Ethical Concerns-16 year Old Male Scheduled for a Physical Examination
Nurses, as patient advocates, strive to provide quality and optimal care. They must abide by the ethical provision that guides nursing decision-making processes and practice to balance their care provision processes. Due to the complexity of the healthcare landscape and presenting challenges during normal operationalizations, nurses are sometimes faced with specific ethical dilemmas. Nursing ethical principles help nurses navigate these challenges and guide their decision-making processes in the face of these complexities, enabling them to provide optimal care. Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you.
The patient in the case presented (CASE STUDY 1) is a 16-year-old male scheduled for a physical examination before starting sports. The first health assessment information important for this patient is past medical and family history. In this case, past medical history investigates the history of syncope, murmurs, chest pain, and fatigue. These may indicate cardiovascular and respiratory systems health compromises that may jeopardize the patient’s sporting efficiency. Family history of premature deaths and disabilities from cardiovascular illnesses may inform the patient’s propensity to develop idiopathic diseases that may affect their sporting excellence.
Physical examination of the patient is also essential. Investigating physical features that may suggest cardiovascular and respiratory functional declines and anomalies in musculoskeletal disorders is important in the physical examination. Besides, Corrente et al. (2021) detail that sporting activities are physical exercises that require optimal physical strength and musculoskeletal functioning. Preparticpatory screening should ascertain optimal musculoskeletal functionalities and include orthopedic screening to unearth any underlying injuries and pathologies that may be apparent in the future and affect their performance. Other physical examination areas include neurological screening, mental health assessment, nutritional assessment, and general health screens.
General health screens entail all features that may suggest the future propensity to develop health compromises. Such include an adverse history of vaccinations, which may increase the patient’s tendency to develop infections. The patient in the case had an adverse history of immunizations. Vaccinations maintain significance in protecting individuals against infectious diseases. As patient educators, it is the ethical obligation of nurses to educate their patients on the importance of vaccines. They are also bound by the principle of beneficence and non-maleficence to promote the welfare of their patients and do no harm to their patients (Ewuoso et al., 2021). In this regard, they will act to educate their patient on the benefits of being vaccinated and, where applicable, vaccinate their patients.
In the case presented, there is an ethical dilemma on whether or not to vaccinate the patient. The moral dictates of professional nursing implore nurses to do good and prevent harm from befalling their patients. However, they are also bound by the moral obligation of patient autonomy in clinical decision-making and the ethical provisions that require them to respect their rights (Davies, 2019). In this case, patients have autonomy over their clinical decisions and the right to accept or reject treatment. Another consideration, in this case, is the age of the patient. The patient is not aged enough to make independent decisions on his health and clinical choices. The patient’s parent, in this scenario, makes such decisions on his behalf.
In this case, the nurse can only educate the patient and his guardian on the benefits of being vaccinated and allow them to decide independently whether or not they will pursue vaccinations. Notably, this will be in the spirit of the principle of autonomy that requires nurses and other healthcare providers to allow patients to make their own clinical choices. It will also be a demonstration of respect for patient rights.
References
Corrente, C., Silvis, M., Murphy, J., Gallo, R., & Onks, C. (2021). Musculoskeletal practices for the preparticipation physical examination. BMC Sports Science, Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-021-00316-x.
Davies, B. (2019). Responsibility and the limits of patient choice. Bioethics, 34(5), 459–466. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.12693.
Ewuoso, C., Hall, S., & Dierickx, K. (2021). How do healthcare professionals respond to ethical challenges regarding information management? A review of Empirical Studies. Global Bioethics, 32(1), 67–84. https://doi.org/10.1080/11287462.2021.1909820.
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Question 
As a practice nurse, you will run into situations where a patient’s wishes about their health conflict with evidence, your own experience, or a family’s wishes. This may create an ethical dilemma. What do you do when these situations occur?
Ethical Concerns-16 year Old Male Scheduled for a Physical Examination
In this Lab Assignment, you will explore evidence-based practice guidelines and ethical considerations for specific scenarios.
CASE STUDY 1
The parents of a 16-year-old male are seen for his required physical examination before starting sports. His parents are opposed to him receiving any vaccines.
- Based on the scenarios provided:
- Select one scenario and reflect on the material presented throughout this course.
- What necessary information would need to be obtained about the patient through health assessments and diagnostic tests?
- Consider how you would respond as an advanced practice nurse. Review evidence-based practice guidelines and ethical considerations applicable to the scenarios you selected.
The Lab Assignment
Write a detailed one-page narrative (not a formal paper) explaining the health assessment information required for a diagnosis of your selected patient (include the scenario number). Explain how you would respond to the scenario as an advanced practice nurse using evidence-based practice guidelines and applying ethical considerations. Justify your response using at least three different references from current evidence-based literature.