LWS101: Ethics, Law & Health Care- Ginty McTaggert- Nursing Case Study Assignment

Internal Code: 2HEH

Nursing Case Study Assignment:

Task: Problem Solving Exercise LWS101, Semester 1 2018 Ginty McTaggert is a 35 year old divorced woman with two girls aged 8 and 10. She has metastatic cancer of the larynx and, until recently, had been receiving chemotherapy treatment. Three months ago Ginty decided she didn’t want any further treatment and is currently receiving weekly home visits from a registered nurse called Sharna, who checks her pain relief medication and nutrition. Ginty’s cousin, Garry is staying with Ginty to help her care for the girls. Recently, Sharna has noticed Ginty is losing weight, appears more lethargic than usual and requires higher doses of pain relief as her pain is at a high level and constant. On the last three occasions when Sharna arrived at the house, Ginty was in a deep sleep. Sharna has also noticed Ginty’s two girls appear to have lost weight and look dirty and unkempt. When asked whether they were feeling okay, the older child nodded quietly and looked towards the ground, but the younger child revealed a large bruise on her shoulder and told Sharna that her sister had an even bigger one on her thigh because ‘Uncle’ Garry gets really angry. Ginty understands how ill she is and knows that without treatment she will probably die. However she is tired of having to cope with getting herself to the hospital only to feel worse after she receives treatment. She told Sharna that she would rather spend the time she has left with her girls at home. Ginty knows that if she passes away her ex-husband will take care of the girls, but at this stage she doesn’t want to ask him for help because the divorce was very acrimonious. Sharna is concerned about the welfare of the girls. She also believes that Ginty would benefit from further treatment which could prolong her life for a number of years. Apply the ethical decision making framework to this scenario. Is it enough that I identify the relevant parts of the ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses, Code of Conduct for Nurses, and the ethical and legal principles? Please refer to the CRA for this particular piece of assessment. You will note that we emphasise application of the ethics/law to the facts of the scenario. You need to provide an argument about why a particular ethical principle, for example, is relevant and applicable to the scenario. You need to go beyond, for example, saying the patient is vulnerable – in what particular ways is the patient vulnerable in the context of the scenario?