Nursing Ethics Discussion: Ethical Dilemma of Autonomy vs. Beneficence

This assignment presents an ethical situation in nursing involving an 85-year-old patient, Mrs. Anne Lopez, who is facing terminal illness and wishes to refuse further treatment. The ethical dilemma arises from the conflict between respecting the patient's autonomy to make end-of-life decisions and the nurse's duty of beneficence to provide care that improves the patient's quality of life. The situation includes legal components under HIPAA, Texas state laws regarding end-of-life care, and the influence of the family's financial situation on the patient's decision. The student analyzes the ethical principles of autonomy and beneficence, considering who benefits and who is harmed by the situation. The student argues for following the patient's autonomy based on legal and ethical aspects, while also considering the potential for improved quality of life through treatment and governmental support. The assignment references the work of Bjork (2019) and Edemekong & Haydel (2019).

Running head: ETHICAL SITUATION IN NURSING
ETHICAL SITUATION IN NURSING
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1ETHICAL SITUATION IN NURSING
Ethical situation:
Mrs Anne Lopez is 85 years old who had undergo lumpectomy after she had been
diagnosed with breast cancer. However, the cancer had metastasized and spread to some other
organs. She also had a fall which resulted in fracture of her hipbone. She uses a wheelchair for
movement as her condition was not found to be suitable for hip replacement. She has completely
lost the capacity of activities of daily life and depends entirely on her family member. Her cancer
conditions have also worsened over time. In such situation, she wants the healthcare
professionals to withdraw treatments as she does not want to live anymore. However, proper
treatment can help her develop quality of life. Here arises the ethical dilemma of following
autonomy for the patient or following beneficence.
Legal component:
Health Insurance Portability and accountability act (HIPAA) gives the right to patient to
refuse treatments if they want as long as they are capable of making sound decisions
(Edemekong & Haydel, 2019). Here, the patient was of sound mind which resulted in the rise of
dilemma among the nursing professional.
Category:
This situation rose from conflict between the ethical principles of autonomy and
beneficence. Autonomy is the right of patients to take their own decisions. Beneficence is the
duty of nurses to provide the safest care that develops the quality of life of the patients.

2ETHICAL SITUATION IN NURSING
Who benefitted:
There was no situation of anyone being benefitted. However, stoppage of the treatment
would have benefitted the healthcare resources to be allocated for more critical disorders that
requires heavier flow of finances and other resources
Who got hurt?
The patient has the chances of more suffering if proper treatment of her cancer and hip
fracture would be stopped.
Outside influences:
The financial condition of the family had been the main reason. Her only son had 4
children to take care of and his income is not sufficient for maintaining the family. Therefore,
she no longer wanted to be a financial burden on her son. This situation influenced her decision.
Texas state laws:
Texas Euthanasia laws prohibit mercy killing. However, it allows withholding medical
care and food for terminal patients who do not want to live anymore. Here, Mrs. Lopez was
suffering from pain because of cancer. She was not ready to live in a vegetative state with the hip
fracture. Hence, the laws allowed her to take such decision.

3ETHICAL SITUATION IN NURSING
Opinion and argument:
The patient is suffering from pain, anxiety as well as depression. She is tired of her
miserable life and therefore she wants to end her life by not prolonging the treatment which is
becoming a financial burden on her family. As per the legal and ethical aspects, the nurse should
follow autonomy and Texas state rules and proceed for Euthanasia. However, the modern
medical healthcare system has improved to help her fight cancer and live quality life.
Governmental aides and funds allocated for such families can also help her family to handle the
financial expenditure. Moreover, the ethics of beneficence also prevents the nurse from
conducting euthanasia to a patient who can be saved by proper evidence-based care (Björk,
2019). Hence, it gives rise to ethical dilemma.

4ETHICAL SITUATION IN NURSING
References:
Björk, J. (2019). A common ethical dilemma in the clinical setting concerns the trade-off
between beneficence and respecting patients' autonomy. Lakartidningen, 116.
Edemekong, P. F., & Haydel, M. J. (2019). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA). In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.