Reference no: EM133482751

Case Study

The patient Mr. Hobbs is a 69-year-old gentleman with aggressive lung cancer who is being taken care of by the nursing team in the oncology department of a general hospital in Riverside. Mr. Hobbs was diagnosed with cancer five years ago, but refused medical and surgical treatment at the time. He chose to seek alternative treatment and did not follow up with the pulmonologist over that five-year period. Mr. Hobbs has now presented with anemia and dyspnea. After several diagnostic tests, it was discovered that the cancer had metastasized (spread) to his bones, and it had spread locally to his lymph nodes. Mr. Hobbs had several admissions over a two-month period for various reasons, and got to know the nursing staff quite well. On the last admission, he was told that he may only have 4-6 weeks (previously it was 6-12 months) to live, after a bronchoscopy showed further extensive growth of the tumor. At that time, it was determined that any further surgical/medical intervention would not be appropriate in this case and that a palliative care regimen was the next step. At this point the patient reported to the health care team that he had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to die. Mr. Hobbs later confided to his favorite nurse on the unit that he planned to kill himself. He states that he has led a somewhat fulfilling life and he does not want to end it suffering in pain. He told her that it is a secret and asked her not to tell anyone.

1. Which provisions of the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics can the nurse use to clarify how to best respond to this dilemma? Explain your answers.

2. Which bioethics principles play a role in this ethical dilemma? Explain your answers.