Williams first would be a malpractice lawsuit if something was to go wrong with the caller taking the medication. If the patient passed away from complications of taking the refill then that opens the door for a wrongful death lawsuit. Jerry could lose his license as well as Dr. Williams if Jerry calls in the refill and the patient has an adverse reaction. When it comes to problem solving for this situation, Jerry just need to weigh out the pros and cons of him calling in the refill without consulting Dr. Williams. He needs to think about what is best for the practice, for Dr. Williams, and what’s best for Jerry and his job.
The routine practice of physician-assisted suicide raises serious ethical and other concerns (Snyder, 2004). According to ACP-ASIM, legalization of physician assisted suicide would undermine the patient–physician relationship and the trust necessary to sustain it. It would alter the medical profession's role in society and endanger the value our society places on life; especially on the lives of disabled, incompetent, and vulnerable individuals. The Hippocratic Oath is one of the oldest binding documents in history. Its principles are held sacred by doctors, “Treat the sick to the best of one's ability, preserve patient privacy, and teach the secrets of medicine to the next generation” (Hippocratic Oath, n.d.).
A physician job description is to aim at the provision of treatments with health benefits in the patient’s best interest, and to avoid adverse outcomes (Fiona Randall & Robin Downie 2010). Once a patient has died it is no coming back and the physician does not want this one their conscience when one day a cure could come along for terminally ill patients. Physicians are to heal and prolong life not take a life. Granted, physician assisted suicide if it does become legal it is still a decision left
What if I would have changed his diet, what if we hadn’t let him do this one thing, what if we completely affected the way his cancer progressed? Doctor Sekeres throughout his career is use to losing patients due cancer therapies; therefore being use to helping the families grieve afterwards. He knows that the actual question his patience are truly needing and are craving an answer to is “what more could I have done to prevent this from happening”. Doctor Sekeres attempts to reassure them that it was time to let go of someone in that amount of pain, and then tries to support them. Half the job of being a doctor is helping physical weakness and sickness; yet, the other half is adaptability to your patience and sympathizing with all those involved.
Module 02 – Breach of Confidentiality A 42-year-old male dentist was referred to the radiology department of a hospital for a CT-guided needle biopsy of a 1.5 cm lung nodule. The nodule was thought to be benign but clarification was needed. The patient met with the radiologist and the nurse to explain the procedure and possible risks of bleeding, infection and pneumothorax that may require a chest tube. Before signing the consent form, the dentist asked to speak to the radiologist privately. The patient reveled that he was HIV-positive and was worried that his dental practice might suffer “dire financial consequences” if knowledge of his HIV were to become known.
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.
The circumstances surrounding how the incorrect extremity was amputated was not clearly identified, but the doctrine of res ipsa loquitor – “the thing speaks for itself” – can be applied in this instance (Guido, 2010). It is standard protocol and best practice to identify the operative site prior to surgery. “To the extent possible, the patient (or legally designated representative) should be involved in the process” (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2012). Mr. Benson was not able to confirm of negate that this procedure took place prior to his operation because he was under anesthesia, but it can be implied as it is obvious that the wrong leg was
Is Assisted Suicide Ethically Justified? Chriss N. Thomas Philosophy of Ethics Dr. John Schmitz February 8, 2012 The choice a terminally ill patient makes should be available to them in the event they no longer want to suffer. According to Dame Jill Macleod Clark, who sits on the Council of Deans of Health, states “those who have cared for terminally ill patients, friends or family know their greatest fears and anxieties are about intractable sufferings, and their desire for a dignified and peaceful death” (2011). When patients who are terminally ill want to hear options the argument has been made that all options are not available because assisted suicide comes with scrutiny and consequences. On the other hand opponents of assisted suicide do not believe this is the only way to secure a good health alternative.
In particular, critics state that diagnosing death and putting people on end of life care pathways is a form of euthanasia – one newspaper story featured the headline ‘Sentenced to death on the NHS’ (Devlin 2009). This type of criticism is founded on the myths outlined above, particularly those relating to passive and active euthanasia and to withdrawal of treatment. It is worth restating that care pathways allow healthcare professionals to try out treatments and withdraw them if they are not effective, and to reintroduce treatments if patients respond in unexpected ways. A clearer understanding of the ethics and law in this area should help nurses to address these criticisms and reassure themselves that the guidance set out in care pathways is legally and ethically sound. NURSING