Advanced Directives Ethical Dilemma

RUNNING HEAD: ETHICAL DILEMMA 1
Advanced Directives Ethical Dilemma
Student Details:

ETHICAL DILEMMA 2
For this essay, I have selected Case study 1 (Advanced Directives Ethical Dilemma)
which focuses on the study of Jim, 45 year old male admitted in the hospital with severe chest
pain. Jim’s legal document states the prohibited use of CPR and other medical treatment
procedures. Further, when Jim gets unconscious, Jim’s wife yells at the nurse and asks the nurse
to save Jim. Therefore, nurse tries to calm the situation and makes the wife understand that they
cannot do anything in this situation.
In this situation, the ethical dilemmas related with care of patients have influenced and it
is essential to know the legislations, which affects the nursing practice. As per this case study of
Jim the situation is an ethical dilemma as per laws and legislations nurse cannot perform any
medical procedure on Jim and his wife forced the nurse to perform CPR on Jim. The nurse
already ordered X-Ray and blood test to check what is going on. However, the nurse was waiting
for the doctor and the wife gave dirty looks to the nurse, which shows this is an ethical dilemma.
The nurse followed all the correct procedures as per the advanced directive. After remembering
the legislations carried by Jim’s wife, the nurse was unable to do the CPR and other medical
procedures. Furthermore, after an hour, Jim’s condition got worst and he was in unconscious
state. Additionally, the nurse tried to calm the situation as Jim’s wife was yelling at nurse but the
wife was not ready to listen to the nurse and she started CPR on Jim (DC Abrams, 2014). As per
the situation, the nurse followed appropriate method. The following condition was contradictory
for the nurse because on one hand where she was bounded by the legislations and rules carried
by the directives on the other hand there was the patient who was unconscious and probably
dying. If nurses know, about the health care directives, it becomes essential for them to fulfil the
wish of patient and herein Jim’s wish was not to perform any medical procedure. The following
situation is of severe chest pain faced by patient named Jim whose condition is getting worse and
unconscious. His wife forced the nurse to perform medical treatment meanwhile the nurse denied
to perform as it was against the advanced directive principles. The wife even yelled at the nurse
but the nurse was following the advanced directive. Hence, the nurse was fulfilling the patient’s
wish of not getting any treatment (KM Swetz, 2011). According to the situation faced by nurse,
it can be suggested that the nurse can move to the senior/head nurse in order to find an ethical
solution to problem, which can further provide guidance in regards to institutional policies for
such situations. Meanwhile the nurse can also wait for the doctor to come and intervene in the
situation and acknowledge the wife about the advanced directive principle and medical