28 May Mrs. Duncan is a 75-year-old woman with a diagnosis of Stage IV breast cancer with metastasis to the lungs. Although Mrs. Duncan spoke with the nurse and conveyed her wishes for no l

Ethical Dilemmas Examples

Scenario 1:

 Mrs. Duncan is a 75-year-old woman with a diagnosis of Stage IV breast cancer with metastasis to the lungs. Although Mrs. Duncan spoke with the nurse and conveyed her wishes for no life-saving measures, she does not have an Advanced Directive in place. Mrs. Duncan has experienced a significant decline in cognitive function and is presently unable to make decisions for her care. Her children cannot agree on what treatment or life-saving measures are appropriate.

Scenario 2:

 Mr. Jameson is in end-stage renal failure. Despite efforts to help manage the disease, including dialysis three times weekly, his condition has worsened. Mr. Jameson's physician has noted the decline in his status and has informed the family that Mr. Jameson may have only a few weeks to live. Mr. Jameson’s children and family are skeptical about telling Mr. Morris how bad his condition is, and the physician has made no effort to talk to the patient about it. After his family left the hospital for the evening, Mr. Jameson called for the nurse and asked her to tell him what the doctor said, stating he felt like he was not getting the whole story.

Scenario 3:

A 7-year old male patient K. Gomez, was involved in a motor vehicle accident, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. Diagnostic test revealed that the K. Gomez was brain dead. A second battery of test was performed days later, which also concluded the lack of brain stem activity. The parents were informed that there was nothing more medically that could be done for K. Gomez and that advanced life support would be withdrawn. The parents adamantly opposed the medical decision as they believed that their son was still alive.

Scenario 4:

During a first trimester ultrasound and checkup, the provider noted chromosomal abnormalities. They were informed that a second trimester follow-up blood work would be necessary to confirm any chromosomal abnormalities. Test revealed the fetus had Trisomy 18. Parents were informed that 90% of infants do not survive their first year of life. The newborn was delivered at 39 weeks. Trisomy 18 was again confirmed once the newborn was born. As expected with a child diagnosed with Trisomy 18, the newborn had diagnosed cardiac anomalies in addition to skeletal deformities and an omphalocele. The parents are requesting cardiac surgery to improve the newborn quality of life. However, the medical team decided against the cardiac surgery as the newborn has other medical condition impacting quality of life for the newborn.

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Ethics Paper

These are just prompts to help guide your paper.

How do the ethical principles apply to the scenario?

Ethical principles

-Justice

-Beneficence

-Nonmaleficence

-Autonomy

Why are ethics important in nursing.

Code of Ethics for Nurses (can be found online)

What is the responsibility of the nurse regarding clients involved in ethical dilemmas?

How can ethical awareness be applies to the scenario?