Ethical Issues Paper
Ethical Issues Paper
Rhonda Hammer
NUR/578
Victor Gibb
The professional nurse is faced with ethical dilemmas as technological advancements improve and increase of cultural diversity. The increase of ethical dilemmas in health care systems has changed the nursing professions view toward ethics and shifted nursing toward a modern day nursing of respect to autonomy, maintaining patient dignity, and control over ones environment. Emergency room nurses often confronted with ethical dilemmas when treating trauma patients with limited arrival notice of patients (Pacsi, 2008). This paper provides an ethical dilemma faced by the trauma team and nurses in treating a critically injured Jehovah’s Witness patient.
Ethical Issues Paper
The Case Study
A 17- year- old male Jehovah’s Witness of a motor vehicle accident (MVC) that of a unrestrained passenger involved in a head on collision with a estimated speed of 70 mph that presented to the Emergency Department (ED) by ambulance in critical condition. The patient arrived immobilized by back board with cervical collar placed by paramedics at the scene. Patient is taken immediately to trauma room in which the patient was noted to have an open right tibia-fibula fractures, rotation of left leg, multiple contusions, and positive indications of pelvic fracture. Patient is alert and orientated to person, place, and time with a Glasgow Coma Scale of 12/15 with complaints of increasing abdominal pain. Two large catheters placed and fluid replacement started for potential fluid loss that was suspected in the patient complaint of abdominal pain and changes in vital signs.
Patient denies any loss of consciousness and was hemodynamically stable at the scene of the accident, but states he is unaware of what happened to him. The patient states he has a past medical history of asthma since age five and has no previous surgeries. Patient states he does not want any blood containing products or alternative treatments based on
Rhonda Hammer
NUR/578
Victor Gibb
The professional nurse is faced with ethical dilemmas as technological advancements improve and increase of cultural diversity. The increase of ethical dilemmas in health care systems has changed the nursing professions view toward ethics and shifted nursing toward a modern day nursing of respect to autonomy, maintaining patient dignity, and control over ones environment. Emergency room nurses often confronted with ethical dilemmas when treating trauma patients with limited arrival notice of patients (Pacsi, 2008). This paper provides an ethical dilemma faced by the trauma team and nurses in treating a critically injured Jehovah’s Witness patient.
Ethical Issues Paper
The Case Study
A 17- year- old male Jehovah’s Witness of a motor vehicle accident (MVC) that of a unrestrained passenger involved in a head on collision with a estimated speed of 70 mph that presented to the Emergency Department (ED) by ambulance in critical condition. The patient arrived immobilized by back board with cervical collar placed by paramedics at the scene. Patient is taken immediately to trauma room in which the patient was noted to have an open right tibia-fibula fractures, rotation of left leg, multiple contusions, and positive indications of pelvic fracture. Patient is alert and orientated to person, place, and time with a Glasgow Coma Scale of 12/15 with complaints of increasing abdominal pain. Two large catheters placed and fluid replacement started for potential fluid loss that was suspected in the patient complaint of abdominal pain and changes in vital signs.
Patient denies any loss of consciousness and was hemodynamically stable at the scene of the accident, but states he is unaware of what happened to him. The patient states he has a past medical history of asthma since age five and has no previous surgeries. Patient states he does not want any blood containing products or alternative treatments based on
References: Aiken, T. D. (2004). Legal, Ethical and Political Issues in Nursing (2nd ed.). : McGraw-Hill. Retrieved from University of Phoenix database Gilcreast, D., Avella, P., Mullane,G., & Camarillo, E. (2001). Treating severe anemia in a trauma patient who is a Jehovah 's Witness. Critical care nurses, 21(2). Retrieved from http://classic.aacn.org Moodley, T., Ahmed, M., & Brouckaert, N. (2009). The Jehovah 's Witness patient. Department of Anaesthetics . Retrieved from http://anaesthetics.ukzn.ac.za Pacsi, A. (2008, Spring/Summer). Case study: An ethical dilemma involving a dying patient. Journal of the New York State Nurses Association. Retrieved from University of Phoenix database