Case Study: Ethical Analysis of Healthcare Dilemmas in Nursing

This case study delves into the ethical dilemmas faced by healthcare staff, specifically nurses, in providing care to patients, particularly during end-of-life scenarios. The case revolves around Mrs. EH, a patient with a critical illness who expresses intentions to harm healthcare staff while requesting confidentiality. The analysis identifies key ethical conflicts, including the tension between the duty to maintain patient confidentiality and the need to share potentially harmful information with other professionals. The study examines ethical doctrines such as beneficence, non-maleficence, and autonomy, and explores how these principles create dilemmas. The application of ethical theories like teleology and deontology is discussed to determine the optimum ethical decision, which, in this case, involves communicating the patient's harmful intentions to relevant healthcare professionals. The case highlights the importance of ethical practice in healthcare, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that prioritizes patient welfare while upholding ethical principles. The study references relevant literature to support its analysis of ethical issues, principles, and decision-making processes within the healthcare context.

Running Head: ETHICAL ANALYSIS
ETHICAL ANALYSIS
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

1ETHICAL ANALYSIS
The ethical dilemmas encounter by healthcare staff in healthcare at their profession in the
contemporary period particularly in affording service to patient at the termination phase of life.
The case study made demonstration of conception of issue regarding ethical dilemmas which
nursing staff face providing service to the Mrs. EH, the patient in the particular case is distress
from critical disease and the patient expressed the idea of causing harm to the healthcare staff
and also requested her to maintain confidentiality in the country of United States.
The ethical dilemmas which are determined are the professionals in the healthcare must
share with other members regarding the confidential information that is conveyed by the patient
devoid of obtaining the permission from patient (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2016). To resolve the
case and make a proper ethical decision the ethical doctrines, ethical theory and values of ethical
practice of nurses should be examined preceding to making the decision. After considering the
necessary determinants the optimum ethical decision for the welfare of patients is to
communicating information by the healthcare staff about the attempt to cause harm by Mrs. EH
to him with further professionals who are engaged in healthcare.
It has been determined by some researchers the connection between ethical principles and
ethical dilemmas. In accordance to Johnson, logical inconsistency in between the logical
doctrines may create ethical dilemmas particularly in the moral scenario where there is an
application of diverse ethical principles however implementation of one ethical principle should
infringe the other (Benward, 2015). The ethical doctrines of beneficence and autonomy that is
implemented in the scenario of Mrs. EH are the major cause for creating ethical dilemmas that if
the healthcare staff communicate about the information of attempting to cause harm by Mrs EH
to him with other professionals without consent of the patient. In addition to that the ethical

2ETHICAL ANALYSIS
doctrines of non-maleficence which contravene the autonomy principle but support the ethical
beneficence principle (Fu, 2015). Therefore in the particular scenario, the three principles of
ethics that engaged are non-maleficence, respect towards autonomy and also beneficence.
Beneficence is determined as the standard of committing good adopt positive steps to aid others
or the principles that advance action which is beneficial for others. Besides the beneficence
principle, the non-maleficence implicates the responsibility not to cause ham to others. Thus in
supporting the principle of non-maleficence in the area of healthcare, it concentrates that
healthcare staff should act in a manner that is not harmful or detrimental to patients (Mitra &
McCormick, 2017). The principle of non-maleficence, in this scenario, necessitates the
healthcare staff to take action that guarantees that the patient shall not cause injury to himself
instead of disregarding the self-harm of the patient.
Nonetheless, the option of keeping secrecy would disrespect the potential injury of the
patient along with that lead to the activity of self-harm of the patient. The ethical doctrine of
autonomy is not advocated in the legislation relating to professional practice. The right of the
client is rest on self-determination for obtaining services of occupational therapy that is indicated
by Lowe and Shanawani, the rules, regulations and guidelines relating to heath of patients and
the necessity of anticipated care of patient
The ethical theories that apply in the scenario are teleology to determine the optimum
moral decision. In addition to that it also concentrates on Deontologism that emphasizes on the
process and act and the moral principle sand rules that engaged with ethical principles as esteem
for non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, beneficence, veracity and fidelity. Thus the doctrine of
utility is regarded as the fundamental ethical principle.

3ETHICAL ANALYSIS
Thus it can be concluded from the discussions mentioned above the ethical encounter that
concentrates on demographics, selecting and investigating the optimum action to resolve the
issue. Thus the ethical conduct focuses on advocating the principles of deontology by practicing
in pursuance to professional action and also not intervening with rules and to initiate of
liberalizing it. The ethical dilemma engaged in the particular case is whether to endure treatment
of client who need services of occupational therapy that is established on medical requirements.

4ETHICAL ANALYSIS
References
Benward, J. (2015). Mandatory counseling for gamete donation recipients: ethical
dilemmas. Fertility and sterility, 104(3), 507-512.
Fu, I. (2015). Favoritism: Ethical dilemmas viewed through multiple paradigms. The Journal of
Values-Based Leadership, 8(1), 6.
Mitra, D., & McCormick, P. (2017). Ethical dilemmas of youth participatory action research in a
democratic setting. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 21(3), 248-258.
Shapiro, J. P., & Stefkovich, J. A. (2016). Ethical leadership and decision making in education:
Applysing theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas. Routledge.