Ethical Dilemma Faced by Health Care Professionals

Healthcare providers are usually faced with various ethical dilemmas in their routine practice. To solve these dilemmas adequately, ethical principles, professional code of conduct, and values should be embraced. Notably, autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice are the four ethical principles that guide the decision-making process (McDermott-Levy et al., 2018). This paper analyzes and proposes a solution to an ethical dilemma.

Summary of the Case Study

The case study is titled ‘Incident 9: The Missing Needle Protector’ (Capella Media, n.d.). Straight is the director of clinical services at Hopewell Hospital. Straight emphasizes quality in the provision of healthcare services. Dr. Cutrite is the longest-serving general surgeon. However, he has declined both physically and mentally. This has made Straight contemplate reducing his privileges. The operating room supervisor reports that a plastic needle protector was left in a patient’s belly. The scrub nurse who worked with Dr. Cutrite confirms the operating room supervisor’s report.

Straight suggests that the patient should get back to surgery for the plastic needle protector to be recovered. However, the operating room supervisor reports that the patient has already been discharged. Furthermore, the supervisor reports that Dr. Cutrite declined to inform the patient about the problem. According to Dr. Cutrite, the plastic needle protector does not predispose the patient to a serious health problem. This prompted Straight to consult the chief of surgery, who reiterated Dr. Cutrite’s affirmation that the plastic cap would not have any life-threatening implications. However, the chief of surgery did not rule out the possibility of a life-threatening impact. Consequently, Straight has to decide on whether to take corrective action against Dr. Cutrite, a politically powerful stakeholder, or overlook the case.

The Ethical Decision-Making Model

Healthcare practitioners should embrace the ethical decision-making model to solve ethical dilemmas. This model consists of three sequential steps. Moral awareness entails the acknowledgment of the existence of the moral issue (Media Capella.edu, n.d.). An individual’s values and morals are enablers of moral awareness. The second step involves moral judgment. During this step, an individual evaluates possible solutions that can be justified morally (Media Capella.edu, n.d.). Moral judgment is guided by personal experiences, organizational values, and culture (Media Capella.edu, n.d.). The third step is embracing ethical behavior. Moral awareness and moral judgment promote ethical behavior. In this context, Straight demonstrated moral awareness by recognizing that Dr. Cutrite’s decision to withhold information from the patient presented an ethical issue. Straight’s moral judgment is demonstrated by consulting the chief of surgery and the scrub nurse. Straight should use organizational values and the four principles of healthcare ethics to embrace ethical behavior.

The Factors that Contributed to the Ethical Problem

Dr. Cutrite’s decision to withhold information from the patient presented an ethical issue. Dr. Cutrite is unwilling to inform the patient about the possibility of a medical problem and recall her to the hospital. Furthermore, he instructed his support staff not to inform the patient. The chief of surgery did not rule out the possibility of a life-threatening consequence emanating from the plastic needle protector left in the patient’s belly. As such, Straight has to decide on whether to take corrective action against Dr. Cutrite, a politically powerful stakeholder, or overlook the case.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

According to Weprin et al. (2021), retained surgical items (RSIs) can be categorized into soft and hard items. In this context, the retained plastic needle protector is a hard item. Findings demonstrate that at least one incidence of retained surgical items occurs in every 1000 surgeries (Weprin et al., 2021). Findings demonstrate that most healthcare facilities lack elaborate protocols for reporting the incidence of retained surgical items. Additionally, healthcare providers do not report these incidents to avoid litigation (Weprin et al., 2021). They may also fail to report these cases inadvertently because they do not consider them to be life-threatening. The major risk factors for RSIs are poor communication, distractions, and poor adaptability (Steelman, 2019). The effect of the RSI depends on the type and size of the RSI. RSIs can cause abscesses and obstructions and erode adjacent structures. RSIs increase morbidity rates and prolong hospitalization (Steelman, 2019). The sources are credible because they are published in peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, they were published within the past five years. They are relevant to the case study because they evaluate the prevalence, causes, and prevention of the incidence of RSIs.

The Effectiveness of the Communication Approaches

Straight embraced active listening when communicating with other stakeholders. Notably, he avoided making unnecessary interruptions and embraced proper turn-taking (de Sousa Mata et al., 2021). By so doing, Straight obtained detailed information from the operating room supervisor. Active listening enables an individual to create rapport with their colleagues. As such, an honest and trustful environment is created. This increases the accuracy of the information and moral awareness, moral judgment, and ethical behavior. The operating room supervisor embraced proper verbal and nonverbal cues such as nodding and providing candid feedback. Non-effective communication impedes interdisciplinary collaboration. It creates an atmosphere of distrust among various stakeholders. This impedes information sharing and lowers the accuracy of feedback (de Sousa Mata et al., 2021).

The Effectiveness of the Approach Used by a Professional

Straight used active listening to obtain detailed information from various stakeholders. Additionally, Straight embraced an interdisciplinary approach. Straight contacted both the scrub nurse and the chief of surgery. Engaging other stakeholders increases the accuracy of the information and forms the basis for making ethical decisions. In this context, feedback from the scrub nurse confirmed that the plastic needle protector had been left in the patient’s belly. Feedback from the chief of surgery revealed that the retained plastic needle protection lacked life-threatening consequences. In addition, this feedback identified the possibility of adverse effects. Straight can use this feedback as the basis for making an ethical decision.

Ethical Principles to a Possible Solution to an Ethical Problem

In this context, Straight’s ethical dilemma is selecting between ensuring the wellbeing of the patient and crossing swords with Dr. Cutrite. Dr. Cutrite is the longest-serving general surgeon at Hopewell and is considered to have powerful political influence. The ethical principle of beneficence requires healthcare providers to engage in activities that benefit the patient (McDermott-Levy et al., 2018). Non-maleficence requires healthcare providers to avoid activities that can harm patients (McDermott-Levy et al., 2018).

Straight should contact Dr. Cutrite and inquire about the patient’s case. After that, Straight should report the case to the chief of surgery. By so doing, an interdisciplinary decision-making process will be used in making an ethical decision. The scrub nurse, operating room supervisor, and other members of the organization’s facility should be involved in the decision-making process. This solution will enable Straight to prioritize and embrace the ethical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence.

Conclusion

Ethical principles, professional code of conduct, and values should be embraced to solve ethical dilemmas adequately. In this context, Straight’s ethical dilemma is selecting between ensuring the wellbeing of the patient and crossing swords with Dr. Cutrite. Reporting the case to the interdisciplinary team members will enable Straight to prioritize and embrace the ethical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence.

References

Capella Media. (n.d.). Ethical Case Studies. Media.capella.edu. Retrieved 19 August 2022, from https://media.capella.edu/CourseMedia/nhs4000element18655/wrapper.asp.

de Sousa Mata, Á. N., de Azevedo, K. P. M., Braga, L. P., de Medeiros, G. C. B. S., de Oliveira Segundo, V. H., Bezerra, I. N. M., Pimenta, I. D. S. F., Nicolás, I. M., & Piuvezam, G. (2021). Training in communication skills for self-efficacy of health professionals: a systematic review. Human Resources for Health, 19(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00574-3

McDermott-Levy, R., Leffers, J., & Mayaka, J. (2018). Ethical Principles and Guidelines of Global Health Nursing Practice. Nursing Outlook, 66(5), 473–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2018.06.013

Media Capella.edu. (n.d.). Ethical Case Studies. https://media.capella.edu/CourseMedia/nhs4000element18655/wrapper.asp

Steelman, V. M. (2019). Retained Surgical Items: Evidence Review and Recommendations for Prevention. AORN Journal, 110(1), 92–96. https://doi.org/10.1002/aorn.12740

Weprin, S., Crocerossa, F., Meyer, D., Maddra, K., Valancy, D., Osardu, R., Kang, H. S., Moore, R. H., Carbonara, U., J. Kim, F., & Autorino, R. (2021). Risk factors and preventive strategies for unintentionally retained surgical sharps: a systematic review. Patient Safety in Surgery, 15(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13037-021-00297-3

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Question

Develop a solution to a specific ethical dilemma faced by a healthcare professional by applying ethical principles. Describe the issues and a possible solution in a 3-5 page paper.

Introduction
Whether you are a nurse, a public health professional, a health care administrator, or in another role in the health care field, you must base your decisions on a set of ethical principles and values. Your decisions must be fair, equitable, and defensible. Each discipline has established a professional code of ethics to guide ethical behaviour. In this assessment, you will practice working through an ethical dilemma as described in a case study. Your practice will help you develop a method for formulating ethical decisions.

Ethical Dilemma Faced by Health Care Professionals

Instructions
Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. At a minimum, be sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.

For this assessment, develop a solution to a specific ethical dilemma faced by a healthcare professional. In your assessment:

Access the Ethical Case Studies media piece to review the case studies you will be using for this assessment.
Select the case most closely related to your area of interest and use it to complete the assessment.
Note: The case study may not supply all of the information you need. In such cases, you should consider a variety of possibilities and infer potential conclusions. However, please be sure to identify any assumptions or speculations you make.
Include the selected case study in your reference list using the proper APA style and format. Refer to the Evidence and APA section of the Writing Center for guidance.
Summarize the facts in a case study and use the three components of an ethical decision-making model to analyze an ethical problem or issue and the factors that contributed to it.
Identify which case study you selected and briefly summarize the facts surrounding it. Identify the problem or issue that presents an ethical dilemma or challenge and describe that dilemma or challenge.
Identify who is involved or affected by the ethical problem or issue.
Access the Ethical Decision-Making Model media piece and use the three components of the ethical decision-making model (moral awareness, moral judgment, and ethical behavior) to analyze the ethical issues.
Apply the three components outlined in the Ethical Decision-Making Model media.
Analyze the factors that contributed to the ethical problem or issue identified in the case study.
Describe the factors that contributed to the problem or issue and explain how they contributed.
Apply academic peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to an ethical problem or issue as evidence to support an analysis of the case.
In addition to the readings provided, use the Capella Library to locate at least one academic peer-reviewed journal article relevant to the problem or issue that you can use to support your analysis of the situation. The NHS-FPX4000: Developing a Health Care Perspective Library Guide will help you locate appropriate references.
Cite and apply key principles from the journal article as evidence to support your critical thinking and analysis of the ethical problem or issue.
Review the Think Critically About Source Quality resource.
Assess the credibility of the information source.
Assess the relevance of the information source.
Discuss the effectiveness of the communication approaches present in a case study.
Describe how the healthcare professional in the case study communicated with others.
Assess instances where the professional communicated effectively or ineffectively.
Explain which communication approaches should be used and which ones should be avoided.
Describe the consequences of using effective and non-effective communication approaches.
Discuss the effectiveness of the approach used by a professional to deal with problems or issues involving ethical practice in a case study.
Describe the actions taken in response to the ethical dilemma or issue presented in the case study.
Summarize how well the professional managed professional responsibilities and priorities to resolve the problem or issue in the case.
Discuss the key lessons this case provides for healthcare professionals.
Apply ethical principles to a possible solution to an ethical problem or issue described in a case study.
Describe the proposed solution.
Discuss how the approach makes this professional more effective or less effective in building relationships across disciplines within his or her organization.
Discuss how likely it is the proposed solution will foster professional collaboration.
Write clearly and logically, with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
Apply the principles of effective composition.
Determine the proper application of the rules of grammar and mechanics.
Write using APA style for in-text citations, quotes, and references.
Determine the proper application of APA formatting requirements and scholarly writing standards.
Integrate information from outside sources into academic writing by appropriately quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing, following APA style.
Example Assessment: You may use the following to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like: