Define and explain the ethical principles that pertain to this case.
Read the Case Studies: Walking The Tightrope
Linda Johnson, ACSW, and Robert Potter, MD, PhDUndermanaged Pain Makes for an Unattractive Patient
An eighty-five-year-old widow has been in a long-term care facility for six months. She was admitted with severe osteoarthritic and osteoporotic pain. Her family initiated her placement because she was overmedicating herself at home, confusing her medications, and not eating adequately. She has been a “complainer” for years, the family reports. The family and physician are reluctant to give her strong pain medicines; they don’t want her to be “doped up” like she was at home. She currently takes two Tylenol every four hours which does not adequately control her pain (and risks liver and kidney toxicity). She is in too much pain to walk, but quickly becomes uncomfortable in the wheelchair. So she requests bed rest and frequent repositioning. Staff feels she is demanding and hard to please. She has a son who calls and tries to visit once a week, but who becomes tired of hearing her constant complaints of pain. Her daughter lives out of town, and calls weekly.
The son asks the doctor to make her more comfortable and assuage her complaints. But the son also requests that the doctor not give her whatever she received six months ago (at the time of admission) when she drooled and was unable to sit up or eat.
Her sister has called the state regulatory agency to complain that the facility staff is neglecting her and not taking care of her pain.
The doctor agrees to try Nalfon, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). After two weeks, she has dark, tarry stools, suddenly vomits blood, and is hospitalized for a severe gastric bleed.
Write a paper in which you:
Summarize the case, explaining the legal and ethical aspects of it.
Research and explain any laws that pertain to the situation.
Define and explain the ethical principles that pertain to this case.
Determine if the legal and ethical responsibilities are in alignment with each other.
Explain how you would recommend this care team resolve the situation by answering the following questions:
What specific details of the case require resolution?
What specific actions should the organization or nurse take to ensure an appropriate outcome?
What resources and dependencies exist for your recommendation?
Answer preview to define and explain the ethical principles that pertain to this case.
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