Dialysis is a process by which excess waste and water is removed from the blood to maintain a balanced proportion of contents/nutrients. Dialysis is done by using different dialysis machines which are usually very costly and sensitive. The duty to maintain a constant proportion of contents in the blood is usually done by kidneys but when they are not functioning properly the procedure of dialysis used. Therefore it is a very important and beneficial process for people whose kidneys are not functioning properly or who cannot undergo a kidney transplant due to various reasons for example blood type or reactive immune system. The process of dialysis might look very simple but there is a lot more ethical complexity related to it that will be elaborated. (White & Fitzpatrick)
Dialysis is a pretty expensive procedure and is required to be done regularly. The patients have to follow a strict schedule. Some patients that have to undergo regular dialysis are already very old and most of their other body parts are also not properly working. For example consider a situation in which a patient is in comma and is not responding , and patient is going through regular dialysis cycles, questions may arise that should the patient be given the treatment of dialysis. Not only it is putting burden on the resources and equipment of the hospital but it is also a financial burden on the person and the family of the patient. The dialysis machine could be used for another patient who is young has a lot of responsibilities like supporting the family needs etc, also the money that is spent on the procedure of dialysis for the comma patient that might have been used for someone’s help in the family. This is where we see the ethical dilemma. These are very di...
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...s associated with decisions like this and they should be determined taking everything into light. (Hensley)
White, Y., & Fitzpatrick, G. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16898103
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialysis http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16898103 (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiopulmonary_resuscitation resuscitation Hensley, S. D. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cbhd.org/content/ethical-concerns-
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialysis
White, Y., & Fitzpatrick, G. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16898103
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiopulmonary_resuscitation resuscitation Hensley, S. D. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cbhd.org/content/ethical-concerns-cardiopulmonary-
Today, there are so many legal dilemmas dominating trial for the courts to make a sound legal decision on whose right in a complicated situation. Despite the outcome of the case, the disagreement usually has a profound effect on the healthcare organization, and the industry as a whole. Many cases are arguments centered around if the issue is a legal or moral principle. Regardless what the situation maybe, the final decision is left to the courts to differentiate between the legality issues at hand opposed to justifying a case based on moral rules. According to Pozgar (2012), an ethical dilemma arises in situations where a choice must be made between unpleasant alternative. It can occur whenever a choice involves giving up something good and suffering something bad, no matter what course of action is taken (p. 367). In this paper, I will discuss cases that arose in the healthcare industry that have been tried and brought to justice by the United States court system.
Healthcare creates unique dilemmas that must consider the common good of every patient. Medical professionals, on a frequent basis, face situations that require complicated, and at times, difficult decision-making. The medical matters they decide on are often sensitive and critical in regards to patient needs and care. In the Case of Marguerite M and the Angiogram, the medical team in both cases were faced with the critical question of which patient gets the necessary medical care when resources are limited. In like manner, when one patient receives the appropriate care at the expense of another, medical professionals face the possibility of liability and litigation. These medical circumstances place a burden on the healthcare professionals to think and act in the best interest of the patient while still considering the ethical and legal issues they may confront as a result of their choices and actions. Medical ethics and law are always evolving as rapid advances in all areas of healthcare take place.
This ethical scenario presents an 86 year old female with numerous health issues and chronic illnesses. Mrs. Boswell’s advancing Alzheimer’s disease makes it extremely difficult to initiate dialysis, leading her physician to conclude a poor quality of life. The ethical dilemma portrayed in this case is between nonmaleficence and autonomy. Health care workers should focus on promoting the patient’s overall wellbeing and weigh the benefits and risks of the course of action, while also considering what the family declares they want done. Since the patient is deemed unable to make decisions, the goal is to collaborate with family, assess patient quality of life, address prognosis, and establish realistic care goals.
The article has been well organized and written. Mackay clearly states her rationale for writing the article and provides a valid reason to hold up her article with sources. Within the introduction section, the authors present worrying statistics of Americans affected by kidney disorders. Moreover, the author provides the disadvantages of dialysis with only Kidney transplantation being the only option. The author relates the topic to the readers...
This case study which is taken from Robert M. Veatch’s Medical Ethics book is about a 5 year old girl, who from the last 3 years, has been suffering from “progressive renal failure” which...
One of the major kidney problems that we face every day is Acute Renal Failure also called the Acute Kidney Injury which basically is that kidneys have suddenly stopped working and as I said earlier, our kidneys excrete waste products and balances fluids in our blood, so imagine not having a perfectly working kidney, it could cause serious problems in our body that could also be fatal.
In medicine dialysis is primarily used to provide an artificial support for the lost kidney function in people with renal failure.
In this text we will discuss and explore chronic kidney disease by providing a definition, describing the disease, discussing the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Pakistan and England and incidence of chronic kidney disease in Australia. Further on we will discuss how to prevent this disease and who can help us in order to improve our health condition.
Hemodialysis uses a dialyzer, or special filter, to clean your blood. The dialyzer connects to a machine. During treatment, your blood travels through tubes into the dialyzer. The dialyzer filters out wastes and extra fluids. Then the newly cleaned blood flows through another set of tubes and back into your body.
In this diverse society we are confronted everyday with so many ethical choices in provision of healthcare for individuals. It becomes very difficult to find a guideline that would include a border perspective which might include individual’s beliefs and preference across the world. Due to these controversies, the four principles in biomedical ethic which includes autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice help us understand and explain which medical practices are ethical and acceptable. These principles are not only used to protect the rights of a patient but also the physician from being violated.
Resources have always been inadequate for food, economics and healthcare and all scarce resources are rationed in one way or another. Healthcare resources can be in the forms of medicine, machinery, expensive treatment and organ transplantation. For decades, allocation of healthcare resources in an equitable manner has always been the subject of debate, concern and analysis, yet the issue has persistently resisted resolution. Scarcity of resources for healthcare and issue of allocation is permanent and inescapable (Harris, “Deciding between Patients”). Scarcity can be defined in general, in emergency and in crises as well as shortage of certain kind of treatment, medicine or organs. As a result of scarcity of resources, and some people may be left untreated or die when certain patients are prioritized and intention of is that everyone will ultimately be treated (Harris, 2009: 335). Allocation of limited resources is an ethical issue since it is vital to address the question of justice and making fair decisions. Ethical judgments and concerns are part of daily choice in allocation of health resources and also to ensure these resources are allocated in a fair and just way. This paper will explore how QALYs, ageism and responsibility in particular influence the allocation of healthcare resources in general through the lens of justice, equity, social worth, fairness, and deservingness.
Traditional hemodialysis (HD) is provided to the patient at an outpatient clinic that is often referred to as a chronic unit. Patients must come to the chronic unit to be hooked up to the dialysis machine which circulates their blood through a dialyzer thereby removing toxins and excess fluid. This dialyzer is a clear plastic tube which contains thousands of micro fibers that allow the blood to flow through while enabling diffusion to remove the unwanted components of the blood. The majority of dialysis patients use this as their primary method of treatment; however, some patients find the treatment to be harsh and uncomfortable. These patients often look for alternate treatments such as peritoneal dialysis.
Another huge ethical topic is the patient’s right to choose autonomy in the refusal of life-saving medicine or treatment. This issue affects a nurse’s standards of care and code of ethics. “The nurse owes the patient a duty of care and must act in accordance with this duty at all times, by respecting and supporting the patient’s right to accept or decline treatment” (Volinsky). In order for a patient to be able make these types of decisions they must first be deemed competent. While the choice of patient’s to refuse life-saving treatment may go against nursing ethical codes and beliefs to attempt and coerce them to get treatment is trespass and would conclude in legal action. “….then refusal of these interventions may be regarded as inappropriate, but in the case of a patient with capacity, the patient must have the ultimate authority to decide” (Volinsky). While my values of the worth of life and importance of action may be different than others, as a nurse I have to learn to set that aside and follow all codes of ethics whether I have a dilemma with them or not. Sometimes with ethics there is no right or wrong, but as a nurse we have to figure out where to draw the line in some cases.
I choose this topic because my grandmother had died of kidney failure. Dialysis kept her alive for two weeks before she died. She had to go under dialysis but due to her weight, her heart problems and having diabetes, her body could not withstand the process and she died. Constructing a thesis statement and a topic sentence was difficult for me. I noticed I need more practice on constructing a thesis statement and the topic sentence. My evidence was kind of hard to find, I had to read a lot of article to get the right information to support my paper. Overall, writing the paper was a little bit difficult but learn how to construct a thesis and topic sentence. I used the Michigan state university library search tool on the website to find articles
One of the issues that comes to mind is an ethical situation in regards to a patient that I cared for on my last two shifts. The patient was a frail and malnourished, fifty year old, eighty-pound female who was admitted to Regional Hospital towards the end of February for acute cholecystitis. She underwent a laparoscopic surgery, which was eventually converted to an open cholecystectomy. The patient had several serious comorbidities, some of which included lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and hypertension. The patient also had a condition called CREST syndrome, which is an acronym for calcinosis, Raynaud’s phenomenon, esophageal dysmotility, sclerodactyly, and telangiectasia (Yoon & Raugi, 2016). Although, the disorder