Professional Academic Writer

There are several incidences of ethical dilemmas that compel health specialist to address sensitive matters that involve balancing a family welfare and individual autonomy. The case of Dr. Leonard Harper who is a professional geneticist is an example of a case study where ethical dilemma is involved. The doctor is contacted by Clara Bennett who is an expectant mother that worries about her unborn baby.  Clara in this case is worried and wants to take a prenatal genetics test because of her elderly age and genetical anomalies associated with the history of her family (Frennert, 2023). After the test is conducted, the results show there is a high chance of the unborn child contracting down syndrome.  Since Clara was shocked about the results, she asks Dr. Harper not to disclose the results to her husband Lt. Jack Bennett because she feared it would affect him psychologically with his job. In this case Dr. Harper faces a dilemma of communicating to the family openly about the baby’s condition and acknowledging the autonomy of Clara. The following dilemma presents a case that affects medical decision and family relationship. There however various principles that are used in healthcare organizations that involve a set of rules and regulations to existing dilemmas. Application of the principle of beneficence can also help promote safety among patients and health practitioner’s wellbeing.

The main factors to consider during ethical decision making are; investigating the source of the dispute, identifying the ethical subject and developing solutions through ethical principles. In this case, the main dilemma was whether Dr. Harper should follow Clara’s autonomy or engage in a open communication with her family about the baby’s condition. There was also need to consider the future consequences when the case is not disclosed on Clara’s marriage and welfare of the child. Clara’s autonomy requires her not disclose the information to her husband (Frennert, 2023). On the other hand, nursing principles requires nurses to maintain honesty and effective decision making to the family of patients. The potential consequences of not disclosing information to the family of the patient would cause tension to Clara’s family in future during medical decisions.

Dr Harper therefore intended to solve the issue through disclosing the information to Lt. Bennett according to the nursing principles of communication. The parents of the child are entitled to honest and valuable information about the baby’s condition.  Through open communication, the father of the child will be able to make an effective decision that will protect the baby’s welfare before birth. Since the child was more likely to suffer from Down syndrome, there was need for both parents to be responsible for taking care of the child (Frennert, 2023). Moreover, disclosing the information to both parents would strengthen emotionally to support each other and protect their child. Dr. Harper therefore had the responsibility to prioritize the welfare of the child, both parents according to the nursing principles.  Through open communication, the parents of the child will acquire adequate information to prepare and assist in working together to make help their child.

Efficiency in communication between the patients and healthcare providers in health organizations promote the quality of health. The following case study is an example of an incident where efficient communication is integrated through disclosing test results of the baby that promoted trust and transparency when delivering health services to the family. There was need for Dr. Harper to refrain from behaviors that undermine transparency when delivering services to patients. Through the transparency, the parents of the unborn child can now make valuable decisions that will benefit the child. Dr. Harper encouraged the mother of the child to involve her husband in making decision that would help their child. Dr. Harper showed the importance of open communication through refusing to hide the baby’s condition and disclosing the information to the father of the child (Haahr et al., 2020). The doctor also incorporated ethical communication skills through listening to Clara’s views and advised her to make an effective decision.

The doctor also displayed the effective communication skills through non-judgmental and polite conversation with the mother of the child. The doctor did not exchange harsh words in disagreement with Clara but engaged her politely to understand how to address the issue amicably. According to some studies, patients have the right to autonomy and confidentiality that should be nurses are not allowed to share confidential data (Kebede et al., 2020). Dr. Harper in this case presented facts to Clara and allowed her to make the final decision about their child’s wellbeing. The doctor also demonstrated practical communication tactics through actively listening and giving comprehensive feedback that would help in making a final valuable judgement and decision. The following case involved a family of a patient who did not want to disclose confidential information to the other party which the doctor did not confront. The patient had the right to refuse or agree to take the doctors decision and she eventually agreed to take the doctors decision.

The solving case can be solved through applying beneficence and observing autonomy. According to research, medical dilemmas can be solved through applying nursing ethical principles. The principle of autonomy indicates that the patient has the right to dictate decisions about their life (Farčić, et al., 2020). Clara in this case had the right to decide had the right of whether to disclose information about her baby or hide the information to her husband. Clara was just concerned about her husband psychology related to his work when her husband would hear the information. For the doctor to respect her autonomy, it required him not to disclose the information to her husband. The only party who could interfere with information sharing was the government in the event that the decision made can threaten an individual’s life.

Through efficient communication between Dr. Harper and Clara, they were able to develop effective decision about the dilemma. Efficient communication led to increased understanding, knowledgeable decision-making and patient satisfaction. The patient was also able to gai trust of the doctor and accepted his decision.  If the doctor would argue a lot with the patient, there would be distrust among the healthcare specialists. Mistrust between the patient and the doctor would also affect the collaborative decision making among the parties (Farčić, et al., 2020). Disregarding beneficence on the other hand could also harm the patient if it was not addressed. Consideration of autonomy and beneficence principles helps in developing valuable decisions that can resolve healthcare dilemmas. There is therefore need for honesty and respect among doctors to deliver satisfactory services to patients.

In conclusion, incorporating informed decisions when addressing medical dilemmas enables patients to get the right services. There is need to develop efficient and effective communication when providing healthcare services.  Dr. Harper in the following case study had to weight the choice of transparency and the principle of autonomy and beneficence for the welfare of the unborn child. Health organizations foster effective communication through transparency to build trust among their patients. Health organizations also discourage decisions that can ruin their reputation and harm the patient involved. The following case presented various principles to resolve the dilemma however the principle of open communication won over all the other principles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Farčić, N., Barać, I., Plužarić, J., Ilakovac, V., Pačarić, S., Gvozdanović, Z., & Lovrić, R. (2020). Personality traits of core self-evaluation as predictors on clinical decision-making in nursing profession. Plos one, 15(5), e0233435.https://cora.ucc.ie/bitstream/handle/10468/10637/McKenna%20Jeske%202020%20JAN%20ethical%20leadership%20ms.pdf?sequence=1

Frennert, S. (2023). Moral distress and ethical decision-making of eldercare professionals involved in digital service transformation. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 18(2), 156-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2020.1839579

Haahr, A., Norlyk, A., Martinsen, B., & Dreyer, P. (2020). Nurses experiences of ethical dilemmas: A review. Nursing ethics, 27(1), 258-272. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0969733019832941

Kebede, B. G., Abraha, A., Andersson, R., Munthe, C., Linderholm, M., Linderholm, B., & Berbyuk Lindström, N. (2020). Communicative challenges among physicians, patients, and family caregivers in cancer care: An exploratory qualitative study in Ethiopia. PloS one, 15(3), e0230309. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0230309