Reference no: EM133163339

Case Analysis Paper Assignment

Your writing assignment requires that you argue for a recommended course of action the nurse should take in a patient case scenario, using the method explained in this document.

Find a specific scenario (case) presenting an ethical dilemma for a nurse to resolve in his/her workplace. The paper should be minimally 2000 words, excluding the works cited. A case may be found in the following ways:

• Find a nurse who holds a position you hope to have after you graduate andask them to share a case that presented an ethical dilemma to her/him. (make sure to reference them appropriately)
• Find a published case in ethics or nursing textbook.
• Ask your instructor (Stephanie) for a case.
• Create your own ethical case to analyze. This cannot include any of the core content from case discussions in class content on canvas, such as Jehovah's Witness blood transfusion examples.

Ensure your case is not too similar to the cases provided in our unit 1-3 discussions or to cases presented on any sample papers or sample analyses I provide.

Organize your paper according to the sections described below, inserting into your paper as section headings each of the words in bold font. Also include each of the section letters (A, B, etc.) in bold font. With the exception ofsection 3, answer the questions in clear, complete sentences (paragraphs where appropriate), and avoid the use of first and second person in all sections except when explaining where you found the case.

PART ONE: THE CASE
(Part One is required only of students taking the course for 2 graduate credit hours or 3 undergraduate credit hours.)

A) What is the case that presents an ethical problem to the nurse?

Note that throughout these instructions "nurse" may refer to a nurse practitioner, a non-practitioner RN, or clinical nurse leader.

Briefly (in no more than 600 words) describe a particular scenario that leads up to an ethical dilemma/problem for the nurse. ("Ethical dilemma/problem" implies the nurse is in a situation where, because of competing ethically relevant factors, he or she is yet uncertain about the right way to respond-or is pulled to respond in two or more opposing ways.) The case description should focus on the significant data that need to be considered in making an ethical analysis. Typically this includes information about the condition of the patient and about people to be affected by the decision. It may also include information about the belief system of a particular culture or religious group, and relevant laws or institutional policies. (Do not in this section refer to tenets of the Code of Ethics or to any ethical obligations.)

While many persons may be involved in this case, highlight the problem/dilemma that the nurse now faces and must resolve. The whole paper should focus on the question, "What should the nurse do now in order appropriately to respond to the situation he/she faces?" Do not state here (or in any section prior to Part Three) how the case was resolved or what should have happened. Give only the information about the case that leads up to the dilemma, and ensure your analysis focuses on the current dilemma.

B) From whom did you learn about such a case?
Identify the general source (employment position of person) from whom you learned about the ethical dilemma described above. Be careful here and throughout your paper to protect confidentiality.

PART TWO:ANALYSIS
(The paper will begin with the ANALYSIS for students taking the course for 2 undergraduate credit hours.)
Throughout this section do not add facts or needless repeat facts already presented in the case description.

1 - Stakeholders and the Wishes/Goals that Matter Most to Each

Identity each person (or group of persons) who has something significant to gain or lose in relation to how the situation is handled. For each identified stakeholder, state the one or two items that the stakeholder would say matters most to him/her/them. If it is unknown what matters most to a stakeholder, state so, indicate possibilities for what could matter most to the stakeholder. If a stakeholder is unconscious or not-yet-reflective, state the most significant benefits and/or harms at stake for him/her.
Examples: (Imagine a case in which a patient, Mr. Roberts, is newly diagnosed with cancer and the patient's wife pleads with the health care team not yet to reveal the diagnosis.)
Mrs. Roberts: What matters most to Mrs. Roberts is that Mr. Roberts is able to enjoy the upcoming wedding of his daughter, unencumbered with concerns about his health.
Mr. Roberts: It is yet unknown what matters most to Mr. Roberts, whether it be his ability to enjoy the upcoming wedding of his daughter, unencumbered with concerns about his health, or to have nothing hidden to him regarding his new diagnosis.
Do not state what the stakeholders ought to be concerned about. Also, do not include the nurse or any other member of the health care team as a stakeholder unless he or she has something at stake in this case besides his or her concern to do the right thing (fulfill obligations, appropriately care for the patient, etc.).

2 - Opposing General Options

Identify two opposing general options the nurse could take.

Example: There are two general courses of action the nurse could take: 1) Encourage the physician to disclose Mr. Roberts' diagnosis to him now. 2) Encourage the physician not to disclose Mr. Roberts' diagnosis to him now.

3 - Specific Ethically Relevant Benefits to be Gained by Option 1

List the case-specific ethically relevant "benefits" (goals) that can be achieved by Option 1. For the purpose of this assignment, "benefits" are not limited to the kinds of goods typically considered when considering the principle of Beneficence.Rather, "benefit" refers to anything to be achieved for which there is some ethical reason (in contrast to a reason merely grounded in satisfying the nurse's own desire/interest/need) to care about achieving it. Typically, each benefit will be a particular way of respecting a person (and the person's rights) and/or promoting a person's well-being (flourishing).

Examples of ethically relevant benefits include:
• Honoring Mr. Roberts' ethical right to know about his diagnosis
• Helping Mr. Roberts to maintain trust in his health care providers
• Satisfying Mrs. Roberts (specifically regarding her wish for Mr. Roberts not yet to know about his newly diagnosed cancer)
• Appreciating the possibility Mr. Roberts would prefer not yet to know about his cancer (He later may be grateful for having had the opportunity to enjoy his daughter's wedding without having known about his cancer.)
• Fulfilling Mr. Jones' (the patient's) current wish to ____
• Fulfilling Mr. Jones' previously stated wish (as communicated in his advance directive) to ____
• Appreciating the possibility that, despite what Mr. Jones' son states, Mr.Jones actually would have wanted ___
• Alleviating the current discomfort Mr. Jones is experiencing
• Eliminating (or diminishing) the risk of discomfort Mr. Jones could experience as a result of _____
• Appreciating the possibility Mr. Jones could recover his ability to _____
• Enabling Mr. Jones to have more time to live
• Honoring Mr. Jones' ethical right not be deceived
• Keeping Ms. Carson safe
• Avoiding irritating Dr. Smith
• Enabling other patients to receive the nursing care they need

To help you pinpoint what is ethically relevant, express each benefit as a succinct phrase rather than as a sentence. Also, donotlist general principles orgeneral duties/responsibilities (e.g. the nurse's duty to keep patients safe), and do not refer todesires of the nurse to fulfill a duty or to see that patients are appropriately treated.

In this section, and throughout your paper, do not use words/phrases such as "autonomy," "dignity," "respect", "advocate," "justice," "quality of life," etc., without clarifying specifically what you mean. Do not use "beneficence" or "nonmaleficence" without indicating the specific benefits or harms you have in mind. Do not use the terms "futile" or "futility" without specifying the goal in relation to which the action would be futile. If you use the word "right," clarify whether you are referring to a legal right or to a fundamental ethical/moral right, and for any ethical/moral right, to the extent possible, indicate why such a right exists.

4 - Specific Benefits to be Gained by Option 2

List the case-specific benefits that can be achieved by Option 2.

5 - Justified Recommendation of General Option

State which general option is better. (Do not in this section elaborate on actions the nurse can take in line with the general option. Such elaboration belongs in Section 6.) Then justify your claim by explaining why some of the section 3 or section 4 benefits that support your recommended option are so important that, despite the most significant benefits to be achieved by the opposing option, the nurse should pursue the general course of action you claim is better. (Be sure explicitly to mention some of the benefits associated with the opposing option and explain how the considerations you present in support of the recommended option are more important than achieving the benefits of the opposing option.)

If possible, pose objections to the points you make, followed by responses that strengthen your reader's conviction that your points are valid. Use a format such as: "Some may argue benefits supporting Y [the other option] are more important. . . .[Elaborate.] Significant as these points are, they are not as important as considerations supporting X . . . [Elaborate]." (Do not express objections only as questions.)

6 - Sensitivity and Refined Recommendation

Revisit some of the benefits supporting the opposing option. Explain what (if anything) the nurse can do to help achieve any of these benefits while still following the general recommendation argued for in section 5. (Example: "While being honest with Mr. Roberts about his condition will not satisfy Mrs. Roberts' desire for the clinicians to postpone disclosing it to him, Mrs. Roberts may become less disappointed with the decision to disclose the diagnosis if the care team . . .)

Elaborate on the course of action the nurse should take, providing details not yet mentioned in the general recommendation. For example, if the recommended response entails the nurse having a discussion with one or more persons, provide details regarding what the nurse ought to say and how to say it. (You may wish to consider publications on effective communication, such as pp. 52-55, 63-64 of the chapter by Fiona Timmins posted in the E-Reserves.)

Attachment:- Case Analysis Paper Instructions.rar