Seven-Step Model of Ethical Dilemma-Free-Samples for Students

Question: You will be provided with a choice of case studies related to ethical dilemmas that healthcare professionals face regularly as a part of their professions. You will be required to analyze the case and provide a written report based on your findings and reflections. Answer: Case Study Analysis: Informed Consent On a daily basis, nurses are confronted with the professional reality that they can mitigate in the decision-making process when it comes to safeguarding the rights and well-being of their patients. Regardless, the limits that a nurse possesses on the grounds of authority and capacity to mitigate are emphasized on the same daily basis. Sheila, a nurse at an orthopedic unit, recently experienced a similar incident concerning informed consent violation and she was faced with the dilemma of either intervening for her patient or going, mum. The following paper endeavors to analyze Sheilas case based on the seven-step model of processing ethical dilemma as crafted by Potter and Perry. Ethical Dilemma Literature defines ethical dilemma as the decision-making problem between two possible moral imperatives which are either acceptable or not (Enzinger et al., 2017). What this means is that, when trying to make a decision, one aspect will be obeyed while the other will be transgressed. According to Sheilas case study, the dilemma was either to intervene (Sheila) and translate the information being provided by the surgical doctor in German or protect her professional career and not intervene. The case is a two-faceted take: on one end, the nurse did the right thing by being concerned whether her patient was being provided the correct information. One of the paramount rights of any patient is the right to autonomy and informed consent. As stipulated in the universal consent standards, a patient ought to understand what is being explained by ensuring that the medical professionals provide every medical detail (Potter, Perry, Stockert, Hall, 2014). On the other end, the nurse was only pr ofessional. Sheila only did what any nurse would have done in her position- following orders. Informed Consent As the name suggests, informed consent is the voluntary agreement to or acquiescence in what another person proposes. In the medical field, Grady, (2015), the generalized regulation is that a patient ought to provide consent to the doctors before any administration of treatment. To do so, there are several guidelines that doctors and other medical professionals ought to use (Blease, Lilienfeld, Kelley, 2016) . They include the capacity to consent- a person who can comprehend the nature and the anticipated effect of the proposed medical treatment, as well as alternatives, can be considered to have the capacity to provide valid consent. Nonetheless, there are limitations to the size of a person to provide informed consent. Age of the person heavily depends on the validity which is limited from the age of fourteen (in Canada) and anyone above the age of eighteen with a sound mind and emotional stability (Kim Miller, 2015). Additionally, Ferrer et al., (2016) indicates that if a person is unable to decide due to predeterminant factors such as mental capacity, then another person can do so on their behalf Another prominent informed consent detail is the disclosure of information to be considered valid (Hill Howlett, 2013). An informed consent stipulates that there needs to be the explicit explanation on the medical information a patient ought to be given especially about the nature of their treatment as well as the anticipated outcome (Faden, Beauchamp, Kass, 2014). The obligation to provide the medical information rests on the physician and never delegated to another medical staff. However, in special circumstances, the data can be disclosed to another physician to get more confident in explaining to the patient. Hence, patient comprehension, another fundamental factor, should be placed in consideration. The patient should be able to ask as many questions as possible (Schatzberg DeBattista, 2015) . Therefore, the physician should take considerable steps in ensuring that the patient understands and is relatively satisfied with the information provided wherein there is language diff iculty. Personal Values on Ethical Issue Negligence and carelessness, in my opinion, are the leading causes of mistrust and mistakes when it comes to handling patients. Worse of all is that legal issues follow suit soon afterward. Regardless, based on the Sheila case study, as a nurse, a lot should have been done to ensure that the patients wellbeing was put first despite the professional consequences. For instance, I value placing the patient first especially in their wellbeing. The patient was fluent in Germany, and so is Sheila. When the nurse noticed that the daughter was not providing the correct and full information and that the doctor did not put this regarding violating patients rights, then Sheila should have found a way to explain to the patient. However, the nurse opted to be mum about the issue, and this facilitated a breach in her professional and nursing career. Likewise, I value courageous people especially nurses who will not stand aside while their patients are going through assault. It is of the opinion th at Sheila should have disengaged the doctor an talked to him or her separately indicating what violations are occurring and what may be the consequence if the outcomes are not what was to be expected by the patient. Verbalize the Problem The problem in the case study is that the patients right to autonomy, valid consent and comprehension were not regarded when information was being presented. The issue, therefore, may cause a legal suit in the future and needs to be handled as soon as possible. The doctor should have put into consideration that the daughter is not right in German and a better translator should have been used (Wu et al., 2017). Alternatively, the nurse should have been vocal in protecting the rights of the patient regardless of authority hierarchy breach. Possible Course of Action The reasonable action to take is that the nurse (who is fluent in German) and the doctor should revise the information to the patient. The idea here is to ensure that the patient grasps as much as possible before making the informed consent. As stipulated in the informed consent, the validity is reliant on the comprehension and the patient ability to articulate what she is being told. Another course of action is to educate the physician on the right protocol in handling patients especially those who require translators. Negligence and carelessness should be eliminated to avoid future lawsuits which may hinder the medical institutions operations. Reflect on the Outcome The client will have to understand what the medical info is all about in addition how they will benefit. By using German, the patient will be able to make the valid consent without any issues in the future. Besides, the indications would be a valid consent. Action and Outcome The act to protect the patients rights and ensure that she will get the best out of the medical information provided will show the need always to protect the patient. The protection of patient rights and the indulgence of the physicians in understanding the fundamental need to address patient rights including comprehension will limit incidences in the future. Professional Standards According to CLPNBC, ever registered nursing profession including a Licensed Profession Nurse under the Health Professions Act is required to serve and protect the public as well as exercise the powers in addition to discharging responsibilities under all the enactments in the public interests (Nurses (Licensed Practical) Regulation, ). For an LPN under the BC curriculum, measurements include the practical application of nursing in the assigned environment. Nonetheless, some duties and responsibilities are used to measure an LPN that include making a diagnosis, compounding and administering medicine to patients. Also, an LPN is regulated under the BC through the restricted duties that involve performing procedures on tissue damages, cannot deliver medication that is complex and cannot handle complicated equipment without a supervisors presence. Nevertheless, there are professional standards that an LPN ought to carry out and will be stated below: Responsibility and Accountability According to the values, nurses (LPN) are required to uphold the professional responsibilities in professional integrity and advocate for the rights of the patient which Sheila should have adhered to during the provision of information. About CLPNBC, LPN practice in BC mandates that nurses according to the Health Professions Act Section 16 (1), nurses are required to exercise powers and discharge responsibilities (Nurses (Licensed Practical) Regulation, n.d.). Sheila, the nurse, should have carried out her sole duty in protecting the patients wellbeing regardless of what the physician had instructed her to do. Moreover, the responsibility and accountability require that a nurse as well as a medical profession, irrespective of the circumstance, be respectful of the patients rights and serve the patient with the utmost professionalism (Spatz, Krumholz, Moulton, 2016). Competency-Based Practice According to CLPNBC requires that nurses meet the professional standards within the facility they work in through the implementation of electronic documentation. In most cases, this may include speaking out to other medical professionals with their problems under the new documentation system (Ferrer et al., 2016). In the case of Sheila, it would have been best if she would have indicated the issue at hand to the doctor or another nurse (preferably a supervising nurse) about the incidence on paper or electronic documentation process. The solution to this would have prevented a lot of ethical breach by the medical doctor in his quest to make things harder for the patient. Client-Focused Provision of Services Communication is the best practice when it comes to handling patient information and wellbeing (Wolf, Clayton, Lawrenz, 2018). Collaborating with another nurse would have been the best option for Sheila to take when she could not speak with the attending physician. Since she was the nurse attending to the patient who was ill, it was her responsibility and duty to ensure that the patient got the best and quality health care to be offered while still undergoing treatment. However, Sheila did not take it up with the supervising nurse or follow the necessary protocol in ensuring that the patient was catered. Ethical Practice Ethical Practice ensures that there is good nursing when it comes to the patients. A nurse ought to be the moral agent to the patient in times of crisis and especially when assaulted by another physician (Koch Elster, 2017). In the case study, Sheila should have been more pre-empt in ensuring that the patient got the right information as per the doctors explanation and not leave bygones be bygones. It showed unethical practice in both the nurse and the doctor and was a breach of patients rights to informed consent. References Blease, C. R., Lilienfeld, S. O., Kelley, J. M. (2016). Evidence-based practice and psychological treatments: the imperatives of informed consent. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1170. Enzinger, A. C., Wind, J. K., Frank, E., McCleary, N. J., Porter, L., Cushing, H., Meropol, N. J. (2017). A stakeholder-driven approach to improve the informed consent process for palliative chemotherapy. Patient Education and Counseling, 100(8), 15271536. Faden, R. R., Beauchamp, T. L., Kass, N. E. (2014). 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