The Ethical Component Malpractice Essay Paper

The Ethical Component Malpractice Essay Paper

The case of Arturo Iturralde v. Hilo Medical Centre (HMC) is surrounded by a number of ethical malpractices that led to patient suffering and death. On 24th January 2001, a patient named Arturo visited HMC for a health issue assessment which was causing weaknesses in the legs and also causes him several falls. The patient was examined by Dr. Ricketson who diagnosed Arturo with an L4-L5 degenerative spondylolisthesis accompanied by 3 stenosis, a condition that greatly exerted pressure on the patient’s nerves hence the legs’ weaknesses. The spinal fusion surgery was the solution proposed by Dr. Ricketson that involved the implantation of two rods on the spine to enhance bilateral fixation. The operations kit was ordered from a firm known as Medtronic and by 27th January 2001 the components of the kit arrived. The medical staff immediately began preparations for the operations and never noticed anything missing during the inventory assessment. However, before the start of the surgery nurse, Vicki Barry informed the doctor that the kit was not complete as the two titanium rods were missing. Additionally, two hours before the surgery the operation team informed the doctor of the missing rods and a search at the hospital never found the rods. The company was contacted and they were not aware of the non-complete kit and assured the hospital that they would deliver the rods in less than two hours (Iturralde v. Hilo Med. Ctr. (2012)The Ethical Component Malpractice Essay Paper.

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Dt. Ricketson was more concerned with the patient condition and after examining him he decided to proceed with the surgery as the delay was additional suffering to the patient. He devised the rods by cutting to size the stainless steel screwdrivers in the kit and using them as the rods to support the patient’s back. The operation was a success and the patient proceeded with post-operative management including physical exercise therapy. However, the next day, the patient had several falls and that made the screwdrivers to shutter. This called for another operation at the beginning of February to remove the shattered screwdrivers by Dr. Ricketson and he implanted the right titanium rods. The nurse present during the portions of the operation was Janelle Fieldmeyer who witnessed everything the doctor was doing without informing the patient or the family. The nurse made a report to the supervisors and they told her that the doctor was responsible for telling the patient about such incidents (Iturralde v. Hilo Med. Ctr. 2012)The Ethical Component Malpractice Essay Paper. However, the doctor failed to talk to the patient and when the nurse informed the patient there could be no communication since he could not communicate in English.

Ethical theory

An ethical theory that can be used in evaluating this case is the deontological theory. The theory calls upon medical practitioners to adhere to their obligations and duties during moments of decision-making that involve ethics. According to this case, the doctor greatly failed in his obligations to make informed decisions regarding a sensitive matter. His decisions resulted in immense suffering for the patient and his death (Tseng, 2021)The Ethical Component Malpractice Essay Paper. Through this theory, the decision-making should be one’s ability to focus on the duties and this could have triggered the doctor to consider the calls by nurses that the rods were the mission (Haddad, 2022). In addition, the company even promised to bring the rods immediately but the doctor decided to proceed with the surgery that cost a life.

Physician-patient shared decision-making model

A physician–patient shared decision-making model that could have been used in this case is the clinical decision-making model. This model is an approach that medical staff uses in assessing a patient’s health condition and coming up with critical decisions regarding the procedures to apply. The model enhances collaborative approaches between the medical team, nurses, and patients to come up with evidence-based practices. The procedures begin from the time the patient comes to the health facility, to diagnosis and treatment. This method could have been crucial in Arturo’s case because collaborative decision-making could ensure all the medical providers and the patients and family are in agreement with what was happening. However, the doctor, in this case, took all the responsibilities and decision making hence the problematic results (Oh, 2022)The Ethical Component Malpractice Essay Paper. Also, the hospital should have hired an interpreter to enhance communication between the doctor and the patent.

Ethical guidelines

The incident would have been prevented if the HMC took the inventory evaluation seriously. The failure of the inventory team to recognize the issue on time was the underlying problem. This can be addressed by using electronic medical records in evaluating and cross-checking details of equipment and material orders. With a digital system, there will be early notifications that a certain component of the order is missing. In addition, the doctor had a history of unethical practices. The hospital should ensure they cross-examine the behaviors and the records of its employees before giving them consent to work and perform such sensitive duties (Varkey, 2021)The Ethical Component Malpractice Essay Paper.

Defend

The guidelines proposed are to have the medical staff trained regularly regarding the existing codes of conduct. Through training they will be aware all the time about their work and practices and any error requiring crucial decision will be made better. With these recommendations the malpractices in hospitals will reduce (Oh, 2022)The Ethical Component Malpractice Essay Paper. Also, the healthcare providers will be responsible for their actions and this will not be attached to the health facility as was the case in Arturo v. HMC.

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References

Haddad LM, Geiger RA. (2022). Nursing Ethical Considerations. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526054/

Iturralde v. Hilo Med. Ctr. (2012). https://casetext.com/case/iturralde-v-hilo-med-ctr

Oh, S., Gu, M., & Sok, S. (2022). A Concept Analysis of Nurses’ Clinical Decision Making: Implications for Korea. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(6), 3596. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063596

Tseng, P. E., & Wang, Y. H. (2021). Deontological or Utilitarian? An Eternal Ethical Dilemma in Outbreak. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(16), 8565. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168565

Varkey B. (2021). Principles of Clinical Ethics and Their Application to Practice. Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre, 30(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.1159/000509119 The Ethical Component Malpractice Essay Paper