCA 322 Professor: Delores Thomas December 11, 2011 In health care, end of life decisions and advanced directives can be one of the most difficult processes and decisions that a patient and family may face. Each person through their life experiences and knowledge has to face difficult thought provoking decisions on what to do when it is possible that death may be eminent. Advances in medicine and technology have giving physicians the ability to prolong and sustain life more so than ever. Modern medicine allows for sustaining life when the physical body has shut down the mechanisms to keep humans alive. The advances we have made in medicine and technology have now made it possible
When a dilemma arises, my responsibility is to support individuals or their families to make informed choices. Even if I disagree with their decision, I can only give advice but can not force them. If an individual is willing to do something that involves some risk, I have to support people to make informed choices. Totally avoiding risks would limit individual’s choices and opportunities and it can lead to dependency and depression. I have to act in the person’s best interest but instead of encouraging them to avoid risks I have to support them and enable them to taking part in activities.
How the ANA Code of Nursing Ethics would influence a final decision in each case study. With the patient with the hemorrhagic stroke, it is our responsibility to discuss with the patient’s family possible options in which they would feel comfortable taking. According to the Code of Nursing Ethics, “the nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, or community” (ANA Code of Nursing Ethics). With the patient having no advanced directives, the decision is much harder to take. Ethics committees can be useful in this situation, because they can help explain the patient’s situation and provide possible answers to those hard questions.
Holding on to somebody that does not want you to and putting the rest of your family in jeopardy is egotistical. Finally the pain hospice patients feel is sometimes unbearable for them. More than likely they are put on narcotics to ease the pain; however sometimes they don’t work or they work to well and they’re in a daze 24/7. That is no way for a person to live their last days on this earth. Not wanting to live that way should be a
It is almost certain that an employee will witness some form of negligence at any given time, and will be accountable for their actions. Any healthcare professional seen to be carrying out unsafe practice will be deemed accountable. During this essay the author will begin analysing and discussing both legal and ethical implications, healthcare professionals encounter on a day-to-day basic while in clinical practice. It will begin by discussing the scenario encountered during the second year of placement in relation to autonomy, consent, fluctuating capacity and refusal of intervention and nursing responsibility, making reference to earlier law cases which relate to this scenario. Within the Healthcare profession today authors debate
The primary concern is to ensure that the patient is as comfortable as possible and that any emotional and psychological needs are being addressed. “For many, hospice is a frightening word because it is associated with end of life. But really the confusion is due to not understanding what hospice is and how it can help people who are sick and their families. Often, the biggest myth surrounding hospice care is that the family has given up and hospice is a final surrender. But hospice is a way for people to prioritize the wishes of the patient and the family and is in no way "giving up."
Patients and families dealing with potential end-of-life issues is a very common problem in health care today. The Research addresses the following questions: 1. How can we assist our patients with ESRD with end-of-life issues? 2. Is the topic a priority for the organization 3.
In the given case study, for instance, future provision of moderate sedation and additional backup must remain a mandatory exercise. Second, involves gathering of data and available evidence as a means of highlighting the occurrence of events, a behavior, or even condition (Clark &Taplin, 2012). According to most hospital regulations and ethics, when a patient begins to exhibit complications, it is upon the nurse and the ED physician to note the symptoms and offer appropriate treatment. Further examination of this scenario reveals a number of hazards/errors, i.e., shortage of qualified nurses, unfamiliar with appropriate medication dosages, the current procedure for conscious sedation was not followed, and the most fundamental hazard is the inability of the staff to prioritize and inform the administration (Nursing Supervisor) of the situation in the ED. The emergency department still failed to abide by medical ethics of practice.
Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing Diane Eckert, Christen Rosa, Gary Pagdilao, Melissa Mendoza Nurs 391 April 20, 2015 Willie Goodwin Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing The nurse plays an important role in the safety and well-being of the sick and vulnerable. In two different cases, one involving the care of the unresponsive patient without advanced directives and the second involves the nurse observing negligent behavior by another nurse. The nurse is responsible not only ethically but legally for the care of the patient. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics serves to protect the welfare of the sick, injured and helpless. Nurses are relied upon to advocate for our patients dignity, privacy, confidentiality, improper and incompetent care.
Other nurses and staff members are not this strong, opting to go elsewhere to only do their ‘fair share’. These nurses say that their families deserve their time as well as the patients and they feel that they are unable to equally divide their time with family if they are physically and mentally drained every day. High staffing turnover leaves another problem for the administrator. Making sure not to hire people of a certain character out of desperation is a different type of challenge for the administrator. Those people that are labeled as elder abusers, thieves or predators cannot be a part of the staff in these facilities and must carefully be weeded out of the hiring process.