Ethical Decisions In Healthcare

Your health care team is presented with the following case:

A 6-year-old develops a high fever accompanied by violent vomiting and convulsions while at school. The child is rushed to a nearby hospital. The attending physician makes a diagnosis of meningitis and requests permission from the parents to initiate treatment. Both parents are Christian Scientists, and they insist that no medical treatment be given to the child. The physician initiates treatment anyway, and the parents later sue the physician and the hospital.

In a formal, written paper of 1,250-1,500 words, provide the following:

1. Explain the ethical dilemma portrayed in this case and how Uustal’s “Ethical Decision-Making Model” can assist in navigating the situation.
2. Describe the perspectives, needs, and expectations of each of the following health care stakeholders: (a) child, (b) parent, (c) physician, (d) health care staff, (e) hospital, (f) administrator, and (g) attorney.
3. Summarize potentially conflicting values and principles that exist in this case based upon ethical theories and principles you have learned in this course.
4. Assuming the role of the hospital administrator, provide a solution to resolve the identified ethical dilemma in this case.

Here are some articles you can use:

1. Applying Kidder’s Ethical Decision-Making Model
2. Box 9.5 Clinical Ethical Decision-Making Model
3. Ethical Decision Making for Nurses Treating Acute Pain in Patients with Opioid Abuse History
4. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Research Studies
5. Return of Genetic Research Results to Participants and Families: IRB Perspectives and Roles
6. Seeing Beyond the Margins: Challenges to Informed Inclusion of Vulnerable Populations in Research
7. Should We Worry About the Possible Framing Effect of Ethical Theories?
8. The Ethic of Care: A Christian Perspective