...female, retired teacher, and is cared by her brother and his wife. She suffers from a multitude of different ailments which confine her to bed and make her even the most basic of tasks burdensome. Roberta is weary of her circumstances and regrets being a burden on her brother and his wife, however her brother and wife do not resents her demands and needs. Roberta W expresses that she would rather be dead at one point and has a conversation with her doctor to remove a hernia. Her physician Dr. R tells her that there is a low chance she would survive the hernia surgery due to her emphysema and tells her that no responsible surgeon would operate on her. Possibly in response to Dr. R’s statement, Roberta asks Dr. R to...
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...Affordable Care Act: Impact on Providers Quality vs. Quantity Abstract The Affordable Care Act’s proposal was to make sure that health insurance coverage is affordable for individuals, families, and businesses and decrease the amount of uninsured individuals. . Much of the impact of this act will begin when the major coverage provisions take effect in 2014. Providers will experience an increased burden in many aspects of their medical profession including new legal practicing liabilities, less autonomy, administrative encumbrances, shortages of primary care physicians, and political infringement (Horton, Hollier 2012). The provider is to maintain high quality of care while the ACA’s agenda is cost and quantity over quality. The Affordable Care Act is the largest piece of legislative reform in American history relating to health care. The impact to our economy on many levels of scale and our constitutional rights are all being questioned and debated without a definitive answer to long term reality of its implications. Reform is necessitous to the continuance of providing care, controlling fraudulent activities and waste, as well as, exploring new innovative ways to maintain a high level of quality services within the legalities of our legislative branch. The balance of these aspects have been challenging and perplexing in materializing the reforms into fruition. The concentration during reform has been on quantity of the insured population...
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...Assisted suicide or euthanasia, is also distinguished as mercy killing. Euthanasia is the act to place a person to death devoid of pain or permitting a person to die, as by persistence of severe medical measures, a person distressed from a, precise terminal painful, disease or circumstance (Beauchamp, 1999). Physician Assisted suicide is the exercise of killing or taking somebody’s life. A lot of doctors and people feel that in these distinct conditions it is the finest thing to do, consecutively to sustain a person from hurt and suffering. The actuality that euthanasia or physician assisted suicide is the ending life of a person brings with reference to the issue should it be legal or illegal (McDougall, 2000)? People's sovereignty or self-determination is a significant perception in the debate on make lawful euthanasia. Proponents dispute that the prohibition on euthanasia inflicts too great a restriction on the person's capacity for directing the end of her or his life and what nature death will take. On the other hand, Opponents, dispute that self-determination would be fake autonomy with value to euthanasia, or that self-determination concerning euthanasia must not weigh additional profoundly than the law of not killing. Euthanasia is identified as the practice of intentionally ending a life which liberates an individual from a terminal disease or unbearable suffering. Should Euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide be made legal? Arguments 3 Physician...
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...independent. About half the adults in Britain who receive heart transplants live for 10 years or longer. In Hannah's case, the transplant would carry the extra risk of a recurrence of leukaemia, which she had when she was a young child. Last month an article was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health describing the rising popularity in the US of plastic surgery for teenagers. These include liposuction, breast enlargements and tummy tucks. But the surgery can have complications, and there is no evidence that it leads to improved body image in the long term. Advertisement Some might see these contrasting cases as patient choice gone too far. Medical decisions for minors have traditionally been guided by their "best interests". Doctors are supposed to try to maximise the benefits for their young patients while minimising the harms. Parents frequently make decisions for their children that go against the child's wishes. When parents insist that children go to the dentist, take medicine, or avoid junk food, they have their long-term wellbeing in mind. This is a form of paternalism that is justified because children's ability to weigh up the pros and cons of decisions is still developing. However,...
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...The Right to Die Vicky Perry Writing Workshop 100W Section 5 Mary Juno San Jose State University May 8, 2012 Abstract Euthanasia, the act of killing oneself in order to end pain and suffering, is illegal in the majority of the states in the nation. Euthanasia should be legalized in order to promote autonomy, personal decisions, and the quality of life. Oppositions to legalizing euthanasia include morality, religious beliefs, concern for medical staff violating the Hippocratic Oath, and fear of abuse of the act. Some states have made euthanasia legal under strict circumstances; the rest of the nation should soon follow. Introduction “Dogs do not have many advantages over people, but one of them is extremely important: euthanasia is not forbidden by law in their case; animals have the right to a merciful death” (Kundera, 1999). Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. It is a common practice among household pets as a humane way to end their lives if they are suffering. Euthanasia in relation to humans is illegal in the United States as well as many other countries across the world. It is bizarre to think that animals have the right to die when their owners believe they are suffering and in distress, but humans are not granted that same opportunity. Euthanasia, practiced most commonly on animals, has three distinct types in relation to the euthanasia of humans. Voluntary euthanasia, which requires consent...
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...PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE: LEGALITY AND MORALITY Wednesday - May 8th, 2002 By Martin Levin, 107 Irving Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (617)-497-6828 mlevin@levinlaw.com On Sunday, June 21, 1992, Jennifer Cowart, age thirty-two, and her brother George Kowalski, age twenty-eight, traveled to Pensacola Beach, Florida, for a day of relaxation. At the end of the day, Jennifer and George were heading back to their vehicle when Jennifer noticed a go-kart track. The two entered the track, bought tickets, and began riding. Within one minute, Jennifer’s go-kart bumped into one of the side guardrails, flipped on its side, and burst into flames. Jennifer was seat-belted in the go-kart and could not get out. George tried to run into the fire to save his sister, but the flames were too intense. Bystanders attempted to use a fire extinguisher, but it did little to lessen the inferno. Jennifer was trapped in the burning go-kart for two minutes when her seat-belt finally burned through and she fell to the ground. George grabbed his sister and pulled her away from the fire. Jennifer was alive. She was lying on the asphalt alert, oriented, and coherent. She had suffered 3rd and 4th degree burns covering ninety-five percent of her body. She was suffering the worst pain imaginable. At the scene, Jennifer begged the rescue personnel to “let me die.” Instead, Jennifer was flown to a burn center in Mobile, Alabama, where she remained for one year until she was overcome by an infection...
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...the ethics of euthanasia as it relates to nursing, laws, society, and the stakeholders involved in the scenario. The American Nurses Association (ANA) believes that the nurse should not participate in Active euthanasia because such an act is in direct violation of the Code for Nurses with Interpretive Statements, the ethical traditions and goals of the profession, and its covenant with society. (Task Force on the Nurse's Role in End-of-Life Decisions, 2011) While patient advocates should be vigilant for providing diligent care, they should perform their tasks with respect, support and due commitment towards their care. In healthcare practice, in order to relieve pain and suffering, there is an obligation to promote dignity and autonomy of patients. Euthanasia is a complex issue in which nurses are uncomfortable determining the life and death of a patient. Nurses have to practice ethical principles of beneficence, which maximize benefit and reduce potential risk and harm to the patient. Non-malfeasance is another ethical issue in which a nurse should do no harm. A competent nurse in this scenario is faced with an ethical dilemma. Practicing the code of ethics as well as preventing further suffering for patients are both end of life issues. After analyzing the given situation, the nurse must value and respect the suggestion of the father but at the same time has to abide by rules, and thus, should do everything to save life. Nurses...
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...All these factors and other case examples need to be taken into consideration for both Rebecca and Jack’s parents to have collaborative surrogate consent to act in Jack’s best interest realizing that Jack’s autonomous oral directive and best interest did not have a time line. These are examples of why the PVS diagnosis is not always true. Jack’s parents are absorbing his medical cost. In contrast, does Rebecca want to be burden with her continued physical and emotional support reminding her daily of her potential guilt as the driver? Ethically their decision needs to consider Jack’s autonomy, oral directives, and humanitarian...
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...Contents: Topic Page Number Glossary Of Terms 1 Introduction 2 Aspect Of Care 3 The DNACPR Policy 4 Ethics 7 Patients Consent 9 Withholding Information 14 Informed Choice 17 Forcing Information Upon Patients 20 The Nurses Role 22 Conclusion 25 References 26 Appendix 27 Glossary of terms CPR: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. DNACPR: Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. NMC: Nursing & Midwifery Council. GMC: General Medical Council. BMA: British Medical Association. GP: General Practitioner Introduction The Aim of this module is to encourage me to enhance my personal and professional skills, to increase the efficacy of patient care and interaction. Also to make me more aware of the legal, professional and ethical implications of practice. The module allowed me to further develop my knowledge of these topics: Ethics & Accountability, Legal Aspects of Practice, finally Accountability & Professional Practice. I was then asked to submit an essay of 4500 words based on the following: “Critically analyse an aspect of care from your practice setting that encompasses the ethical, professional & legal role of the nurse. Issues of accountability should be incorporated into this essay”. Aspect of care The aspect of care I have chosen to include in my essay is the “Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR)” Adult Policy...
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...The Ashley Treatment has been considered as a controversial set of medical procedures that was first undergone by a Seattle child, Ashley. Ashley had a normal birth, but her mental and motor faculties failed to develop for reasons doctors could not determine. Ashley, called the “pillow angel,” by her parents, suffers from a developmental brain condition known as static encephalopathy (P Clark). Ashley’s parents decided to keep her small through some medical treatments which included high-does estrogen therapy to limit height and weight, hysterectomy to remove the uterus and prevent menstruation, breast bud removal to halt breast development, and an appendectomy (P Clark). Argument 1: I argue that the Ashley Treatment improve the patient who is similar to Ashley and her family’s quality of life that aligns with the Utilitarianism Theory. The surgical procedures will prevent potential discomfort from menstrual cramps and any possibility of pregnancy in the event of rape (P Clark). The treatment also avoids the discomfort of large breasts while lying down in the wheelchairs. By getting the treatment, the patient’s family could take care of the patient at home instead of spending all of their time in the hospital. The patient can enjoy the opportunity to be around by her family, the inclusion of family activities, and the comfort of her home, which fulfills the Beneficence Principle. The surgical procedures also revolve around Consequentialism Concept because the benefits...
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...own life. “Physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is slightly different than euthanasia; in using PAS, the patient is provided the means for terminating his or her life, but the patient, not the doctor, ends the life in question” (Mosser, 2010, Chp. 2.3, para. 31). However, not all assisted suicides may involve a doctor. In the United States, Oregon was the first state to pass an assisted-suicide law. Washington is a state that has as recently as 2008 adopted an act that allows residents that have less than six months to live to request a legal dose of medication. Eleven states, including Alabama, Idaho and North Carolina ‘have no enactments which criminalize aiding, abetting, assisting, or counseling suicide” (“Assisted Suicide,” 2010, para. 1-7). Several other states such as Alaska, California and Florida “criminalize aiding, abetting, and/or assisting suicide” (“Assisted Suicide,” 2010, para. 8). I am a Georgian and our law states that any involvement in an assisted suicide is a felony. The main conflict of assisted suicide is grounded in religion. Our text describes a view that states ending life prematurely is rejecting a gift from God and also shows a “rejection of God’s plan for that person” (Mosser, 2010, Chp. 2.3, para. 32). What if neither the patient nor the doctor is a believer of God? Should they be held to another set of rules? On the other hand, some believe legalizing assisted suicide would...
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...Death, a very taboo topic by itself, but assisted suicide can be an even more touchy subject. Dying is something everybody has to do eventually, it’s inevitable. Sometimes it is by the hand of mother nature, but other times, it is by the hand of oneself or a doctor. Some believe that euthanasia is immoral, violates the code of life, and it is unnatural. Others think that when a person wants to go, they should be able to go and make that make choice. Assisted suicide should be legalized because it could not only end the physical pain of the patient, but also the emotional pain of the family and puts the patient in control of their own life. The benefits of assisted suicide greatly outweigh the downsides. Many people with a terminal illness...
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...Singapore Nursing Board Standards for Nursing Practice defines that Nurses/midwives have the professional responsibility and accountability to uphold Standard of care and to contribute to their dissemination, interpretation and development despite medical advances, social and demographic changes and an increasingly complex healthcare delivery system that challenge the ability of nurses to provide safe quality of care. Should nurses fail to uphold certain standards and by doing so cause harm or injury to the client, they would be held liable in the tort of negligence. Description of a practical situation which raised ethical issues: Mr Lim 70 years old has been hospitalised for medical treatment with the diagnosis of chronic heart failure. He was ordered intravenous therapy by Dr Peter the medical resident. Nurse Su questions the order because it is for an infusion of Dextrose 50%. Dr Peter tells her that he checked it with Dr Lee, the medical officer. Nurse Su checks it with Nurse May before administration. Later, Mr Lim has a cardiac arrest and suffers extensive brain damage as a result of the infusion. The hospital inquiry is held and it determined that the correct infusion would be Dextrose 5%. Mr Lim’s family members are very upset and seek legal advice. All names mentioned in the above scenario are pseudonym. Identification of the ethical issues within the situation: Negligence Negligence is the breech of an obligation or duty to act with care, or failure...
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...marked the turn of the century. Recent development in stem cell research has brought forth an ethical debate; whether research to achieve new medical remedies is permissible at the stake of, arguably, the unborn life of frozen embryos or if stem cell research should cease at the cost of disease stricken people worldwide to preserve an embryo that may never be born. 1. Massage (Articulate) the Problem: a) What is the current undesirable situation? Identify and define issues in the dilemma. The current undesirable situation pertaining to frozen embryo donation is the donor being forced to keep frozen embryos against their own discretion. It may be unfavorable to keep embryos frozen for an extended period of time because of the financial burden. To extract, freeze, and preserve embryos, clients can expect to pay an initial fee of approximately $10,000. According to USCFertility, client can also expect a storage fee of $500 per year and to thaw frozen embryos an additional payment of $5,000 is required (uscfertility.org). Another issue apart of this ethical dilemma is whether embryos are classified as a person or property. If assumed to be property, it is debatable whether preservation of embryos can be mandated. Lastly, and perhaps the most controversial component of this dilemma is defining “conception” to establish when life begins....
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...Autonomy in Medicine Finneaus Parker National University February 8, 2013 Dr. Schlitz Autonomy is the “personal rule of the self that is free from both controlling interferences by others and from personal limitations that prevent meaningful choice” (Pantilat, 2008). Autonomous individuals act intentionally, with understanding, and without controlling influences. Respect for autonomy is one of the fundamental guidelines of clinical ethics. Autonomy in medicine is not simply allowing patients to make their own decisions. Physicians have an obligation to create the conditions necessary for autonomous choice in others. For a physician, respect for autonomy includes respecting an individual’s right to self-determination as well as creating the conditions necessary for autonomous choice. Individuals come to doctors for guidance in making choices because they do not have the necessary background or information for making informed choices. Physicians educate patients so that they understand the situation adequately. They calm emotions and address fears that interfere with a patient’s ability to make decisions. They counsel patients when their choices seem to be disruptive to health and well-being. Respect for autonomy also includes confidentiality, seeking consent for medical treatment and procedures, disclosing information about their medical condition to patients, and maintaining privacy. Some of the most common and difficult ethical issues to navigate arise when the patient’s...
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