complexation of agomelatine with HP β-CD to enhance aqueous solubility and then to its mucoadhesive tablet for buccal delivery of agomelatine.…
In the health care field there will always be ethical dilemmas to contend with and the majority of these are the most difficult to imagine. In this case, a 96 year old male cancer patient is receiving naturopathic treatment from his daughter who happens to be a physician in that field. This has caused conflict between the daughter and the regular physicians due to the fact that they feel she may be causing her father unnecessary pain as well as speeding up his death. The scope of healthcare ethics encompasses the decision making process and how it relates to what is right and what is wrong. Therefore it is important…
Strolling down the field of long columns engulfed in rows of wheat and barley occupied my day. The rays of the bright and scorching sun permeated the Greek sky. I remember the cultivation of crops that takes place year around, and the garnering of those crops that diminish the array of produce that span for miles along the vastness of the field. An unexpected cool stream of breeze rustles my brands of immaculate, blond hair. Being the goddess of agriculture, it is my duty to be at the helm of the cultivating and harvesting process that constitute my yearly routine.…
The ANA Nursing Code of Ethics applies to this case study in that it addresses ethical responsibilities and the nurse’s role in advocating for the patient. Section 1.4 of The Code of Ethics for nurses is the right to self-determination and applies to this scenario. This code should impact the nurse in his or her profession decision when caring for this patient. The code of ethics should serve as a guide to the nurse in this scenario empowering the nurse to use the knowledge that the patient had previously set forth in legal documents to discuss with the physician, the legal and moral obligations of the healthcare team in regards to this patient’s treatment plan. The Code of Ethics provides a basis for the nurse to guide his or her practice and support of the patient. It would be unethical for the doctor to place this patient on a ventilator. The patient took steps to ensure that future healthcare decisions would be addressed in the event that he could not make his own decisions. This legal document not only specified Mr. E’s wishes, but also included a durable power of attorney to make decisions for him in the event that he was unable to do so himself. By placing Mr. E on a ventilator,…
However, the ethical issue must be addressed: just because a procedure is available should it be utilized? Many medications and surgeries have serious side effects or consequences and it can be questioned whether the benefits out way the risks. The American Nurses Association lists the ethical principles of medicine and nursing as autonomy, beneficence,…
Nurses are provided guidelines for how to approach the care of patients in the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics, but they are just that, guidelines. It is simply a map to help navigate some of the more difficult decisions that are necessary for a nurse to make. Ethics, in nursing, is based on individual interpretation. A person’s values shape their individual approaches to patients and patient care. The ANA document does not tell or indicate what is an absolute right or wrong. Each and every nurse has to make those decisions individually. Ethical knowledge and guidelines help a nurse maneuver through personal/professional relationships, to give safe and ethical care in an ever-changing healthcare system.…
Nurses are faced with ethical decision making on a daily basis. This could be both stressful and challenging. The following case study I chose to walk through is: Mr. Clarke is a patient who has advanced AIDS with related pain syndromes and is also actively abusing drugs. The nurse is concerned about his abusing his pain medications and is not sure if she should give them to him as he leaves the hospital. It will be my assumption that this patient is nearing the end of their life. The value, be, do ethical decision-making model will provide the framework I need to assess this case study (Schaffer and Norlander). I also will be using ethical decision making tools to guide my decision making process.…
There are numerous arguments on why people should and should not have physician assisted death. I agree that patients should be in the right mind state and should have their family agree with their decision. It would be decent to just have it as a backup plan just in case the patient can’t handle the pain anymore or if they have been in pain for so long and are just ready to pass. For the most part it should be for patients who are terminally ill, but there should be exceptions and certain protocols or it would be similar committing suicide. I understand how various people would want to be in control of their own lives and how they leave this earth. Everyone’s concern should be to the needs of their patients to have an option on their death…
Nurses should be able to make a decision that is best for their patient. The Nurse should first be able to recognize that there is a problem, then be able to solve the problem in the best possible way for their patient. As the book “Issues and Trends In Nursing Essential Knowledge for Today and Tomorrow” mentions that nursing students have a limited amount of time to make decisions in a clinical setting and some may not even have the opportunity to see decisions being made by experienced nurses. The public does not realize just how important nurses are for making critical decisions for patients in a timely manner.…
Healthcare providers such as nurses are given unique opportunity to touch not only patient’s lives but also their families. For many years, this author collaborated with many nurses and encountered exceptionally competent ones and experienced meeting nurses that are burned out. Multiple issues can arise during a shift that can lead to nurses taking extreme shortcuts and risking the well-being of their patients. Increasing workload, under staffing, and demanding patients can affect a nurse’s performance. One ethical situation that was experienced by this author was the care of an elderly patient who was admitted for diagnosis of failure to thrive, who ended up passing away due to hospital acquired complications. The admitting nursing, as well as, the following nurses who cared for the patient failed to assess the…
It has always been said by physicians to do no harm to a patient. Also patients have certain rights of treatment and care. Patients have a right to refuse treatment at anytime during the duration of their stay at any hospital. Also patients have a say in what treatment they should have. As long as you are able to make sound decisions, you have the right to refuse any test or treatment, even if it means you might have a bad health outcome as a result (American Cancer Society (2011), Patient Bill of Rights). This bears to question is this ethical and moral to the doctor and patient? There are five potential ‘last resort’ interventions are available under these circumstances are accelerating opioids for pain; stopping potentially life-prolonging therapies; voluntarily stopping eating and drinking; palliative sedation (potentially to unconsciousness); and physician-assisted death (Quill (2012), Physician Should “Assist in Suicide” When It Is Important). I believe exploring these common practices in ‘last resort’ intervention in care will help us see if it is moral or ethical.…
In nursing, the practice of nondisclosure is an ethical issue that calls into question the founding principles of trust, integrity, and autonomy in the nurse-patient relationship. Although the decision of nondisclosure to the terminal patient is the physician's, the nurse must follow and support this decision. The right of the patient to have control over their own healthcare information, and their right to know their diagnosis and prognosis and make treatment decisions are supported by the American Hospital Association, The Patient Self Determination Act, which requires education on advanced directives, California's 2008 Terminal Patients’ Right to Know End-of-Life Options Act, and by the practices of obtaining informed consent before any procedure/surgery (Cochella & Pederson, 2003, Krisman-Scott, 2000). The dying patient deserves the right to know their condition so they can make preparations (financial, spiritual and personal and interpersonal) for death and make appropriate treatment decisions.…
There is evidence-based practice research that directly links lives being saves to adequate staffing in the facility. Staffing directly impacts a nurse’s ability to provide proper care for patients (Winning for Patients, 2015). When there is inadequate nurse staffing, the ability to practice safely and ethically is questioned. Nonmaleficence requires nurses to act in a way to avoid causing harm to patients and to act in a way that benefits the patient (Martin 2015). This is near impossible when the nurse has to prioritize care and eliminate care that does not fall high enough on the prioritization list. A nurse’s oath is to do no harm and while unintentionally neglecting a patient, may not be directing harming them. It is still negligence that great harm can come from. For a nurse to feel like they can provide the best care possible, it is necessary for a facility to stand behind their staff and their patient care. Facilities can do this by supporting safer staffing protocols and implementing necessary…
Caring originates in the relationships of shared human experience. The nurses primary roles of promoting health, preventing illness, restoring health and alleviating suffering places the nurse in a position to always remain an advocate for their patient. A scenario has been created in which a terminally ill patient has asked the doctor about alternative healthcare treatment options. The doctor in this case dismisses them as "quack" practices. What role does the nurse play in this situation? “When the patient’s wishes are in conflict with others, the nurse seeks to help resolve the conflict. Where conflict persists, the nurse’s commitment remains to the identified patient” (Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements, 2001). Moral courage is something that helps the nurse to address ethical issues and take action when doing the right thing is not always easy. When a patient and doctor relationship is strained the nurse can sometimes help mediate a situation while always remembering her legal and ethical obligations.…
The nurse has an ethical responsibility to respect the patients care choices related to palliative care in opposition to traditional treatment. Holistic and patient-centered care focuses on understanding and prioritizing the patient/family’s wishes and ensuring that they are making informed decisions regarding care decisions. Often times, when the patient or the healthcare proxy has elected palliative care, other family members may disagree with this choice. The family may ask the nurse to help convince the patient/healthcare proxy that traditional treatment the most appropriate choice. The nurse would have an ethical dilemma and must be nonbiased and follow the patient’s decision, as long as the decision does not…