Ethical Issues In Nursing Home Care Essay

When discussing bioethical considerations, life-support technology, and other ethical issues in medical decisions, I have to begin by drawing upon my own experience as a pediatric nurse, and the outcomes of many of my patients. In particular, my final position before retiring was caring for several infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, both in the home and as support of the family during hospitalizations. However, the skilled-nursing home care was to help keep hospitalizations at a minimum. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a congenital defect, by which the left side of the heart is grossly underdeveloped, and prior to 1990, infants died shortly after birth due to circulatory collapse (Mavroudis et. al, 2011). Today, several corrective surgical procedures, aided by new technologies, such as mechanical ventilation, provide a good amount of hope for the infant to live a normal life and thrive.

Because of genetic testing, and technologies such as echocardiograms, parents are able to be informed in advance, of their child’s diagnosis and future. Ethical considerations include an informed consent process, which ideally respects the “autonomy, whishes, values, and beliefs” of the pregnant mother with sensitivity and empathy (Mavroudis et.
This was a very happy baby, and I was honored to watch this child thrive, with a few minor setbacks. Today at almost 5 years of age, the child will be undergoing the final heart repair surgery (usually done at age 5) and no longer has a tracheostomy, or feeding tube. The child goes to school now and plays with siblings and neighborhood pals. Taking care of the child in the home helped cut hospitalizations costs tremendously, and limits these children’s exposure to nosocomial infections (hospital