Ethics Case Study: Nurse Maggie's Ethical Dilemma

839 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ethical decision making case study

Ethical Surgical Decision
Introduction
During this case study, Nurse Maggie is faced with an ethical decision. She has been working on the schedule for the weekend and has just enough coverage for eight patients that are in the hospital at this time. As she is leaving work a neurosurgeon approaches her and asks if the unit will be able to take care of one more patient. Through this assignment, I will explain when the surgeon can operate, the ethical obligations Nurse Maggie has to the patient, and the obligations to the surgeon and hospital.
Body
I believe that Nurse Maggie must be honest with the surgeon. Honesty is what makes ethical decisions, without trust in another person there can’t be a relationship. (Thompson, 2009, pp. 65) …show more content…

This would allow the nurse to educate the patient and also help decrease anxiety levels. Also, physicians can help elevate stressful situation with medications like benzodiazepines. These medications can help in the acute phase of anxiety. Long term ways of treating anxiety are through guided imagery, deep breathing techniques, and education to help prevent a sudden anxiety attack. (Stephens, 2006, pp. 241-245) Taking consideration that the surgery is more than likely only being delayed by a few days.
The obligation that Nurse Maggie holds to the hospital is that they have a nine-bed unit and the unit is full along with the step-down unit. The nurse’s hands are tied at this point and will just have to continue re-evaluate each patient that is currently on the unit and the step-down unit. She owes the surgeon her honesty that she can’t safely provide care for the patient at this time. Nurse Maggie has several moral and ethical decisions that she must make, but above all she is to do no harm to any patient. That includes the other patients that are on the floor. (Curtin,

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Lisa Belkin's First Do No Harm

    1364 Words  | 3 Pages

    For anyone who has ever worked in healthcare, or simply for someone who has watched a popular hit television show such as Grey’s Anatomy, General Hospital, House or ER know that there can be times when a doctor or health care provider is placed in extremely difficult situations. Often times, those situations are something that we watch from the sidelines and hope for the best in the patient’s interest. However, what happens when you place yourself inside the doctors, nurses, or any other of the medical provider’s shoes? What if you were placed in charge of a patient who had an ethically challenging situation? What you would you do then? That is precisely what Lisa Belkin accomplishes in her book “First Do No Harm”. Belkin takes the reader on

    Read More

  • ANA Code of Ethics Provision Five Review

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    Section 5.4, which is the preservation of integrity, suggests that nurses will inevitably have to deal with threats to their moral or professional integrity at some point in their careers. Nurses should do their best to maintain professional integrity when met with adversity, weather it be from uncooperative issuance companies, an unsound work environment, or from the patients themselves. When working in an unsound or unsafe work environment that violates law or the ANA code of ethics nurses must go through the proper channels to fix the problem. If a nurse feels that a procedure or treatment their patient is having conflicts with his or her own moral integrity and they cannot participate, the nurse must report they unwilling to tr...

    Read More

  • Ethical Dilemmas In The Case Of Marguerite M And The Angioram?

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    The case of Marguerite M presents an ethical dilemma. Medical ethics play a special role in medicine and is directly concerned with its practice. Its role has continued to evolve as changes develop in

    Read More

  • The Code Of Ethics And Moral Issues In Nursing

    1354 Words  | 3 Pages

    Under the code of ethics for nurses this moral issue is also conflicting because you’re first and foremost obligation is to the patient. Now you also have your institution ethical code conduct that you also has to abide by. Provision 5. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth (ANA, 2001, p.18). In this case the nurse owes it to herself in making the right moral decision to preserve integrity and safety of patient and

    Read More

  • Medical Marijuana Ethical Dilemmas

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the medical profession, doctors and nurses run into ethical dilemmas every day whether it be a mother who wants to abort her baby or a patient who has decided they want to stop cancer treatment. It is important for the nurse to know where they stand with their own moral code, but to make sure they are not being biased when educating the patient. Nurses are patient advocates, it is in the job description, so although the nurse may not agree with the patient on their decisions, the nurse to needs to advocate for the patient regardless.

    Read More

  • Nursing: An Ethical Dilemma

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    Define a critical thinking task that your staff does frequently (Examples: treat high blood sugar, address low blood pressure, pain management, treating fever etc.). Create a concept map or flow chart of the critical thinking process nurses should take to determining the correct intervention. Include how much autonomy a nurse should have to apply personal wisdom to the process. If the critical thinking process was automated list two instances where a nurse may use “wisdom” to override the automated outcome suggested. Note the risks and benefits of using clinical decision making systems.

    Read More

  • Nursing Code of Ethics

    1985 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ethical issues arise daily in the healthcare world. The manor in which issues are addressed vary. “There are, it might be said, as many histories of nursing ethics as there are individual ethicists and professional or cultural contexts” (Guildford 2010, p.1). “A code of ethics is a fundamental document for any profession. It provides a social contract with the society served, as well as ethical and legal guidance to all members of the profession” (Lachman 2009, p.55). According to Lachman, since the original ANA Code from 1950, the significance of service to others has been consistent. Two changes in the code have occurred since the original. First, not only the patient is being treated, but the family and community where they live are also considered.

    Read More

  • Ethical Decision Making in Nursing

    1906 Words  | 4 Pages

    I chose to go into nursing because I had taken a sports medicine class in high school I enjoyed, and I thought I would be guaranteed a job graduating that had something to do with medicine. I can remember being so excited to learn how about illnesses and medications, and all the difference procedures done in the hospital. At the time I thought a nurse’s job was to do what the physicians said, and I expected set guidelines that would tell me what I was and wasn’t allowed to do. I had no idea that I was entering onto a career path involving so much complexity, and that the skills I had dreamed of learning were such a small part of nursing in comparison to the emotional, decision making, and critical thinking skills that a nursing career requires. Ethics in nursing was not something that had ever crossed my mind when I chose to take this path, however now ethics is something that I think about every day I am practicing, whether in clinical or theory courses. Ethical theories often come from the idea that because we are human we have the obligation to care about other’s best interests (Kozier et al., 2010), however in nursing ethical practice is not just a personal choice but a professional responsibility.

    Read More

  • Professional, Ethical and Legal issues in nursing

    2256 Words  | 5 Pages

    Furthermore, nursing action guided by the theory and principles of moral and legal rights complements excellent nursing care. Nurse’s awareness of moral and legal codes helps them control the complicated scenarios encountered and direct the nurses in the best possible action answerable by law (Lachman, 2006). In this essay, the author will rationalize the relevance of professional, ethical and legal regulations in the practice of nursing. The author will discuss and analyze the chosen scenario and critically review the action taken at the expense of the patient and the care workers. In addition, the author will also evaluate the strength and limitations of the scenario in a broader issue with reasonable judgement supported by theories and principles of ethical and legal standards.

    Read More

  • Nursing Ethics Case Study

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    In critical and complicating medical cases, family members often find it tedious to decide as to what mode or procedure of treatment is idyllic for the recovery of their patient. In such cases, well-qualified and medically educated can play a pivotal role in deciding the kind of treatment that should be given to the patient to enhance its recovery. In a contrary situation a nurse may know that administering a particular drug may improve the patient’s condition, but may be refrained from conducting the required action due to doctor’s absence or non-permission. There are numerous cases through which ethical dilemmas in the profession of nursing can be discussed. Nurses in order to remain within the defined boundaries ...

    Read More

  • The Negatives Of Personal Morality In Healthcare

    989 Words  | 2 Pages

    When one initially chooses a career path, one rarely looks at all the negatives that may be associated with that choice. Most career paths have some negatives associated with the field, but few face the moral dilemmas associated with modern healthcare. Those who choose to be in the healthcare profession today are faced with moral and ethical dilemmas that would make King Solomon tear his hair out. In many cases, doctors, and sometimes nurses, are faced with life and death decisions without the benefit of knowing the patient’s, or the patient’s family’s, wishes. However, aside from those tragic times when a patient’s wishes are unknown, healthcare professionals must always put their own morals aside, and act

    Read More

  • Ethics in Nursing

    1924 Words  | 4 Pages

    Deontology is an ethical theory concerned with duties and rights. The founder of deontological ethics was a German philosopher named Immanuel Kant. Kant’s deontological perspective implies people are sensitive to moral duties that require or prohibit certain behaviors, irrespective of the consequences (Tanner, Medin, & Iliev, 2008). The main focus of deontology is duty: deontology is derived from the Greek word deon, meaning duty. A duty is morally mandated action, for instance, the duty never to lie and always to keep your word. Based on Kant, even when individuals do not want to act on duty they are ethically obligated to do so (Rich, 2008).

    Read More

  • Essay On Ethical And Ethical Issues In Nursing

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, there are numerous legal and ethical issues apparent in the nursing practice. Nurses should study and be as informed as they can with ethics and legality within their field in order to ensure no mistakes occur. Ethical issues vary based on patient’s views, religion, and environment. Nurses are influenced by these same views, but most of the time they are not the same as the patients. As a nurse we must learn to put the care of our patients and their beliefs, rights, and wishes before our own personal

    Read More

  • Who Moved My Cheese Character Analysis

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    Full Movie, n.d). In the modern healthcare system, the changes in the ethics and professionalism as provided by the nursing code of ethics is relevant. Therefore, some individuals within the system may take time to accept the transformations and some may be unaware that change exists. Eventually, they end up noticing the change later as well as what is required of them as stated in the code of ethics. In one example, the code of ethics within the nursing professionalism necessitates that the nurse has to be willing to overlook certain aspects (social, career, and familial relationships) to aid the patient in full recovery. There are numerous alterations in the nursing code, and what is taught in medical school; therefore, the previously educated nurses should be aware of the modifications. A nurse known as Sarah had worked within the healthcare system for more than fifty years. Within her tenure, she experienced numerous changes in the code of ethics and what is taught within the system (Saver, 2006). By the time she could adjust the trends in alterations, it was late; hence, difficult for her to keep up with

    Read More

  • Nursing: The Code Of Ethics In Nursing

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    The four fundamental nursing responsibilities of promoting health, preventing illness, optimizing health and alleviating the ill are represented in the code of ethics. (Arnold & Boggs, 2016) One can say that the code of ethics are rules that a nurse needs to follow in order to effectively communicate and protect the patients. The American Nurse Association provided the code of ethics to guide nurses to ensure that patient’s care, safety, rights and health are well cared for and well managed. Models like Utilitarian, deontological, and the human rights-based all contribute in answering dilemmas that can arise with a patient. Thus, explaining what some of the code of ethics are, and how the code of ethics influence our responsibilities as a nurse will impact the overall care of the

    Read More

More about Ethics Case Study: Nurse Maggie's Ethical Dilemma

Open Document