Homeless Patient Case Study

According to Amnews.com (2009) “Emergency department clinicians are obliged to confront a remarkably depressing fact of American life, namely, the existence each night of approximately 700,000 Americans who have no place to sleep, whose indignities are legion, and whose needs may not fit the typical definition of medical care” (p. 2). In part due to deficient access to other regular sources of outpatient medical care or nonmedical sustenance needs; homeless individuals are more likely than others to use emergency department services. In the United States, a homeless person is defined as an individual with a disabling condition that has been homeless for at least one year. Homeless patience’s vary from individuals that have spent their lives
For example, a Nurse may administer an injection for an uninsured homeless patient. The uninsured homeless patient may need medication to relieve a symptom from an STD disease in order to mitigate an undesirable symptom. The Nurse may cause discomfort. While providing care to the homeless patient, Nonmaleficence must be balanced by beneficence. The Nurses intent is to provide a treatment to the homeless patient which benefits the patient must outweigh the discomfort caused. The Nurses intent must be to help the homeless patient, not
Justice denotes to reasonable delivery of resources in the healthcare industry. Rather than law; the rights regarding justice deals with respect to individuals. Every member of society in the healthcare system should have equal rights in terms of seeking healthcare. Health care practitioners are faced with ethical dilemmas at growing rate. For example, a nurse may violate a homeless patient’s right to receive full information regarding his or her disease prognosis. The nurse assumes since the patient is uninsured, the patient will not be able to afford medicine to cure the problem, therefore, the information of the prognosis is discarded and the patient is quickly being discharged shortly after. In this situation, the homeless patient’s rights are being disrespected and violated in the presence of laws that guide towards holding back the news of poor prognosis from the patient (Nathani, 2013). According to the American Nurses Association (2001), code of ethics for nurse’s provision 3, health care practitioners must advocate, promote and make efforts to protect the health safety and rights of all patients (Nathani, 2013). Uninsured homeless patients have this same right as the rest of U.S. citizens in society as they are human beings that deserve respect while seeking health