Health Care Policy, Law, and Ethics Essay Sample

You are the director of the Cancer Center in a little suburban infirmary. For the past two hebdomads you have worked closely with your nursing staff because they have been showing “Burn Out” ( defeat. dissatisfaction. or deficiency of involvement in a occupation ) as a consequence of the addition in the figure of patients coming to the centre who were diagnosed with terminal malignant neoplastic disease. Nancy Nurse confided in you that she is peculiarly saddened about the rapid diminution in Mrs. Jones’ wellness. a 30 twelvemonth old individual female parent. She decided that the following clip Mrs. Jones comes in for her intervention ; she is traveling to give her an excess dosage of a narcotic that could potential stop her life. 1. Explain how the patient Bill of Rights applies to this instance. The patient measure of rights applies to the instance in the patients’ “right to be given by his health care suppliers information refering diagnosing. planned class of intervention. options. hazards and forecast ( Showalter 2008 ) . ” It seemed that Nurse Nancy was traveling to administrate the excess dosage of a narcotic without Mrs. Jones even cognizing it. The scenario does non province that Mrs. Jones was traveling to be cognizant of the excess dosage that could potentially stop her life.

This would intend that Mrs. Jones’ patient measure of rights was violated because she was non informed on the planned class of intervention being doubled which could ensue in the terminal of her life. Another patient measure of rights that applies to this instance is “the right to decline intervention. except as otherwise provided by jurisprudence ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. aha. org/default. hypertext markup language ) . ” This right is being violated because Mrs. Jones is non cognizant of the intended intervention from the nurse because she has non been informed about it therefore she does non hold to chance to decline intervention. Even though Mrs. Jones’ wellness is deteriorating she is a individual female parent and I am certain that even though she may be in hurting most of the clip that she wants to pass all the clip she has left with her kids and would non desire to stop her life earlier than what it is meant to be. 2. Identify and explicate at least three ethical considerations. The first ethical consideration is that Nurse Nancy is perpetrating slaying. The scenario does non province that Mrs. Jones asked to be injected with something to assist stop her agony. It seems that Nurse Nancy has decided for herself that she was traveling to assist stop Mrs. Jones’ agony by her ain pick because she is saddened by her state of affairs. The 2nd ethical consideration is from my base point as the centers’ director.

We as health care suppliers do non hold the right to play GOD. Even if Mrs. Jones did inquire for aid in stoping her agony. healthcare suppliers under no fortunes are to help in a patient’s self-destruction effort. “For illustration. an 85-year-old occupant of a nursing place was enduring from multiple complaints and impairment wellness. Although the occupant. a former college president. did non hold a terminal unwellness. he was really discouraged about his hereafter and decided to rush his decease by fasting. A tribunal found that the adult male was competent and had the right to decline nutrient and that the nursing place was neither obligated nor authorized to force-feed him. The adult male was permitted to decease of famishment ( Showalter 2008 ) . ” In this instance the tribunals made the determination for the adult male to perpetrate suicide via famishment ; in no manner did any of the healthcare staff take portion by helping in his self-destruction. Another ethical consideration is the fact the Nurse Nancy took it upon herself to do the determination to potentially kill Mrs. Jones alternatively of seeking advice from her superior. It is unethical to do medical determinations about someone’s life without taking the sentiment of other qualified professionals into consideration.

The fact that Nurse Nancy is merely that. a nurse. and non a physician causes the state of affairs to turn out to be even more of an ethical consideration. On top of that. “Today. specializers in alleviative attention believe that if all patients had entree to careful appraisal and optimum symptom control and supportive attention. the agony of most patients with dangerous unwellnesss could be reduced sufficiently to extinguish their desire for hastened decease ( hypertext transfer protocol: //endlink. lurie. northwesterly. edu/eolc_introduction. cfm ) . ” 3. Identify and explicate at least three legal considerations. The chief legal consideration is slaying. Intentionally and volitionally giving a patient a substance for the exclusive intent to stop their life whether the patient has asked for this service or non is perpetrating slaying or assisted slaying. this can do legal issues for non merely the nurse involved but the malignant neoplastic disease centre every bit good. The legal issues for Nurse Nancy could be eternal she could confront clip in gaol or her licence being revoked. If the household finds out that Nurse Nancy deliberately gave Mrs. Jones a higher dosage of the narcotic they could action her and the malignant neoplastic disease centre for disregard. Another legal consideration is what the malignant neoplastic disease will confront is other people conveying up cases claiming that the same thing was done to their household members.

Whether any of them are accurate claims or non ; this type of thing can still do 1000s of dollars for the malignant neoplastic disease centre and a negative visible radiation. The infirmary could lose infinite dollars being tied up in judicial proceeding for hebdomads or even months as they go through the different claims. On top of that. the figure of existent claims could drag out. It could be seven old ages from now and person who was out of province comes across it and decides the same thing may hold happened to their household member and they go to register a case. This could literally drag out for old ages. The 3rd legal consideration in my sentiment would be whether or non this statement Nurse Nancy has confided in me is evidences for expiration. In my sentiment while she may be traveling through “burn out” this in no manner justifies her irrational determination to assist faster stop someone’s life because she is saddened by her state of affairs. Her deficiency of suited judgement and irresponsible ideas that could hold led to actions is surely evidences for expiration.

Legally. I would necessitate to travel through human resources to see what needs to be done and whether or non she would hold a case against the centre. if she tried the claim the “burn out” and emphasis from work caused her irrational judgement. after being terminated. 4. Identify and explicate at least three concern considerations. First away. from a concern base point for me as the director. I have an employee that is overworked and demoing serious marks of misjudgment. I need to calculate out what I need to make to acquire the employee morale higher so that my employees are working to their fullest potency and so that they are non so defeated. dissatisfied. and still hold a focussed involvement in their occupation. Since the figure of patients being admitted has risen so it would more than probably be in my best involvement to higher some impermanent employees to assist assistance in patient attention every bit will as the morale of my lasting employees. at least until the patient count stabilizes and my nurses are all undermentioned policy and process and are doing logical determinations about patient attention. Another concern consideration is how the installation will be viewed by the community. They will more than probably lose patients because they now have a negative repute.

If the centre loses patients they lose financess and so there is ever the possibility of closing down. On top of that the province will be stricter on audits within the malignant neoplastic disease centre. No 1 will desire their household members admitted at that place in fright they could be killed by overdose. This puts an utmost damper on the concern facet of the malignant neoplastic disease centre. In add-on. the local intelligence station will more than probably do a narrative on it that will add continued negative imperativeness that hurts the centers’ concern.

5. Explain what the director should make in this state of affairs and why. I feel that the best thing to make with Nurse Nancy would be to acquire her psychological aid and set her on probation. I would explicate the earnestness of what the result would be if she had of went through with her programs and that she would be terminated and non be eligible for rehire if she was of all time found of such misconduct once more. I would indicate out to her many of the issues discussed in this paper. She would hold to subscribe a release. She would be wrote up on a concluding notice and called in weekly to travel over things that were traveling on and how she handled them. This manner she can be closely monitored for any worsening marks of “burn out” and it can be handled expeditiously.

Mentions

Showalter. J. S. ( 2008 ) . The jurisprudence of healthcare disposal ( 5th ed. ) . Chicago: Health Administration Press. American Hospital Association: A Patient’s Bill of Rights & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. aha. org/default. hypertext markup language & gt ; EndLink: Resource for End of Life Care Education. Physician-Assisted Suicide: Module 5 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //endlink. lurie. northwesterly. edu/eolc_introduction. cfm & gt ;