...Running head: MEDICAL ETHICS: THE TRUTH BEHIND END OF LIFE MATTER 1 HLST 4010 Professor Geoffrey Reaume Lilyana Nooro 211862935 April 7th, 2015 MEDICAL ETHICS: THE TRUTH BEHIND END OF LIFE MATTER 2 Medical Ethics: The truth behind end of life matter When it comes to death and dying, the medical processes of these notions are highly controversial in ethical means. All forms of end of life are illegal in Canada, whether it is voluntary/non-voluntary euthanasia, assisted suicide, and some cases of refusal of treatment. These procedures affect someone who is terminally ill, undergoing a disease, experiencing severe,...
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...Long Term Care: A Directional Strategies Report for Interim Healthcare, Inc. Group 6: Jessica Aho, Roger Brenz, Dale Bunton, Kadigah Chess MHA5010 Strategic Health Care Planning Instructor: Matthew Brooks Abstract This document will explore the directional strategies of Interim HealthCare Inc., a long term care facility located in Sunrise, Florida. Our team will analyze the existing stated directional strategies (mission, vision, values, and ethics statement) given by Interim HealthCare and then will offer suggestions of improvement to ensure a foundation necessary for the current strategies of the organization. Long Term Care: A Directional Strategies Report for Interim Healthcare, Inc. Introduction Interim HealthCare, based in Sunrise, Florida, was founded in 1966 and is currently the nation’s oldest proprietary national organization. There are over 300 independently own franchises which employ more than 75,000 health care workers that services approximately 50,000 people daily. Interim HealthCare offers both home care and home health care services to a variety of settings including hospitals, nursing homes, physician offices, prisons, schools, and clinics. In addition, Interim HealthCare also offers hospice services for terminally ill patients in their last months of life to provide the highest degree of comfort and dignity possible using state-of-the-art symptom management for quality care. With the growing need for qualified supplemental health care staff...
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...euthanasia should not be banned. Morality, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is “principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour”1. Hinde states that the principles are influenced and changed by one’s society and culture but also “based in human nature”2. As morality is influenced by society, public opinion is important when it comes to controversial issues. Morality differs from place to place and evolves over time. To compound this diversity, changes in medical treatment, and discoveries which enhance medical knowledge evolves rapidly and what was not even conceivable in some cultures or at certain points in history are now commonly accepted. Developments in end of life care fall within this category. With our increased ability to prolong life, arguments can now be made in favour of moral killings. Similarly, since morality is intuitive in nature, it exists outside of law. However, “many laws are formalizations of moral values”3. Hinde compares the two, stating that “morality prescribes how people should behave”4 while “laws are concerned with how "morality" Oxford Dictionaries. April 2010. Oxford Dictionaries. April 2010., Oxford University Press,...
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...individually. Then, discuss your answers in your Learning Team forum online. After you have discussed each question and achieved a consensus, compile a group response, which will be submitted as a Learning Team assignment. White cap: What pieces of information are needed to assist the family in making a decision regarding Marianne’s care? The information provided explains that Marianne, 79, was admitted to the emergency department yesterday with a sever headache. She became unresponsive and a CT scan of her brain revealed she had a hemorrhagic stroke. Her pupils are dilated and unresponsive to light. She is breathing only with a respirator. The piece of information to assist the family in decision-making is the fact that her pupils are dilated and she is unresponsive breathing only with a respirator device. The surgeon cannot guarantee quality of life even with the clot removed (Black, p. 175, 2010). We know that Marianne’s children and husband are involved in the decision making regarding her care and have differing opinions on what medical measures should be done. Her doctor wants to perform surgery but not much information on her quality of life post-surgery is available, nor do we have information on the pros and cons of surgery given her diagnosis and age. We would need to find out from the husband why he feels it is best to “try everything”. Is this because of something that Marianne would want or...
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...Protection of Human Life in Law and Public Policy: Research Paper Topic Issue Statement: What are the moral, ethical, and legal implications associated with end of life care for individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia? Sources: I will use a variety of articles, case law, and relevant statutes and regulations that deal specifically with end-of-life care. Sources I have already located: * Late stage and end-of-life care: Caregiving in the Final Stages of Life * http://www.helpguide.org/elder/alzheimers_disease_dementia_caring_final_stage.htm * A Christian Response to “End-of-Life” Decisions By Bert Thompson, Ph.D and Brad Harrub, Ph.D * http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=7&article=58 * Decision Making at the end of life: Patients with Alzheimer’s or other dementias * http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm/ref/collection/uspace/id/3461 * Ethics Conflicts in Rural Communities: End-of-Life decision-making * Taken from the Handbook for Rural Health Care Ethics: A Practical Guide for Professionals (PDF Download) * The Euthanasia Debate: Understanding the Issues * From the Christian Research Journal * Euthanasia Arguments-Christian Research Institute * http://www.equip.org/articles/euthanasia-arguments/ * Views on Euthanasia * http://www.equip.org/articles/views-on-euthanasia/ * Active and passive euthanasia * http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/overview/activepassive_1...
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...Code of Ethics Paper A code of ethics is a document that serves as a foundation for the profession or health care specialty, providing ethical guidance. Nursing is a very reputable profession, and as a nurse, it is vital that I provide safe, compassionate, and competent nursing care. It is expected that all nurses carry out their responsibilities and tasks while respecting all patients’ rights and sensitivities. That is why it is so important that nursing care be guided by a code of ethics. For this paper, I have chosen to analyze and discuss the contents of the American Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics for Nurses, also referred to as The Code within the nursing profession. I will clarify the goals of The Code and identify ethical principles, including grievance procedures. I will then discuss my personal opinion of The Code, including recommendations for strengthening weak areas within the written code. Nurses Code of Ethics According to the American Nurses Association (2011), “The Code of Ethics for Nurses was developed as a guide for carrying out nursing responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality in nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession” (para. 1). All nurses regardless of position or specialty practice nursing under this code. As health care changes and advances, nurses struggle with advanced and complicated ethical dilemmas. Nurses need the ethical support and guidance provided by The Code, and every nurse has an obligation to uphold...
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...The Summary Paper Legal/Ethics Issues In The Health Care Business BUS670 Rhunda Mitchell Instructor Little 10/24/11 More than any other industry, it is in the healthcare business that ethics are of utmost importance. This is because, people in this industry deal with such situations and circumstances, everyday, which have a direct bearing on another person's life. In this paper one will discuss the ethical/legal issues which are faced by the healthcare industry as a nurse, and ethical issues in healthcare, pertaining to both management and medical research and give suggestion on how to handle each situation in hand. Ethical/ Legal Issues as A Nurse: Nurses are subject to a wide range of legal, ethical and professional duties which can be very challenging. These duties are generally considered to be to respect a patient’s confidentiality and autonomy and to recognize the duty of care that is owed to all patients. As a nurse their duties have to be always professional, because there are legal implications if these duties are breached. They also must consider when it is okay as a nurse to breach these duties and therefore ethical issues arise. Ethics is a set of moral and practical guideline that influences nursing decisions big and small. One of the main priorities of a nurse is to advocate for their patients a nurse expresses and defends the cause of their patient, nurses are expected to protect their patients’ rights. Patients’ rights can vary from...
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...Assignment: u10a1 Final Health Care Organizational Ethics Plan Project Due Date: 12/14/2012 Ethnic is based on the rules and guidelines an individual uses to govern his life, as well as the manner in which he interacts with others. A personal code of ethics is a necessary ingredient to achieve success or overcome adversity. In the absence of rules, it's difficult to hold oneself accountable for poor decision-making or bad behavior. On the other hand, organizational ethics are the principals and standards by which businesses operate. They are best demonstrated through acts of fairness, compassion, integrity, honor and responsibility. The key for business owners and executives is ensuring that all employees understand these ethics. One of the best ways to communicate organizational ethics is by training employees on company standards. While ethical behavior in medical practice has been demonstrated to be beneficial to patients and medical staffs, unethical behavior has caused significant injury to them. Performing ethical behavior in healthcare by, for example, preserving patient confidentiality, medical staffs should respect patients’ autonomy, abide by their obligation to reciprocate patients’ trust, and preserve public confidence in the staff-patient relationship in healthcare. In a long run, patients who trust their medical providers to safeguard their secrets are more likely to seek prompt care for stigmatized health conditions and to disclose sensitive information...
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...Nursing Ethics Shannon Gonnelly Grand Canyon University: NRS-437V July 02, 2016 Nursing Ethics Numerous individuals see the nursing profession as an honorable profession with high ethical standards. When a nurse graduates from college they take the Florence Nightingale Pledge, which implies they have a moral obligation to their patients (American Nurses Association, 2015). Nurses additionally take after a Code of Ethics that gives them a guide to what their obligations are in providing quality of care to patients and what their ethical commitments are (American Nurses Association, 2015). Despite the fact that there is a Code of Ethics, nurses still face numerous predicaments when caring for their patients. This paper will examine the author's moral compass, nursing philosophy, and ethical dilemmas. Author’s Moral Compass The author's moral compass has high confidence in God and follows the Nurses Code of Ethics. The author's energy to be a nurse began at just ten years old. The author has always wanted to take care of the elderly and trusts that nobody should have to die alone. The author believes that nursing was a calling from God, and this is what spurred the author to become a nurse. The author had difficulties becoming a nurse due to already having one child while being pregnant with another. However, the calling to be a nurse was sufficiently high enough to overcome the difficulties. For instance, the author had a four-year-old daughter and had only four weeks...
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... School: CCN THE ETHICAL ISSUES IN NURSING Ethics can be defined as a moral decision of what it is, and what it ought to be. Ethical issues in nursing have been dramatic and political due to different ideologies and rising technology in healthcare. The American Association of Nursing has provided guiding principles where nurses base their decisions. These principles include; “Autonomy, nonmaleficence, Beneficence,, Justice, Veracity, Confidentiality, and Fidelity”( American Nursing Association, 2001). All these doctrines act as a foundation for nurses when making decisions pertaining the fate of patient’s life. The major ethical issue commonly seen and which invoke controversies either in our communities, or in courts of laws, is the issue of “do not resuscitate”. DNR can be explained as termination of life support if a patient is critically ill and permitting patient to die instead of continuing to suffer with no promise for recovery. This is decided by the patient when he/she is still capable, family, or surrogate. Despite the fact that nurses strive to help patients, family members, and responsible parties to make a valuable decision, controversies and confusions do exist daily in hospitals. It is our obligation as nurses to come up with concrete strategies in order to make a smooth end of life to our terminally ill patients and to prevent conflicts and confusions in the process. ...
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...Euthanasia Priya John BSN, RN ST Joseph’s College , Maine Nursing Ethics NU 509 December 13, 2012 Abstract The controvertible topic of euthanasia provokes moral reflection on the care for dying patients. Euthanasia not only raises questions about the morality of a particular decision regarding the care of an individual patient but also an ethics of having a specific social approach and convention. Through this article I have presented my thoughts about legalizing euthanasia. Euthanasia Introduction Death and dying are issues of deep humane concern for many people in a variety of circumstances and contexts. Around the world the point of someone’s death is regularly prominence by medical end-of-life decisions. These decisions refer to a variety of choices with regard to withholding or withdrawing life sustaining treatments. Debates on voluntary or active euthanasia, in all its aspect, proceed without a solution or prospect of resolution. Since there is no substantial middle ground on which all can agree, the discussion does not progress far beyond an exchange of opinions, however well informed the participants. The arguments for euthanasia have to do with quality of life and respect for autonomy .Arguments against euthanasia have to do with non-maleficence, sanctity of life, and the notion of the slippery slope. Definitions of Euthanasia “Euthanasia is defined as act of administering medication or performing other interventions with the intention of causing a patient's death”...
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...What is ethics? Our textbook defines ethics as the study of right and wrong conduct. Who is it that decides what the right and wrong conduct is? We should all have personal ethics, but it is the legislation who decides what out ethics should be as a whole and those are our laws. The main focus of ethics is moral values. If we have a job and know a co-worker is stealing should we tell or not tell? Do we call the police if we know someone is abusing there child or not? In these two examples the ethical choice seems more like common sense, yet some people would do nothing because they do not want to get involved. Where do we draw the line? That’s why we have laws based on ethical principles so that those who decide not to make ethical choices have to face consequences. When people make unethical choices it does not just affect them, but also all of the people that are involved in there lives. Situation Every day situations occur when we have to put our personal ethics to use. This dilemma is an example of that. This married couple is addicted to drugs and they have an infant daughter who is suffering the consequences of their choice. Then the law steps in and says they are unable to care for their daughter properly and the state takes the daughter away. Years later the couple gets their act together and wants another chance to get to know their daughter, even though she has formed a relationship with her foster family. The law says the parents deserve another chance and the court...
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...place a tube feeding in a patient with a history Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Will this prolong the patients’ life or just the inevitable death? Most often a decision needs to be made regarding the placement of a tube feeding. The question is not initiated by the patient themselves. This is the reason why educating our patients are so important. In this paper I will discuss how important the role of the healthcare professional plays in advocating for a patient. To help answer this ethical dilemma several issues will be explored. I will focus on the seven principles of ethics, education, utilitarianism, top-down theory alternate treatment options. Will Tube Feedings Prolong Life? While working with the majority of geriatric population, we frequently come across patients with Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The most common problem in these patients is the inability to swallow as well as the patients are failure to thrive. Many healthcare workers and family members become upset when the patient does not have proper nutritional intake. As human beings it is our nature to take care of our loved ones when they are ill, this is our ways of showing love and affection tore’s each other. We often question the situation regarding the need for artificial feeding. Care givers have misconceptions if we provide artificial nutrition it will help prolong their love one’s life. Further need for education is need to help ease in the decision making. There are many complications...
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...today face many ethical dilemmas in the delivery of patient care. What can or should be done for the patient versus the wishes of the patient’s physician conflicting with the personal beliefs the nurse holds to be true. The client’s wishes may conflict with the institutional policies, physician professional opinion, the client’s family desires, or even the laws of the state. According to the nursing code of ethics, the nurse’s first allegiance is to the client (Blais & Hayes, 2011, pg. 60). The ethical ideals of each nurse must be weighed with the laws of the state along with providing the most ethical care for the patient. The advancements in medical technology make it possible to sustain a patient life where previously there was no hope of recovery. These advancements have put nurses in the forefront of decision making begging the question “just because we can, should we” to be answered. Nurses need to understand the legalities involved with these new technologies to practice safely and effectively. Scientific achievements have opened new ground for nursing exploration. In response to the need for nursing input into social and legal issues, nurses now find career opportunities as forensic nurses, legal nurse consultants, and nurse-attorneys (Blais & Hayes, 2011, pg. 75). This paper will explore the ethical and legal issues encountered by nurses in two case studies. The American Nurses Association Code of Nursing Ethics could influence a final decision in each case study that...
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...ETHICAL DILEMMAS FACING NURSES ON END-OF-LIFE ISSUES BASED ON CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS HELD IN ELDORET, KENYA Author: Kamau S. Macharia: BScN (Moi), MSc (studying) Nursing Leadership & Health Care Systems Management (University of Colorado, Denver), Higher Dip. Critical Care Nursing (Nbi). Graduate Assistant, School of Nursing & Biomedical Sciences, Kabianga University College (A Constituent College of Moi University), . P 0 Box 2030 20200 Kericho, Kenya , Tel +254 722224577, Email: symomash@gmail.com ETHICAL DILEMMAS FACING NURSES ON END-OF-LIFE ISSUES BASED ON CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS HELD IN ELDORET, KENYA ABSTRACT Problem Statement: A conference to discuss on ethical dilemmas is thought to be a good way of airing out issues. It is unfortunate that at times a patient in our care may die no matter what we do. Profound ethical questions on end of life issues confront the medical personnel as they watch and wait helplessly. This paper touches on ethics, law, social and public policy as they affect nursing practice. Setting: This is a conference proceedings report augmented with a case study of Nelly from a local setting and compares it with two others from elsewhere which were also presented during the conference. Conference was organized by Federation of African Medical Students Associations (FAMSA), Eldoret 2011. The author was a presenter...
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