Reference no: EM133573483

Homework: Applying Ethical Principles

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this homework, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies:

I. Competency I: Apply information literacy and library research skills to obtain scholarly information in the field of health care.

1. Apply academic peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to an ethical problem or issue as evidence to support an analysis of the case.

II. Competency II: Apply ethical principles and academic standards to the study of health care.

1. Summarize the facts in a case study and use the three components of an ethical decision-making model to analyze an ethical problem or issue and the factors that contributed to it.

2. Discuss the effectiveness of the approach used by a professional to deal with problems or issues involving ethical practice in a case study.

3. Apply ethical principles to a possible solution to an ethical problem or issue described in a case study.

III. Competency III: Write for a specific audience, in appropriate tone and style, in accordance with Capella's writing standards.

1. Discuss the effectiveness of the communication approaches present in a case study.

2. Write clearly and logically, with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.

3. Write following APA style for in-text citations, quotes, and references

For this homework, you will develop a solution to a specific ethical dilemma faced by ahealthcare professional. Before you complete the instructions detailed in the courseroom, first selectone of the ethical dilemmas below to be the focus of your homework.
After you have selected one of the ethical dilemmas from below, return to the detailed
instructions in the courseroom to complete your homework.

Case Study: Confidentiality and Mental Health

Dr. Laura Simmons, a licensed clinical psychologist, has been treating Mr. Alex Turner, a 35-year-old software engineer, for symptoms of severe depression and anxiety over the past six months. Their sessions have been characterized by trust and open communication, with Alex often sharing his deepest fears and concerns.

During a particularly intense session, Alex reveals to Dr. Simmons that he has been havingrecurring thoughts of harming a colleague due to a longstanding professional rivalry and recentpersonal conflicts. He describes detailed plans and expresses a genuine intent to act on these thoughts.

Dr. Simmons is immediately faced with an ethical dilemma. She values the principle of confidentiality, which is foundational to the therapeutic relationship. Alex has trusted her with his innermost thoughts, and she knows that breaking this trust could potentially harm their therapeutic alliance. However, she is also bound by the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. Beneficence compels her to act in the best interest of her patient and those aroundhim, while non-maleficence emphasizes the importance of "doing no harm."

Case Study: Resource Allocation and Justice

St. Helena Hospital, located in a densely populated urban area, is facing anunprecedentedchallenge. A sudden outbreak of a rare respiratory virus hasoverwhelmed the hospital'sIntensive Care Unit (ICU). With only five ventilators available and ten critically ill patients inneed, the healthcare team is faced with a heart-wrenching decision.

Dr. Caroline Mitchell, the Chief Medical Officer, convenes an emergency meeting with her coreteam: Dr. James Rodriguez, a pulmonologist; Nurse Hannah Green, the ICU head nurse; andDr. Lisa Wong, an ethicist. They must decide how to allocate their limited ventilators.

Among the ten patients are:

• Mr. Alberto Garcia, a 50-year-old teacher with three children, ages 16, 18, and 22.

Develop a solution to a specific ethical dilemma faced by a health care professional by applying ethical principles. Describe the issues and a possible solution in a paper of 3-5 pages.

Introduction

Whether you are a nurse, a public health professional, a health care administrator, or in another role in the health care field, you must base your decisions on a set of ethical principles and values. Your decisions must be fair, equitable, and defensible. Each discipline has established a professional code of ethics to guide ethical behavior. In this homework, you will practice working through an ethical dilemma as described in a case study. Your practice will help you develop a method for formulating ethical decisions.

Instructions

Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. At a minimum, be sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.

For this homework, develop a solution to a specific ethical dilemma faced by a health care professional. In your homework:

I. Select one of the case studies presented below:

1. Note: The case study may not supply all of the information you need. In such cases, you should consider a variety of possibilities and infer potential conclusions. However, please be sure to identify any assumptions or speculations you make.

II. Summarize the facts in the selected case study and use the three components of an ethical decision-making model to analyze an ethical problem or issue and the factors that contributed to it.

1. Identify which case study you selected and briefly summarize the facts surrounding it. Identify the problem or issue that presents an ethical dilemma or challenge and describe that dilemma or challenge.

2. Identify who is involved or affected by the ethical problem or issue.

3. Access the Ethical Decision-Making Model media piece and use the three components of the ethical decision-making model (moral awareness, moral judgment, and ethical behavior) to analyze the ethical issues.

a. Apply the three components outlined in the Ethical Decision-Making Model media.

4. Analyze the factors that contributed to the ethical problem or issue identified in the case study.

a. Describe the factors that contributed to the problem or issue and explain how they contributed.

III. Apply academic peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to an ethical problem or issue as evidence to support an analysis of the case.

1. In addition to the readings provided, use the Capella library to locate at least one academic peer-reviewed journal article relevant to the problem or issue that you can use to support your analysis of the situation. The NHS-FPX4000: Developing a Health Care Perspective Library Guide will help you locate appropriate references.

a. Cite and apply key principles from the journal article as evidence to support your critical thinking and analysis of the ethical problem or issue.

b. Review the Think Critically About Source Quality resource.

a. Assess the credibility of the information source.

b. Assess the relevance of the information source.

IV. Discuss the effectiveness of the communication approaches present in a case study.

1. Describe how the health care professional in the case study communicated with others.

2. Assess instances where the professional communicated effectively or ineffectively.

3. Explain which communication approaches should be used and which ones should be avoided.

4. Describe the consequences of using effective and non-effective communication approaches.

V. Discuss the effectiveness of the approach used by a professional to deal with problems or issues involving ethical practice in a case study.

1. Describe the actions taken in response to the ethical dilemma or issue presented in the case study.

2. Summarize how well the professional managed professional responsibilities and priorities to resolve the problem or issue in the case.

3. Discuss the key lessons this case provides for health care professionals.

VI. Apply ethical principles to a possible solution to an ethical problem or issue described in a case study.

1. Describe the proposed solution.

2. Discuss how the approach makes this professional more effective or less effective in building relationships across disciplines within his or her organization.

3. Discuss how likely it is the proposed solution will foster professional collaboration.

VII. Write clearly and logically, with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.

1. Apply the principles of effective composition.

2. Determine the proper application of the rules of grammar and mechanics.

VIII. Write using APA style for in-text citations, quotes, and references.

1. Determine the proper application of APA formatting requirements and scholarly writing standards.

2. Integrate information from outside sources into academic writing by appropriately quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing, following APA style.