HSC0003 Health Care for Ethical Dilemma Portrayed

Question 

Your health care team is presented with the following case:

A 6-year-old develops a high fever accompanied by violent vomiting and convulsions while at school. The child is rushed to a nearby hospital. The attending physician makes a diagnosis of meningitis and requests permission from the parents to initiate treatment. Both parents are Christian Scientists, and they insist that no medical treatment be given to the child. The physician initiates treatment anyway, and the parents later sue the physician and the hospital.

Explain the ethical dilemma portrayed in this case.

Answer

Patient consent is a significant concern when it comes to health care practice, and it is necessary for a practitioner to include this element in the care delivered to the individual patient (Légaré et al., 2011). The holistic approach taken in nursing care justifies the requirement of patient consent and autonomy. In case of childcare, the family members are to provide consent regarding the care process, and their decision influences the course of care provided. Until a child reaches the age of 18 years, he is not in a position to take decisions regarding his healthcare (Uhl, 2013).

As per the provided case study, the consent for the care intervention of the six year old child is to be taken from his parents. Since the child is suffering from meningitis and has severe symptoms, it is a requisite concern to provide him with adequate treatment, not pharmacological and non-pharmacological. The parents of the child are not providing the consent to commence on medical treatment for the child. The parents of the child have certain spiritual and cultural beliefs. The ethical dilemma that arises in this regard is whether the child should be provided with the care he requires in the absence of parent’s consent since he is in immediate need of medical attention or should he not be given so. The healthcare practitioner needs to choose one option among these two. The treatment provided to him would relief him from his present condition; however, there is also a need of receiving consent for ensuing satisfaction of the parents.

References

Légaré, F., Stacey, D., Pouliot, S., Gauvin, F. P., Desroches, S., Kryworuchko, J., ... & Graham, I. D. (2011). Interprofessionalism and shared decision-making in primary care: a stepwise approach towards a new model. Journal of interprofessional care, 25(1), 18-25.

Uhl, T., Fisher, K., Docherty, S. L., & Brandon, D. H. (2013). Insights into Patient and Family?Centered Care Through the Hospital Experiences of Parents. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, 42(1), 121-13