The nurse is faced with an ethical dilemma regarding an 80-year old patient who just told her he does not want any life-prolonging procedures done. When the nurse returns to the room, the patient is unresponsive and not breathing. The nurse must decide what to do, as she is legally bound to provide life-saving measures, but also wants to uphold the patient's wish to not prolong life. This presents a conflict between the nurse's duty to the patient and her legal responsibilities. The nurse has to consider her options to respect patient autonomy while avoiding any problems from failing to attempt resuscitation.
The nurse is faced with an ethical dilemma regarding an 80-year old patient who just told her he does not want any life-prolonging procedures done. When the nurse returns to the room, the patient is unresponsive and not breathing. The nurse must decide what to do, as she is legally bound to provide life-saving measures, but also wants to uphold the patient's wish to not prolong life. This presents a conflict between the nurse's duty to the patient and her legal responsibilities. The nurse has to consider her options to respect patient autonomy while avoiding any problems from failing to attempt resuscitation.
The nurse is faced with an ethical dilemma regarding an 80-year old patient who just told her he does not want any life-prolonging procedures done. When the nurse returns to the room, the patient is unresponsive and not breathing. The nurse must decide what to do, as she is legally bound to provide life-saving measures, but also wants to uphold the patient's wish to not prolong life. This presents a conflict between the nurse's duty to the patient and her legal responsibilities. The nurse has to consider her options to respect patient autonomy while avoiding any problems from failing to attempt resuscitation.
CASE STUDY: ETHICAL OR MORAL DILEMMA An 80 year old patient in the nurse’s care just emphatically told her during the admission process that he does not wish any life prolonging procedures to be done if he should “code”. The nurse leaves the room to begin the appropriate referrals and paperwork for advance directives. When she returns, the patient is not breathing and has no pulse. CASE STUDY QUESTIONS WHAT Presentation title 3
SHOULD THE NURSE DO?
❑What is the nurse bound legally to do? ❑What ethical principles are in conflict in the given situation? ❑What other options does the nurse have to uphold the patient’s autonomy? ❑Are there any foreseeable problems in this situation? 4 Conflict and Dilemma ETHICAL CONFLICT OCCURS WHEN A CHOICE MUST BE MADE BETWEEN 2 EQUAL POSSIBILITIES.
3 types of moral conflict:
1. Moral distress- When someone wants to
do the right thing but is limited by constraints of organization or society.
Ex. Continuing life support even though it
is not in the best interest of the patient. 5 Conflict and Dilemma ETHICAL CONFLICT OCCURS WHEN A CHOICE MUST BE MADE BETWEEN 2 EQUAL POSSIBILITIES.
3 types of moral conflict:
2. Moral Uncertainty - Confusion in situations when a person is uncertain what the moral problem is or which moral principles or values apply to it. Ex. Between duties to the patient and one's duties to one's employer, and among practitioners with differing beliefs about what is "good" for a particular patient. 6 Conflict and Dilemma ETHICAL CONFLICT OCCURS WHEN A CHOICE MUST BE MADE BETWEEN 2 EQUAL POSSIBILITIES.
3 types of moral conflict:
3. Moral dilemma –When two or more moral principles apply that support mutually inconsistent actions. 7 ETHICS Presentation title 10 Presentation title 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Ex - if a patient was starting chemotherapy and
asked about the side effects, a nurse practicing veracity would be honest about the side effects they could expect with chemotherapy. 20
The nurse must be faithful and true to their
professional promises and responsibilities by providing high quality, safe care in a competent manner. 21
Substituted judgement Standards -The surrogate's task is to
reconstruct what the patient himself would have wanted, in the circumstances at hand, if the patient had decision-making capacity
Best Interest Standards- According to this standard, a decision
should be made on behalf of incompetent patients based on what is best for them – that is, choosing the course of action with the most favorable balance of harms and benefits. DECISION MAKING PROCESS 22
ETHICAL decision making is the
application of process and theories of moral philosophy to a real situation. 23 24 THANK YOU