Summary Of Ethical Issues In Neonatal Care

850 Words2 Pages

With the improvement of the medicine and its medical system, the concept of ethics has become significantly acknowledged and have been greatly emphasized. Despite the increase in better, advanced medical quality, still many children every year in United States are born with medical conditions that prohibits them to live with normal, daily function which ultimately puts them into a situation whether being put under intensive care to prolong life or accepting the reality of upcoming death. Many caregivers question ethics when it comes to prolonging the life of the death of ill neonates wondering for whom they are doing this for and whether it is actually something the neonate and the family members would desire.
Ethics are defined as moral principle …show more content…

Carter, MD explores the ethical dilemmas that can arise in work setting around the care of ill neonates. The author brings topics that may put many healthcare professionals in a challenge. According to Brian S. Carter, he mentions that some of the ethical questions that may arise: “Who decides whether an infant receives care? How are these decisions made? What outcomes of neonatal intensive care are too burdensome?” (Carter, “Ethical Issue in Neonatal Care.”). Despite the ethical dilemmas the caregivers may face, in the end, the goal of the care would evolve around the patient, families, and the community. Due to no definite “right or wrong” answers given to these ethical questions, this might bring frustration on many people who are involved in providing the care for the patient. Let’s say the parents of the ill neonate holds the full consent of making decision-which usually is true- and the parents decide to begin the intensive treatment. This will bring a great challenge among the medical caregivers questioning what are the chances that the patient will get any better from the current state, and if the chance of survival or the recovery is extremely low, would processing with the treatment be doing right thing for the baby. Despite how difficult it is to answer these questions, the medical caregivers need to explore and try to answer them to avoid failing to identify the importance of recognizing the value of lives and dignity, and as well as to avoid abandoning the responsibility of those values to provide right care for the patient and the

Show More
Related

  • Ethical Issues With Physician Assisted Suicide

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a result, life-sustaining procedures such as ventilators, feeding tubes, and treatments for infectious and terminal diseases are developing. While these life-sustaining methods have positively influenced modern medicine, they also inadvertently cause terminal patients extensive pain and suffering. Previous to the development of life-sustaining procedures, many people died in the care of their own home, however, today the majority of Americans take their last breath lying in a hospital bed. As the advancement of modern medicine continues, physicians and patients are going to encounter life-altering trials and tribulations. Arguably, the most controversial debate in modern medicine is the discussion of the ethical choice for physician-assisted suicide.

    Read More

  • Ethical Principles Of Non-Maleficence And Staffing Inadequacy

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nurses everywhere face problems and challenges in practice. Most of the challenges occur due to a struggle with the use of ethical principles in patient care. Ethical principles are “basic and obvious moral truths that guide deliberation and action,” (Burkhardt, Nathaniel, 2014). Ethical principles that are used in nursing practice include autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, veracity, confidentiality, justice, and fidelity. These challenges not only affect them, but the quality of care they provide as well. According to the article, some of the most frequently occurring and most stressful ethical issues were protecting patient rights, autonomy and informed consent to treatment, staffing problems, advanced care planning, and surrogate decision making (Ulrich et. al, 2013). The ethical issue of inadequate staffing conflicts with the principle of non-maleficence.

    Read More

  • A Medical Case Study on Charlotte Wyatt by the BBC

    1599 Words  | 4 Pages

    This case was taken into the British court system where, after a long trial, a judge upheld the doctor’s decision not to resuscitate. The reasoning was that the judge felt he could not order the doctors to perform actions that would cause increased suffering for the child. After considering the doctrines of the sanctity of life and the...

    Read More

  • Ethical Dilemmas In The Neotensive Care Unit (NICU)

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethical issues are present in every aspect of healthcare. Ethical dilemmas in the Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are especially difficult because the patient cannot express him/herself. It is therefore the responsibility of the parents to make the decisions regarding treatment. It is the nurse’s job to advocate for the patient to ensure that they are receiving the best possible care. The cost of care, termination of treatment, and the nurses’ role in the termination of treatment are all factors that are included in the care of patients that are suffering in the NICU.

    Read More

  • Medical Marijuana Ethical Dilemmas

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the medical profession, doctors and nurses run into ethical dilemmas every day whether it be a mother who wants to abort her baby or a patient who has decided they want to stop cancer treatment. It is important for the nurse to know where they stand with their own moral code, but to make sure they are not being biased when educating the patient. Nurses are patient advocates, it is in the job description, so although the nurse may not agree with the patient on their decisions, the nurse to needs to advocate for the patient regardless.

    Read More

  • Treating or Terminating: The Dilemma of Impaired Infants and the Right to Be Human

    1420 Words  | 3 Pages

    Aiding the death of infants is a much disputed controversy in healthcare. H. Tristram Engelhardt Jr. provides an ethical view that there is a moral duty not to treat an impaired infant when this will only prolong a painful life or would only lead to a painful death. It is these individuals, like Engelhardt, who must defend this position against groups who consider that we have the ability to prolong the lives of impaired infants, thus we are obligated to do so.

    Read More

  • Nursing Case Study: Erin's Dilemma

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    During week 4, we became familiar with the application of ethics in the nursing practice settings. We learned about ethical theories and principles, which are crucial when practicing in any clinical settings during ethical decision-making and while facing one or multiple ethical dilemmas. Also, we were introduced to the MORAL model used in ethical decision – making progress. The MORAL model is the easiest model to use in the everyday clinical practice, for instance at bedside nursing. This model can be applyed in any clinical settings and its acronyms assist

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide Essay

    2048 Words  | 5 Pages

    There is great debate in this country and worldwide over whether or not terminally ill patients who are experiencing great suffering should have the right to choose death. A deep divide amongst the American public exists on the issue. It is extremely important to reach an ethical decision on whether or not terminally ill patients have this right to choose death, since many may be needlessly suffering, if an ethical solution exists.

    Read More

  • Professional, Ethical and Legal issues in nursing

    2256 Words  | 5 Pages

    In this essay the author will rationalize the relevance of professional, ethical and legal regulations in the practice of nursing. The author will discuss and analyze the chosen scenario and critically review the action taken in the expense of the patient and the care workers. In addition, the author will also evaluates the strength and limitations of the scenario in a broader issue with reasonable judgement supported by theories and principles of ethical and legal standards.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Christine Mitchell's When Living Is A Fate Worse Than Death

    848 Words  | 2 Pages

    The doctors in Haiti thought Charlotte should not be resuscitated, undergo anymore horrible treatments and die peacefully. Charlotte’s parents were not happy with the doctor’s guidelines and thought the United States medical care would have better technology and could save their daughter. Charlotte’s parents bought her a doll which Charlotte’s parents thought otherwise, the Ethics Advisory Committee had to get involved. The debate surrounded if the doctors were in the right to control the life of someone who were incapable of deciding themselves, or is it the parents right. The Ethics Advisory Committee, stated that the parents were superior to those of the hospital and the hospital should conduct with less painful test.

    Read More

  • Ethical Dilemma In Nursing

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethical dilemmas in nursing happen daily therefore nurses must treat all patients with respect and integrity for the patients’ best interest and health. Nurses must be the advocators for their clients, in this case being an advocate for the patient helped in the resolution because the nurse made sure to speak for the patient with mediation error and no affect on the patient’s health. The decisions nurses make can affect the patient’s health and quality of life, hence making the right choice is critical in nursing. The decision making can be based on the nurses’ values, experiences, ethical principles and theories.

    Read More

  • Nursing Ethics Case Study

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    In critical and complicating medical cases, family members often find it tedious to decide as to what mode or procedure of treatment is idyllic for the recovery of their patient. In such cases, well-qualified and medically educated can play a pivotal role in deciding the kind of treatment that should be given to the patient to enhance its recovery. In a contrary situation a nurse may know that administering a particular drug may improve the patient’s condition, but may be refrained from conducting the required action due to doctor’s absence or non-permission. There are numerous cases through which ethical dilemmas in the profession of nursing can be discussed. Nurses in order to remain within the defined boundaries ...

    Read More

  • Emilio Gonzale's Ethical Dilemma

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    The case of 17-month old Emilio Gonzales was seen and heard nation wide. A conflict between the mother and the physician emerged after the physician no longer expected there be an improvement in his health. This led to the decision of discontinuing providing care for the child and requesting the parents find another facility willing to provide such medical care. The main issue of this case revolved around whether the physician’s decision was morally permissible or legally just. Under Kantian Ethics, Children’s Hospital has moral reasoning to terminate treatment for Emilio and thus is morally justified in withdrawing treatment.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Neonatal Intensive Resuscitation

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    Neonatal resuscitation is intervention after a baby is born to strengthen it’s breathe or to boost its heartbeat. Approximately 10% of neonates require some assistance to begin breathing at birth, but only 1% require serious resuscitative measures. Informed consent regarding neonatal resuscitation is a constant ethical debate. This discourse ordinarily occurs between doctors and parents; parents often feel that the decision has been made for them, believing that they were not fully informed of any consequences that may occur before making their final action plan, or thinking that their opinion was not taken seriously; however, doctors see the procedure in a different light, that the parents can’t choose the best option for the child regardless of counseling, or performing as the parents wished but believing that the result could have differed if the parents had known all the effects that it will have further down the line, or convinced that they would have made a better

    Read More

  • Essay On Ethical And Ethical Issues In Nursing

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another huge ethical topic is the patient’s right to choose autonomy in the refusal of life-saving medicine or treatment. This issue affects a nurse’s standards of care and code of ethics. “The nurse owes the patient a duty of care and must act in accordance with this duty at all times, by respecting and supporting the patient’s right to accept or decline treatment” (Volinsky). In order for a patient to be able make these types of decisions they must first be deemed competent. While the choice of patient’s to refuse life-saving treatment may go against nursing ethical codes and beliefs to attempt and coerce them to get treatment is trespass and would conclude in legal action. “….then refusal of these interventions may be regarded as inappropriate, but in the case of a patient with capacity, the patient must have the ultimate authority to decide” (Volinsky). While my values of the worth of life and importance of action may be different than others, as a nurse I have to learn to set that aside and follow all codes of ethics whether I have a dilemma with them or not. Sometimes with ethics there is no right or wrong, but as a nurse we have to figure out where to draw the line in some cases.

    Read More

More about Summary Of Ethical Issues In Neonatal Care

Open Document