Case Study: Patient Vulnerability Sarah is a 64 year old woman with a severe learning disability who has recently moved from long-term care facility to her own home in the community. Following this transition, it is discovered that she has been suffering from an untreated problem with her throat for numerous years. This undiagnosed problem has left her with swallowing and reflux issues as well as dysphagia. In order to investigate further, it is necessary for Sarah to have an endoscopy. She does not communicate verbally and needs complete support in her life to meet her needs. Based upon her admission data and history, she has no known family members. The specialist in charge of Sarah’s care has asked her support staff to sign a consent form for her treatment. • What are the concerns? • Does Sarah have the capacity to consent to treatment? • If yes, please explain the basis of this decision. • If not, why not? • Who should be involved for the best interest of the patient and to make the decision for care and treatment? • Are there any additional concerns with this situation? Analysis: …show more content…
In addition, a specialist must receive informed consent prior to any treatment. Since Sarah is unable to be informed, she is unable to give legal consent. Based on this information, Sarah would be experiencing cognitive/communication vulnerability. Per the Institutional Review Board for Social & Behavioral Sciences (2012), cognitive or communication vulnerability includes any participant who is unable to process, understand, appreciate, and reason through the consent documentation or explanations either by mental constraint or language
In some cultures, family members make treatment decisions on behalf of their loved-ones. Provided the patient consents to this arrangement and is assured that any questions about his/her medical care will be answered, the physician may seek consent from a family member in lieu of the patient.”
To explore this issue ethically, I would use a decision-making model by Michael McDonald which consists of various steps. Collect information and identify the problem Since Mr. John is unable to swallow, it would be dangerous for him to be orally
“Informed consent”, was not available years ago and as a matter of fact many patients have been a part
Intro: Intro: As a nurse we encounter many ethical and legal dilemmas on a daily basis. One of the ethical dilemmas presented to us was a 36 year old women scheduled for a salpingo – oophorectomy and hysterectomy. During conversation with the patient, the patient comments that she will not be going through menopause but elaborates that her friend had “surgical menopause” and it was devastating. Upon review of the chart, the nurse finds that the surgery consent was signed and calls the physician to relay the information. The physician instructs the nurse to move forward with pre-op.
Consent must be voluntary and a patient should have the freedom to revoke the consent. By law, Consent given under fear of intimidation, misconception or misrepresentation of facts can be held invalid. The ethical
In healthcare, consent is a legal and ethical value and must be obtained from the competent patient before any form of procedure by forms of written, verbal or implied. The patient must have full capacity and be fully aware of the procedure and understand if there are any risks involved. If a procedure is given without consent, this can lead to prosecution. The Mental Capacity Act (2005) rules decisions for patients who cannot consent, and therefore the patient would nominate somebody as their “power of attorney”. There are many forms of communication of which is a transfer of information between people; a
You are correct, the physician is taking away Mrs. M 's right to chose her medical decisions. Mrs. M 's current physician is taking away her autonomy. Mrs. M has clearly shown that she can care for herself with the help of a community health nurse. Mrs. M does deserve to sit down and be informed of her condition and current situation. As you stated, once she understands her choices then a decision can be made.
1.1 Describe the causes and effects of complex disabilities and conditions. Mental health issues ranging from the doubts and uncertainties have become a part of daily routine, towards serious long term situation which can be very complex for managing and having a diversifying impact on the overall live of the people. The usual child health leads to contribute towards overall development (Watson & Le Couteur, 2011). Therefore it is important to take special care of people with complex disability as they turn out to be sensitive enough about the situation and environment they are living in.
Doctor need to inform nurses about the consent for medical treatment and care (Gabrielle Koutoukidis,
This patient has many factors that are affecting her from properly managing her condition. To begin with she has not been properly educated on her condition and how to effectively mange it. In order for her to have the proper education we would need to bring in an interpreter so we can communicate effectively with this patient. Fostering a environment that makes the patient feel safe and comfortable will facilitate the educational process. If we can build a rapport with this patient we may be able to have her become more complainant with her plan of care.
One key element of valid informed consent is disclosure. Disclosure is when researcher has to provide the subject with important information so the other person can make relevant decisions. The investigators must ensure that he or she has sense of understanding and knowledge to deliver the subject information. The information on disclosed should include are the conditions, disorders, diseases that the patient is suffering from, potential risks and benefits of treatment, other tests require, results of non-treatment, duration and cost of treatment, natural course of the conditions and possible complications, different treatment options, expected outcome and follow up plan (Rao, 2008, para. 8).
Healthcare professionals must work on the assumption that every patient has the capacity to make decisions about their care, and to decide whether to agree to, or refuse, an examination or treatment. However, in the case that patients are deemed to be lacking capacity the Mental Capacity Act (2005), The Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act (2000) legislations must be followed (General Medical Council, 2008). Gaining consent before providing care or treatment to any patient is very important because patient requires
The basic elements of informed consent consist of the patient having capacity to decide, the clinician providing evidence of the risks, benefits and alternatives, the patient understanding the information and freely deciding on the treatment or intervention.(9) The literature regarding consent also highlights that it is an active process, therefore, consent can be given or withdrawn at any point in the process(5, 7). This essay will critically explore the ethico-legal principles of consent from a clinical perspective. This discussion will include the constraints of informed consent within the clinical practice setting and the implications for the patient and the Physician Associate
However, health care providers and substitute decision-makers must consult and involve incompetent patients in the decision-making process to the greatest extent possible, because it is a moral requirement for child patients. Substitute decision-makers are obliged to make treatment decisions in the child's best interests and if the health care provider suspects otherwise, they can appeal to provincial child welfare authorities (Harrison, 1997, p.31). Involving incompetent children in decision-making is a moral requirement because the child has the right to know what treatment they will be undergoing and its risks and benefits before consenting to the treatment. The use of age-appropriate discussions are helpful to children and adolescents who are seriously ill because it will help them develop an understanding of the issues regarding their health care decisions (Harrison, 1997, p. 32). In the end, the patient is the child, not the parents, and physicians should ensure that the decisions made are in the child's best
In the state of CA, California law (WIC 5150) allows police and certain other designated mental health professional to take an individual into custody if one or all of the following apply: 1) a danger to yourself, 2) a danger to other, and 3) gravely disabled. Gravely disabled refers to an individual who is not able to care for their basic needs and refuses necessary hospitalization. If any are present that person is taken to a psychiatric hospital for a 72-hour hold at which time they are evaluated. At the end of 72 hours three options are available they are: a) you (the individual) are released, b) you will be signed in as a voluntary patient, or c) you will have a 14 day involuntary hold. There is another type of civil commitment which is considered least restrictive because it is on an outpatient basis.