Case Study: Autonomy and Informed Consent to Treatment

Joan is a 65 years old patient with epilepsy. She has been living with the condition for 14 years. She has been admitted to the hospital, yet she is giving doctors a hard time saying that she knows what kind of care she deserves, the type of medication she should be given, and the time she is supposed to stay at the hospital. The doctors and nurses are in a dilemma as it is ethically correct to suggest what you want as a patient.

Describe the Ethical Issue in the Case Study

            Different ethical issues surround nursing as a profession. Autonomy in practice means that the nurse acknowledges the patients that they can make decisions concerning their care, even if the decisions of the patients might contradict clinical recommendations. It is also an ethical requirement for nurses to inform their patients about the benefits, risks, and alternatives present in an intervention or a medical procedure (Ploug, 2015). The patients must also be competent enough to make sound decisions about whether to undergo the process. Joan has the right to autonomy in that she can make decisions that she feels are correct, even if they collide with a professional understanding of the nurses at the facility. It is the work of the nurses to guide her on the different aspects associated with epilepsy and the best way to handle the situation.

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Specific Ethical Principles in the Scenario the Nurse Must Use

            The first applicable principle in the case study is autonomy. The nurses have to respect the wishes of the patient even if they do not agree with them. The nurses are required to take charge of the situation they are in and be able to come up with a satisfactory explanation to the lady regarding her state. The second principle is fidelity, that requires the nurses to be committed based on the sole virtue of caring (Bussard, 2015). Even if the lady is insisting on what to be done, it is the work of the nurses to ensure she is safe and carefully treated.

How can the nurse prevent the ethical issues from affecting the patient/nurse relationship?   

To ensure the relationship between the patients and nurses is strong, healthcare officials must not only accept but support the withdrawal and refusal of consent, even when disagreeing with the patient. Joan has the right to ask what she wants, and as such, she must be given what she is asking. However, the consent process can be affected by several factors like the patient’s condition, the ability of the patient to understand the information being given, the complexity of treatment, and whether the treatment process is elective or emergency (Cho, 2015).

How do ethical practices affect the role of the nurse in global health issues?

            The role of nurses is profoundly affected by ethical issues that seem to undermine their contribution to global health. The ethical practices bring about the misdistribution of the healthcare workforce. There are no adequate nurses to cater to the ever-growing population of the world, and as such, many patients end up suffering or dying due to lack of care (Edmonson, 2017).  Also, many nurses face the uncertainty of having to work following how their patients want, even if they do not agree with the type of care. This undermines their work and profession.

What supportive resources are available to the nurse for ethical practice in global health issues?      

The leading resource that nurses have been given in different organizations to help them address the issue of global health issue is leadership positions (Clark, 2016). Many nurses are being included in many areas of organizations where they can address the problems that affect them and issues that they think would be of effect on global health issues.

References

Bussard, M. E. (2015). High-fidelity simulation to teach accountability to prelicensure nursing students. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 11(9), 425-430.

Cho, M. K. (2015). Attitudes toward risk and informed consent for research on medical practices: a cross-sectional survey. Annals of internal medicine, 162(10), 690-696.

Clark, M. R. (2016). Global and public health core competencies for nursing education: a systematic review of essential competencies. Nurse education today, 40, 173-180.

Edmonson, C. M.-A. (2017). Emerging Global Health Issues: A Nurse’s Role. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 22(1). doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol22No01Man02

Ploug, T. &. (2015). Doctors, patients, and nudging in the clinical context—Four views on nudging and informed consent. The American Journal of Bioethics, 15(10), 28-38.