Identifying an Ethical Problem
What is right or wrong is always apparent in a perfect world, but the clarity of actions in the real world is often questionable. In some cases, a wrong can seem right to you, and your right at some point is someone else’s wrong. This notion implies that making the right choice is subjective. Consequently, ethical problems arise due to the different points of views. In this paper, I will present a real-life situation that occurred to my sister Kate in a hospital setting where she used to work as a part-time nursing assistant. The names of the people presented in this case study are not their real names included my sister’s name to protect their privacy and their personal lives.
Initially, this story begins when a patient called John had been admitted to hospital with diabetes and pneumonia. The patient who was only 20 years old was a high school dropout and was working in a petrol station while living with his girlfriend Regina. John was admitted alone in the hospital with no one to take care of him because his girlfriend was at work. The night before admission, John’s sputum was taken to a lab for testing, and he was diagnosed with severe respiratory infections. He was assigned a physician by the name Dr. Philip who administered him IV antibiotics and orders labs to be taken from him. The nurse then offered antibiotics to the patient and explained to him what the doctor has said. The doctor came at noon to help the patient draw a treatment plan. John seemed unhappy and he was admitted to the hospital, he has not eaten even a small meal. He expected to be treated immediately and discharged because he had to work so that he can help his low-income family.
At noon, Kate saw Dr. Philip in the hospital unit talking to John and other patients. Later on that day, when she went to check on the conditions of the patient, John was visibly agitated and stressed. Kate asked him what the doctor told him about his treatment plan and he instead yelled angrily at her. He said that the doctor told him that he might be having HIV and that was the reason why his labs were taken earlier. The doctor left him and gave him no room to ask questions. On top of that, other patients who were around John were worried and did not associate with John anymore. On the same words, while the discussion was on, his girlfriend arrived and demanded to know why John was sobbing. My sister decided to keep quiet since she knows that could be against the nursing profession to reveal a patient’s condition and privacy to the third party. Instead, she promised them to figure out what has happened and resorted to bringing in the nurse.
In the meantime, my sister found John’s nurse talking with Dr. Philip in the nurses’ station; Thus, she went to talk to her mate about the experience John had with the doctor today. The nurse was so furious about what happened to John, and she intervened with the hospital authority on what to do with the patient who was now furious and dissatisfied with the facility’s services. Dr. Philip was called in for questions while the hospital staff ordered another physician to carry out a test on John. Simultaneously, the nurse took some antianxiety medication to the patient to help him relieve the stress. The hospital patient care unit also intervened and asked the patient what had happened. At the end of the discussion, the staff was confident that Dr. Philip infringed the rights of the patient and also did not give him a chance to ask questions. The nurse was called in to ask John the questions he had, and she went to collect the lab results to clear up John’s doubts. When the results were out, it was clear that John had no HIV and his medical conditions were to be gathered for. Besides, John’s questions were answered, and his girlfriend was satisfied with him.
Dr. Philip was later fired due to lack of professionalism by treating a patient rudely and making medical conclusions related to a patient’s health which are not tested. The hospital's management was also compelled to design rules and regulations that strictly controlled the actions of nurses. It aimed to bring more satisfaction to the clients. Dr. Philip was not happy with the decision and more so with the action of the nurse. Furthermore, the hospital staff went on a strike to complain about the rules and the expulsion of one of their colleagues. In one week strike, most of the patients went unattended, and they were not happy.
In conclusion, the real-life situation presents ethical problems that often arise in the nursing and most professions that require meeting audience. The nurse had the right in her job because she used the principle of autonomy and cared for her patient John. Furthermore, both the doctor’s and the nurse’s actions are questionable whether they were right or wrong. On the other hand, the actions of the hospital management towards the doctors seem dangerous. The moral problems arising in this life experience case can be judged using the two theories: Utilitarianism and Kant’s deontology of ethics. The two theories provide different approaches to nursing health care provision.