Ethics Case Study An eight month old girl arrives at an emergency room in which it was discovered that the child had bilateral fractures on her femur. The hospital determined that there was no child abuse present by having a conversation with the mother. They did not base this decision on anything other than the conversation with the mother. The mother informed them that the child complained about the condition after daycare and from this the hospital staff concluded that the child was not being abused. The problem within this case is that the hospital staff did not go to great lengths to verify the mother's story. If the mother would have been the source of the injures by abusing her child then the hospital could be held liable. Relying solely on the mother's statement could possible put both the hospital and the child at risk. Instances of potential child abuse should be handled with great care and concern. Nurses, as well as many other types of professionals, are required by law to report any incidence or evidence of child abuse or neglect. The nurse or other professional is immune from liability after reporting an incidence of child abuse, but the nurse can be held civilly and criminally liable if he or she fails to make a report of suspected abuse (Lewin, 1994). Therefore, the hospital could be liable for damages and the hospital staff could also be held criminally liable if it was found that they were negligent in their decision to rule out child abuse from the
In the state of New York the Child Protective System identifies certain professional a vital purpose in reporting child abuse, a code of ethic is used here B.2.a., Probable Harm and Legal requirements under the ACA code of ethics (Counseling, 2015). It is mandated to certain professionals to report
If any professional becomes concerned that a child might be at risk of abuse, be it physical, sexual, emotional or neglect, it is their legal duty to pass on such concerns to the appropriate professionals who can assess if and what action should be taken. In cases where it will not put the child at greater risk or danger, the parents / carers of the child will be informed that such action has been taken.
Advocacy is a fundamental responsibility in nursing because patients are inherently vulnerable (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). The scenario presented is challenging because, although the nurse suspects child abuse, there is a lack of explicit evidence. Reporting suspected child abuse is a legal obligation for nurses, but the result may have devastating effects for the family. To prevent inaccurate conclusions, a professional nurse should question the mother and child separately and attempt to uncover the
Yes, Tavion’s mother’s statement of concern about the suspicion of abuse should warrant a valid reason to lunch investigation in the child injury. Moreover, the emergency department staff had suspicion about the Tavion’s injury due to the fact injury is not consistence with an injury sustained in park playground. Hospitals are mandate by law to report any suspicion of child abuse; the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act enacted in 1974 was designed to encourage the reporting of child abuse cases, and prevention. In addition, most states have enacted laws to further protect abuse children, and most states protect the individual required to report cases of suspected child abuse; the following individual are eligible to report suspected cases of abuse include healthcare administrators, physicians, interns, registered nurse, chiropractors, social service workers, psychologists, dentists, osteopaths, optometrists, podiatrists, mental health professionals, and volunteer in healthcare facilities (Pozgar, 2014).
Any reasonable organization would be able to predict or expect that the ER nurses condition needed to be addressed by the hospital as it would ultimately lead to harmful result if they didn’t act upon the physician’s recommendation and the previous history of errors (Pozgar, 2012). The hospital failed to supervise or establish appropriate policies to provide reasonable accommodations for the pregnant ER nurse. While not directly at fault for the negligence by the nurse under the borrowed servant doctrine the hospital would be liable for the acts of their agents and in the least contributed to the negligence (Pozgar, 2012 and “Comparative and Contributory Negligence”,
An ethical dilemma is defined as a mental state when the nurse has to make a choice between the options and choices that he or she has at her disposal. The choice is a crucial task as the opting of the step will subsequently determine the health status of the concerned patient, hence it requires a great deal of wisdom along with proper medical and health training before any such step is opted as it is a matter of life and death. Strong emphasis should therefore be on the acquisition of proper knowledge and skills so that nurses do posses the autonomy to interact with patients regarding ethical issues involved in health care affairs and address them efficiently. It is normally argued that nurses are not provided sufficient
Westat found that professionals failed to report many of the children they saw who had signs of child abuse and neglect. It found that in 1986, 56 percent of apparently abused or neglected children, or about 500,000 children, were not reported to the authorities. This figure, however, seems more alarming than it is: Basically, the more serious the case, the more likely the report. For example, the surveyed professionals reported over 85 percent of the fatal or serious physical abuse cases they saw, 72 percent of the sexual abuse cases, and 60 percent of the moderate physical abuse cases. They only reported 15 percent of the educational neglect cases they saw, 24 percent of the emotional neglect cases, and 25 percent of the moderate physical neglect cases.
Health professionals, in particular GPs and doctors in emergency departments, may examine children with injuries which they suspect may be non-accidental. They have a duty to alert children’s social care when abuse is
RP stated law enforcement received a call from an anonymous caller stated an employee, Shemaiah Messengale grabbed the child Marley's arm which is fractured. Law enforcement contacted the child's mother to verify injuries. It was disclosed the child had suffered 4 fractures to her elbow and wrist. The RP stated law enforcement spoke with owner/licensee of the facility and the employee accused of causing the injury. They reported Marley sustained the injuries accidentally when she fell from slide. The RP stated the child was treated at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) by Dr. Lindsey Andras who determined the injuries are consistent with a fall. Law enforcement did not speak with treating doctor to confirm the information. The RP disclosed
Throughout history there has been many ethical dilemmas that have resulted in change, and many that have still not been resolve. These dilemmas often result in controversial issues arising, and both sides of the spectrum arguing as to which proposed idea is the morally correct one. Today, there is an enormous controversy in the ethical dilemma involving child care. This issue revolves around whether the views of the parents should be upheld when their child is in danger medically. To further assess the impact of this ethical dilemmas, a case study involving the treatment implemented on a child by a physician while opposing the views and wishes held by the parents will be analyzed in terms of the ethics of the situation, the stakeholders, values,
If this scenario happened in an outpatient clinic or urgent care center and there were physicians who were more dedicated to patient safety a report to child protective services may have been made regarding the child’s injuries. This child deserves to have her rights observed and
The reporting party (RP) stated a home visit was made on 4/8/16 for foster child Ronny Perdomo. During the visit the RP observed multiple bruising to the foster child's lower part of his spine, upper left shoulder, and on his back area. The RP stated she took pictures of the bruises. The foster mother Ana Ramos explanation for the bruising was the child is Anemic. The RP stated on 4/11/16 she consulted with her SCSW who advised her to take the child for a forensic exam. The RP stated on 4/12/16 she took the child to have a medical examination. The RP stated on 4/19/16 at approximately 1:50PM she received a call from a Nurse Practitioner (name not provided) from High Desert Regional Clinic who informed the RP the child's bruising was highly
Danny R. Veilleux, Annotation, Validity, Construction, and Application of State Statute Requiring Doctor or Other Person to Report Child Abuse, 73 A.L.R.4th 782, §3 (1989). However, while Texas statutes expand universally it does specifically place a higher burden on professionals and clearly states that a professional is defined by different professions: specifically doctors, nurses, and employees of a clinic or health care facility that provides reproductive services. TEX. FAM. CODE ANN.§ 261 (2005).
“The definition of a health professional is a person who works to protect and improve people’s health by the diagnosis and treatment of illness to bring about a complete recovery from mental, physical and social perspectives, either directly or indirectly (Kurban, 2010, pg. 760).” Nurses in the community today have acquired an increasing responsibility to intervene with medical decisions. In the past, there were clear differences between nurses and doctors. It was more common for a nurse to be supervised directly under the physician. They are not just performing Doctor’s orders anymore. The nurse role in patient care has been widely expanded. Allegations against someone can be one of the most stressful moments of their careers. Negligence
Visiting and investigating the location where the child was hurt is an important piece of a puzzle in a child abused investigation process because the scene where the child’s injury occurred usually leave an evidence that is crucial to the case. Therefore, it is very critical that the child abused investigator should pay a visit and investigate the scene where the child was injured, especially when the caretaker give the investigator conflicting statements regarding the injury of the child.