Order Description

Review the Case Studies discussing an ethical issue in health care practice. select the scenario that may be representative of a role their own health professional discipline can be involved in the ethical dilemma and compare and contrast their duties in the chosen scenario to the duties of one other health care professional. Students should identify the conflicting ethical priorities in this case study and discuss them in relation to the following areas of ethical and professional reasoning:
Professional Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct & Position Statements. ?
The ethical theories and principles relevant to this given practice area ?
Human dignity and human rights ?
Select a case study from the list below and address the following points:
1) Identify the ethical issues at stake in your chosen case study ?
2) Establish a clear ethical perspective on the issues ?
3) Recognise an alternative perspective to your own ?
4) Discuss the ethical issues from the perspectives of:
The requirement to respect human dignity and human rights; ?
your future profession’s codes of ethics/ professional conduct & professional ?standards;
one ethical theory you have studied in this unit; & ?
the principles of health care ethics ?
5) Make recommendations for professional practice

Case Study
Camilla works on a surgical unit in a large, inner-city hospital. One morning shift, she is assigned to care for Sam, a 21 year-old man who was admitted during the night for investigation of acute abdominal pain. His medical history includes multiple admissions to the emergency department for treatment of (among other things) drug-related psychosis. At the beginning of her shift, Camilla attempts to check Sam’s vital signs but is unable to do so as he is very agitated, attempting to push her away. He is also calling out and unable to answer her questions rationally. Camilla asks the medical team to review Sam as she is concerned about not being able to monitor his condition effectively. She is also concerned for her own safety and that of her colleagues. The medical team arrives to find Sam pulling out his IV cannula and verbally abusing Camilla. They order that Sam be placed in physical restraints and document as much in the notes.
Camilla is concerned that this approach will only exacerbate Sam’s agitation and that, ultimately, he will injure himself and/or other patients and staff. She expresses her concerns to the nurse in charge of the shift (Julia) who advises her to apply the restraints and focus on caring for the other patients she has been assigned. Julia states: “patients like Sam are a waste of our time. Besides, we haven’t got enough staff rostered on today to be worried about him”.