Ethical Concerns in Healthcare: A Case Study on Vaccination Decisions

This essay addresses ethical concerns in healthcare, focusing on a scenario involving parental opposition to vaccination. It examines the role of an advanced practice nurse in navigating this ethical dilemma, emphasizing the importance of health assessments, developmental screenings, and immunization information. The essay explores the reasons behind parental refusal, including safety concerns, personal beliefs, and religious objections, and discusses the nurse's responsibility to address these concerns respectfully, providing accurate information about vaccine benefits and risks. Furthermore, it highlights the potential consequences of non-vaccination, such as increased susceptibility to preventable diseases. The essay utilizes relevant references to support its arguments and provides a comprehensive analysis of the ethical considerations involved in patient care and vaccination decisions.

ETHICAL CONCERNS 1
Ethical Concerns
Student’s Name
Institution
Course Name
Instructor’s Name
Date

ETHICAL CONCERNS 2
Ethical Concerns
Scenario # 1
A physical examination is a routine test performed by a primary care provider (PCP) to check
patient’s overall health (Krans, 2012). Krans (2012) explains that the physical examination also
allows patients to ask a PCP significant questions about their health, as well as discuss any
problems and changes they have noticed. To examine the patient’s physical examination,
medical and family history of patient will be reviewed before the completion of the examination.
Since the parents of the patient require a physical examination, there are specific health
assessment information I required to complete the diagnosis. Health assessment is essential
because it is the first step in identification of the patient’s health problem, as well as helping to
identify the medical needs of the patient (Health Science Journal, 2020). The health assessment
information needed for the diagnosis, include developmental and growth, immunizations,
nutritional, mental health, and health education. Developmental and growth screenings are
necessary to determine if the patient is following a healthy development and growth trajectory.
Information of patient’s immunizations is to establish if the patient has obtained any vaccinations
because of his parent opposition to it and it is likely that he has not received any. Nutritional
information is to determine food groups consumed, liquid intake and portion sizes, which the
patient takes. Assessing patient’s mental health is also important because it establishes patient’s
attention ability and span to separate him for his parents for school readiness. Other mental
health issues to be discussed include family stress, parenting needs, behavior changes, and sleep
patterns (Health Pediatrics, 2017). In health education or anticipatory guidance, patient safety,
such as booster seats, smoke directors, and stranger safety will be discussed (Health Pediatrics,
2017).
As an advanced practice nurse I believe that addressing the patient parents’ opposition to
vaccination is significant. Thus, I will have to establish why these parents are opposing the
immunizations. According to Akoum (2019), there are several reasons why parents are refusing
to immunize their children. The reasons include safety concerns, personal beliefs, religious
reasons and illiteracy about vaccination. Akoum (2019) stipulates that safety concerns could be
deliberated as the primary reason why parents are opposing vaccinations. The concerns results
from information that parents are obtaining from media or through word of mouth from friends
and relatives. Personal beliefs make parents to delay or refuse their children immunization
(Akoum, 2019). There are parents who have personal beliefs that vaccines are harmful to their
children. Some religious have made individuals to reason that vaccinate is bad, making parents to
refuse immunizations. Therefore, as an advanced practice nurse I will have to listen respectfully
and carefully to the parents’ concerns and inform them about myths and misconception about
benefits and risk of different immunizations. I will also inform the parents about concerns linked
to multiple concerns in a single visit, as well as vaccines for curing various diseases.
Finally, as an advanced practice nurse, I will have to explain to the parents about the risks of
their child not being vaccinated. Akaoum (2019) mentions that unvaccinated children are prone
to infections when they are exposed to disease causing pathogens because they do not have
immunity to fight the diseases. Also, children who are not vaccinated can die from diseases
which could have been prevented by them receiving vaccination for the infections.

ETHICAL CONCERNS 3
References
Krans, B. (2012). Physical Examination. Healthline. Retrieved from
https://www.healthline.com/health/physical-examination
Health Science Journal. (2020). Health Assessment. iMedPub. Retrieved from
https://www.imedpub.com/schaolarly/health-assessment-journals-articles-ppts-list.php
Health Pediatrics. (2017). Well-Child Care: Promoting Health and Development. Department of
Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical Branch. Retrieved from
https://www.utbmb.edu/pedi_ed/CoreV2/WellChild10.html/
Akoum, M. (2019). 4 Reasons why Parents are refusing to Vaccinate their Children, and 4
Reasons why they (Really) Shouldn’t. World Innovation Summit for Health. Retrieved
from https://www.wish.org.qa./blog/4-reasons-why-parents-are-refusing-to-vacciante-
their-children-and-4-reasons-why-they-really-shouldnt/