Nonmaleficency And Ethical Dilemma

I feel it is a person’s choice and it is different than suicide. It has to be well thought out and talked about with a team of people involved including physicians, psychologists, and family. I also think it is based more on

People from all walks of life face many ethical dilemmas. These dilemmas have consequences. Our worldview determines how we deal with these dilemmas, and guides us to the right decisions. In this essay, I will examine an ethical issues through my Christian worldview. I will also present other viewpoints, and compare them to mine.

As The role of the neonatal intensive care nurse in decision-making: Advocacy, involvement in ethical decisions and communication defines an ethical dilemma, “An ethical dilemma exists when some evidence indicates that an act is morally right and some evidence indicates that the same act is morally wrong, but the evidence on both sides is inconclusive… Thus, an ethical dilemma is not between the good aspects and bad aspects of a situation or between what can be done and what one wishes could be done, but among two or more morally right, but inconsistent, alternatives” (International Journal of Nursing Practice, 109). West Park Hospital states on their tree of ethics that compassion and respect, commitment, advocacy, competency, accountability/ responsibility, professional growth, knowledge, collaboration, and integrity are the roots and branches of a healthy nurse-patient relationship. Not only do nurses have to deal with everyday ethics, but they are also given the responsibility of making life-and-death decisions for patients who don’t have the ability to advocate for themselves. Within the domain of nursing, ethical decisions of all types occur within the job, but the level of education and responsibility that you have acquired determines many of the ethical decisions that one is required to make on a daily basis. Over the years, technological advances have changed the ethical decisions that occur within the job and the way that we handle those decisions. Technology has changed our world in many ways, especially within the medical field- some for the better and some for the worse, and this is very noticeable within a nurse’s daily life. Nurses have a lot of responsibility when it comes to making ethical decisions, but they are not the only ones that are involved in those decisions when it comes to vulnerable

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,

The health care colleague interviewed, Faith McClure, has about thirty three years experience in the field. She was the Medical/Surgical Director at my facility, and currently a case manager in my office. This is to emphasize her experience and expertise in the medical field. She obviously had strong feelings about pharmaceutical marketing and was happy to contribute.

“An ethical dilemma exists when a choice has to be made in which the consequences may have a potential positive or negative outcome.”("Topic 4: Contemporary Ethical Dilemmas (How do managers evaluate beginning-of-life dilemmas?). ", n.d.) The given scenario presents a patient named Jamilah Shah, who is of Turkish descent, 90 years old and collapsed at the side of her bed in the extended care facility in which she resides. The patient suffers from Chronic Pulmonary disease and diabetes mellitus. The patient was rushed to the ER were the EKG and lab tests revealed she suffered a heart attack and she was started on anticoagulants. The patient has no advance directives and a communication barrier exists, the ER department contacts the emergency contact, one of the patient 's sons Bashir. The patient 's family arrives at the hospital and her son states that he makes the decisions and the wants a do not resuscitate order for his mother and no medical intervention other than comfort care. The social worker handling Jamilahs case is concerned by her family 's lack of support and that the family 's wishes are at odds with the patient 's request for help and her expressed desire to live. Furthermore if the patient does not receive a cardiac catheterization or is considered for a coronary bypass, she will surely die.

The nurse could help simply with the explanation of how this could possibly save their child’s life so that she could see the world at an age that should could better appreciate it, and have her first real kiss, and get married. Nurses are better able to connect one on one with family unlike most doctors. Whereas, there are straighter to the point with the medical terms and how the surgery is going to go. Which is very important, but in a situations in the nature like this one, they forgot that they have to be a little more sympathetic and when they speak to the family of the patients they need to be more patient and understanding. According to the article “Working with Children in End-of-Life Decision Making” to uphold the child’s best interest while “dealing with these complex situations requires that health care providers have a sound understanding of ethics and ethical decision making”(Whitty-Rogers 6). This shows how nurses have to be able to effectively communicate with their patients and the patient’s family in a logic way but also ethical way. The logical communication would be the nurse giving the family all the facts, but by adding in the ethical way that gives them sympathy and shows the family that they care and are there if they need

The nurses in this small community hospital in no way upheld the Code of Ethics for nursing at this point of time in the care of the infant in this case. Primary responsibility and code is to give respect and good quality care to every patient. When the nurse turned off the monitor on this infant, they denied him the right to quality care. The nurse took away this infant’s worth by deciding to not treat him according to the orders and policies of the doctors and the hospital. Although the nurse could have turned the monitors off because it was disturbing one of her patients, and her job is to respect the primary interests of her patients. As an infant in the hospital at that time, he was a patient as well, even if not assigned to whichever particular nurse it was

On the other hand, with the baby girl’s case, the mother ultimately chose assisted suicide as she wished to stop nourishment and refused permission for surgery. The issue here violates the Baby Doe Law, which regardless of the parents’ wishes, sets specific guidelines for treatment of disabled newborns. Since the baby is not competent due to her age, the issue of informed consent is hard to deal with. This also deals with the issue of deciding for others because the mother must give informed consent and decide based off the well-being of her baby. This is another case of vulnerable population because the patient is a ten-month-old baby, and disabled as well. This means the child must not be neglected and be properly spoken for because she cannot speak for herself. Both cases have issues that overlap with each other and need to be broken down more to be understood properly.

As advances are made in neonatology, healthcare providers and families are faced with difficult decisions about premature neonatal resuscitation. Premature infants are now surviving at lower gestational ages than they have ever before causing an ethical dilemma for physicians, nurse, and parents. Physicians and nurses are upheld by the ethical principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence, while parents may be influenced by spiritual, cultural, moral, and social factors. When making decisions on resuscitation in neonates on the limits of viability, it is important to consider the ethics of the infant’s mortality, mobility including the parental wishes.

Is the selective non-treatment on handicapped newborns in a NICU unit moral? To start off, a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is an intensive care unit that specializes in the treatment of ill or premature newborns. This is also where a handicapped newborn would be placed. Just like any other argument, there are two sides. Some, like Raymond Duff and Robert Weir, argue that the selective non-treatment of a handicapped newborn is indeed moral. Of course, there are others, like Dr. C. Everett Koop and Paul Ramsey, that argue that selective non-treatment is not moral at all. By weighing both sides of the argument, one can decide for themselves if the selective non-treatment of a handicapped newborn is moral or not.

The Nuffied Council on Bioethics (2006) report Critical Care Decisions in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine states there are three main ethical issues surrounding neonatal intensive care by both professionals and the public which includes the borderline of viability, fetal medicine and the critical care decision-making for babies receiving intensive care (Teasdale, D. 2007).

Despite of the increasing knowledge in healthcare and bioethics, care for critically ill children remains understudied in Canadian context. The prevailing theories in ethics of justice do not address adequately the complex moral problems involved in the care of vulnerable children. Patients often find themselves in a distress in facing a tragic dilemma with two unlikely options. In a tragic dilemma, patient must find meanings in the specific case and with the guidance of health care professionals and bioethics in making informed choices that reflect their values and beliefs. Using ethical concepts and theories, I will discuss the complex case of Mary Jane Peirce and formulate a comprehensive ethical decision using the Mcdonald’s Ethical

Despite of the increasing knowledge in healthcare and bioethics, care for critically ill children remains understudied in Canadian contexts. The prevailing theories in ethics, primarily ethics of justice, do not adequately address the complex moral problems involved in the care of vulnerable children. Patients often find themselves in a distressing situation with two unfavorable options. In a tragic dilemma, health care professionals must guide patient in making informed decisions that reflect the goal and values of the patient. Using ethical concepts and theories, I will discuss the complex case of Mary Jane Peirce and formulate a comprehensive ethical decision using the steps outlined

Dr. Barnes and the patient’s obstetrician decided to stop treatment on a twenty- three week old, premature baby girl. The infant was in good hands of a neonatal nurse specialist, Mr. Simmons. He is accustomed to treating infants of her weight at 630 grams (1.4 pounds) and smaller. Simmons knew that the baby would need to be placed on respiratory support and transferred to the nearest tertiary care facility in order to survive. Dr. Barnes, a pediatric associate was on call for the evening. Dr. Barnes felt that the measures needed to make sure that the baby would survive were too aggressive for her condition. Dr. Barnes and the obstetrician called off the treatment before consulting with the new parents and having a chance to discuss a plan of action, letting the parents make the final decision.