Legal and Ethical Decision Making

Running head: LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING
LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

1LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING
Table of Contents
Issues identified..........................................................................................................................2
Person involved..........................................................................................................................2
Evaluate......................................................................................................................................2
Ethical decision......................................................................................................................2
Autonomy...........................................................................................................................3
Beneficence........................................................................................................................3
Non-Maleficence................................................................................................................3
Justice.................................................................................................................................3
Code of ethics.........................................................................................................................3
Legal issues............................................................................................................................5
Examination.......................................................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................6
Reference....................................................................................................................................8

2LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING
Issues identified
The current report is based on the ethical and legal decision-making process. In this case, it
has been observed that Valentina Dawson is a devotee follows Jehovah principles and she
maintains certain rules in her life. The present report is based on one of such case where the
patient believes Jehova principle and while admitting in the hospital, she has refused to take
blood and signed a document regarding the same. The issue of this case is what are the
importance of legal and ethical decisions taken in the case of Ms Dawson.
Person involved
Valentina Dawson is the patient, Carlos is the brother of Ms Dawson, Marina is the sister of
Ms Dawson, RN Kamal Singh is the warden, and Dr Grace is the concerned doctor.
Evaluate
Ethical decision
The term ethical decision denotes a process where certain alternatives are evaluated to come
into a bonafide conclusion. Ethical decision-making process requires certain elements such as
commitment, consciousness and competency. Commitment means the person should have to
take the right thing in all situations. Consciousness denotes the awareness of the person to
perform his duty consistently and should maintain the moral principles (Scharman et al.,
2017). In the following case, four ethical principles are required to be discussed such as
autonomy, where proper respect is given to the choice of the patient; beneficence, where the
nurses will act for the benefits of the patient; non-malficence, where the nurses are required
to maintain certain code of conduct while dealing with the patient and justice, where the
nature of the decisions are morally accepted.

3LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING
Autonomy
Ms Dawson should get the equal right and opportunity to reveal her denial for blood
transfusion as a follower of Jehovah’s witnesses. However, according to the case, she was
unconscious when blood transfusion becomes necessary for her. Therefore, criteria of
anatomy are not applicable in this part (Trzciński et al., 2015).
Beneficence
Due to the operation and huge blood loss, Ms Dawson needs additional care by the medical
team and it is the duty of the nurses to act for the benefit of the patient.
Non-Maleficence
Due to huge blood loss, Ms Dawson needs special treatment to avoid any bodily harm and as
she is a JW follower, the nurses should maintain the relevant provision of the code of conduct
to her case.
Justice
The concerned hospital authority is under certain ethical and legal obligations while treating
Ms Dawson due to her religious belief. Possible infringement to her right is required to be
protected.
Code of ethics
Under the ICN Code of Ethics for the Nurses (revised 2012), nurses are required to take
proper care for the patients and they should maintain the fundamental principles of the human
rights. According to NMBA, Code of Conduct for Nurses (2018), decisions are taken in
accordance with the patient’s value and inclination. Under 3.6.b of the Code, nurses should
respect the right to death of the patient. According to the Code of ethics for nurses in
Australia, it is the duty of the doctors and the nurses to inform the patients and his family
about the risks and related matters before starting any operation (VS 5 (2)). There are many