An ethical dilemma
Mrs. F is an 80-year-old Muslim woman admitted to your ward. She has limited English andis accompanied by her husband (also with little English) and their 2 sons who speakEnglish fluently.
Mrs. F has advanced bladder cancer with urinary retention and pain score of 6/10.Sherequires an Indwelling Catheter (IDC) to be inserted to relieve her pain and urinaryretention. She has no other medical conditions. From handover you know that she has no EPOAor ACHD and hasCapacity.
Her doctor comes in and speaks to the sons who say that their culture means that thereis no need to talk to their mother about the procedure and they can make the decision forher. The doctor agrees with them and orders an IDC on free drainage to beinserted.
When you come in to do her vital signs prior to the IDC being inserted and while herfamily are outside, she tries to ask you what is happening, grabbing her lower abdomen andcrying.
- What would youdo in thissituation?
In answering the question, youneed to make an Ethical Decision using thefollowingas they relate to the casestudy:
· Code of Ethics (ICN2012)
· Informed decision making andConsent.
· CulturalCompetency
· Ethical concepts and principles innursing
– Autonomy – “Self-determination” – consider Mrs F’srights.
– Beneficence – “above all, do good” – what is best in Mrs F’sinterests?
– Non-maleficence – “above all, do no harm” – what is in Mrs F’sinterests?
– Confidentially – who should have Mrs F’sinformation?
– Justice – “fairness” – what is fair for MrsF?
– Rights – what are Mrs F’srights?
– Veracity – “telling the truth” – what does this mean for MrsF?
