Making an Ethical Decision in a Critical Situation

1115 Words5 Pages
Making an Ethical Decision in a Critical Situation
Heather Collins #281111
Western Governors University
Nursing Roles and Values
September 1, 2012

Making an Ethical Decision in a Critical Situation A state regulation that was used in the case study would be Privacy and Confidentiality 483.10 (e). The State of Idaho, states a nurse needs to keep all patients records confidential. HIPAA protects an individual’s medical records and health information from unauthorized release. The nurse may not give out information about a patient to unauthorized individuals.
Implications
Confidentiality means if Mr. E does not want to give permission to discuss his condition to other individuals that are not permitted, then the healthcare team needs to respect him. Mr. Y only had permission to make medical decisions if Mr. E was not able to. Mr. E clearly stated he did not want to be put on a ventilator. Mr. E’s niece and her boyfriend should not have been involved. The staff should have told her they needed to wait for Mr. Y to show up before proceeding any further. The nursing staff involved with Mr. E, should not have talked about the situation openly in a public cafeteria to other staff who were not involved in Mr. E’s care.
Code of Ethics
The nursing code involved in this situation would be provision 1, which states “The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.” (ANA, 2001). Dr. K believes Mr. E does not understand the circumstances because Mr. E is developmentally delayed and hypoxic. Mr. E clearly stated “Go away! No! No! Take me home.” (Ribbens, Page 2). Mr. E even had an advanced directive marked with no

More about Making an Ethical Decision in a Critical Situation

Open Document