Ethical Dilemma in Healthcare

Question 1 

According to Akpenpuun Joyce Rumun (2014), religious beliefs have a significant influence on a patient recovery process. The person argues that physicians or nurse practitioners cannot meet the medical needs of patients from diverse faith without understanding their religious beliefs (Rumun, 2014). In the scenario at hand, it is evident that the healthcare services that an individual is receiving from the physician are against one’s religious or ethical beliefs. As such, the patient is uncomfortable, and he or she feels like the doctor is infringing his or her rights. In that case, it will be hard for the sick person to collaborate with the physician. If such a situation occurs to me, I would instead reject the healthcare services and the doctor’s advice. Since religion affects a person’s soul, spirit, and beliefs, even if the physician gives the best patient care, there is a high likelihood that the sick individual will not recover. Rumun asserts that religion empowers a person through spirituality, which is the innermost thing that makes humans believe in the power of healing. Consequently, the lack of a trusting relationship and connection between a physician and patient affect the recovery process adversely. That is the reason why it is advisable to reject treatment from a doctor who does not value the patient’s religious beliefs. 

Question 2 

Ethical Dilemma Memo 

TO : Deciding Committee 

FROM : [Name], A Committee Member 

DATE : 23rd September 2019 

SUBJECT : Which Patient Will Get The Kidney 

To start with, everyone has the right to live by receiving proper treatment. For this reason, John, Mary, and George should be perceived equally without considering their social statuses and what they promise to offer if given the kidney. John, who is 17 years old, has a medical history of complications, which might have caused his kidney failure. On that note, giving him the kidney will enable this patient to have a long and healthy life. For instance, he will continue with his school and probably would have positive contributions to society. However, due to John’s medical conditions, he might end up not living longer, even when given the kidney. 

Mary, who is 40 years old, needs a kidney. She was an opiate addict five years ago. Mary has three children depending on her. Kathryn Havas, Ann Bonner, and Clint Douglas (2017) affirm that patients with severe kidney disease should self-manage themselves to hinder the progression of illness by avoiding things, such as alcohol and opiates (Havas, Douglas, & Bonner, 2017). Mary has changed his lifestyle, and that is the reason why she is healthy. By giving her the kidney, she will live longer and take care of his children until they become independent. On the other hand, other potential kidney recipients will be denied the opportunity. Nevertheless, based on the ethical principle of utilitarianism, one should do something if it benefits the majority of individuals. By choosing Mary as the recipient of the kidney will help her together with the three children who rely on her. 

The third patient who needs the kidney is George, who is a construction worker. He is 57 years old and used to smoke about ten years ago. George has lasting complications that emanated from smoking. The positive elements of the patient are that if given the kidney, he will live longer without complications since he stopped smoking. He will also have significant contributions to the economy since the individual is working. However, considering the age of George, he might take a long period in the hospital recovering. The time remaining for him to be in the workforce is less. Since the person is in a stable health condition, he should give the others a chance to get the kidney. 

Although all the patients above are eligible for a kidney transplant, it is impossible for all of them to get it. Indeed, deciding who will receive the kidney is difficult since every patient has the right to live. Based on beneficence, one should choose the decision that has the least harm to a patient (Bailey, Ben-Shlomo, Salis, Tomson, & Owen-Smith, 2016). As a committee member whose vote will determine the patient to get the kidney, I will cast it to Mary. By using the ethical principle of utilitarianism, Mary deserves the kidney since she has three children who depend on her. In other words, Mary’s proper health will create a conducive environment for the growth and development of her children. John will probably live a bit longer before getting another kidney since his parents have resources. Furthermore, since George is in a stable health condition, and he quitted smoking, the individual would wait for the next donor. 

Question 3 

Koinis et al. (2015) affirm that alcohol consumption impairs physician judgments and might cause significant problems (Koinis et al., 2015). In particular, doctors are human, and they become stressed, in the same way, with ordinary individuals. As a health administrator, one should investigate the issue to determine whether the scrub nurse is telling the truth. From that point, it is vital to call the surgeon who passed out while the patient needed him the most. Specifically, the life of the individual on the operating table depended on the doctor in question. After talking with the surgeon, one will understand the issue that made him drink alcohol before performing surgery. If the physician admits the problem and promise to change positively, the appropriate decision would be to warn him and give him another chance. 

References 

Bailey, P. K., Ben-Shlomo, Y., Salis, I., Tomson, C., & Owen-Smith, A. (2016). Better the donor you know? A qualitative study of renal patients’ views on “altruistic” live-donor kidney transplantation. Social Science & Medicine, 150, 104-111. 

Havas, K., Douglas, C., & Bonner, A. (2017). Person-centered care in chronic kidney disease: A cross-sectional study of patients’ desires for self-management support. BMC Nephrology, 18 (17), 1-9. 

Koinis, A., Giannou, V., Drantaki, V., Angelaina, S., Stratou, E., & Saridi, M. (2015). The impact of healthcare workers job environment on their mental-emotional health. Coping strategies: The case of a local General Hospital. Health Psychology Research, 3 (1), 12-17. 

Rumun, A. J. (2014). Influence of religious beliefs on healthcare practice. International Journal of Education and Research, 2 (4), 37-48.