work

1.  Choose a newborn health challenge such as Down’s syndrome, cleft lip and palate, or absence of digits.

• a.   How might parents from various cultures feel about the cause of this condition?
• b. How does this compare with the biomedical understanding?

2.  An emergency room nurse is taking care of a 5-year-old boy who suffered trauma from a bike accident. His family identifies as Jehovah’s Witnesses. The nurse explains that the boy may need a blood transfusion. The parents express concern because taking blood, including via blood transfusion, is discouraged by their religion, a stance with which they agree.

• a.   How should the nurse discuss this situation with the parents and the interdisciplinary health care team?
• b.   What do you think the best course of action should be?
• c. What are the primary ethical issues related to the refusal of blood transfusions in a child?