Case Study On Biomedical Ethics Discussion

Bioethics is a branch of ethics that is concerned with moral challenges that pertain to the practice of medicine as well as biomedical research. In day-to-day practice, healthcare providers are confronted with several medical challenges that arise due to advancements in medical technology (Haddad & Geiger, 2018)Case Study On Biomedical Ethics Discussion. Due to the prevalence of ethical dilemmas that arise in their line of duty, healthcare providers are guided by four main principles that include Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Autonomy, justice, and fairness. The ethical issues presented in the case study primarily revolve around the doctor’s recommendation as well as the decision by James’s parents. According to the doctor’s opinion, James needed kidney dialysis immediately. The doctor guided by the principle of autonomy discussed all the necessary details about James’s health condition with his parents and suggested the most appropriate treatment plan. However, the doctor’s recommendations were incompatible with the beliefs of the parents prompting him to allow the parents to have their say in believing that God was to heal their child and hence, allowing Mike and Joanne to seek faith-based healing for their baby. This paper will discuss the four principles of bioethics and also highlight the Christian worldview in the case study.

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Applying the Four Principles: Case Study

Part 1: Chart

Based on the “Healing and Autonomy” case study, fill out all the relevant boxes below. Provide the information by means of bullet points or a well-structured paragraph in the box. Gather as much data as possible. Case Study On Biomedical Ethics Discussion

Medical Indications

Beneficence and Nonmaleficence

Patient Preferences

Autonomy

Ø After examining the patient, the doctor made a diagnosis based on the signs and symptoms the patient had described.

Ø The doctor noted that James contracted kidney failure which was a secondary infection resulting from a previous case of strep throat infection.

Ø In the best interest of the patient, the doctor informed the patient’s parents of the need for immediate dialysis to help the child before the condition worsens.

Ø In the case of respect for autonomy, the doctor willingly recognizes and accepts the decision by James’s parents to seek faith-based healing because they believed that God was to heal their son. The doctor allowed the parents to make a decision that was contrary to his opinion.

Ø The doctor respected the autonomy of the parents even though they made a decision that was contrary to his medical decision of having the child undergo kidney dialysis.

Quality of Life

Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Autonomy

Contextual Features

Justice and Fairness

Ø The doctor proposed the most effective alternative of dialysis because it was the only option that was to improve James’s condition.

Ø James’s parents objected to the suggestion by the doctor to have dialysis and instead opted for faith-based healing as they have a strong belief in God’s healing powers.

Ø Because James’s parents objected to the doctor’s advice on relieving the symptom of their child, James’ health condition worsened.

Ø James’s health condition deteriorated became his parents objected to the decision of the doctor to have him under kidney dialysis and instead opted for faith-based healing.

Ø After faith-based healing failed to heal James’s condition, his parents decided to try the doctor’s earlier recommendations of having kidney dialysis.

Ø By the time James’s parents were consenting to the doctor’s decision of having dialysis, the condition had worsened and instead, the doctor requested a kidney transplant to help fix the problem because it was at an advanced stage.

Ø None of the volunteers including James’ parents and other church members was compatible with James hence, they could not donate a kidney for James.

Ø The doctor recommended James’ twin brother, Samwell to be the most suitable kidney donor for James because they were compatible.

Part 2: Evaluation

Answer each of the following questions about how the four principles and four boxes approach would be applied:

In 200-250 words answer the following: According to the Christian worldview, how would each of the principles be specified and weighted in this case? Explain why. (45 points)Case Study On Biomedical Ethics Discussion

Ethical issues and ethical dilemmas in healthcare are common occurrences and they must be addressed with utmost intelligence by giving priority to the most appropriate or effective decision. While some medical cases are straightforward, some are very difficult to make a decision, and therefore, the decision-making process is guided by the four principles of ethics that include Beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice (Bifarin & Stonehouse, 2022). The principles help to guide medical practitioners on the course of action when confronted by two or more issues that seem to compete against each other.

According to the Christian worldview, the most appropriate principle to consider in the case study is beneficence which defined the actions that give the most beneficial outcome to the patient (Grand Canyon University (Ed)., 2020). James’s parents, for instance, opted to try healing through prayers because they had witnessed a case of a patient who regained mobility from a stroke after due to prayers. Similarly, James’s parents believed that their son could be healed and therefore took him to prayers because they believed it was the most appropriate decision to cure their son. After realizing that their son could not be healed by prayer alone, they went back to the doctor to have their son receive the recommended treatment plan. In this case, the parents have a right to medical decisions for their son and hence cannot be judged for making a wrong decision because they were doing so for the best interest of their son.

In 200-250 words answer the following: According to the Christian worldview, how might a Christian balance each of the four principles in this case? Explain why. (45 points)

When making medical decisions that are presented by ethical dilemmas, it is important to balance the four principles to have positive health outcomes. In the case study, just like the parents, a Christian can balance the principles by acting in the most effective way to benefit their child. The parents acted in what they thought could be the best option for their son which was faith-based healing through prayers, therefore, exercising the principle of beneficence. In equal measures, a Christian should ensure that the decision made does not harm their child just like James’s parents thought that healing through prayers would be the most appropriate method that could not harm their child.

Just like Christians, the parents showed justice by subjecting their son to complete healing through prayers as they believed it could be an ideal solution to his problems. Even though their decision did not turn out to be effective, they had a belief that it was the most appropriate.

Lastly, Christians can express autonomy by making the right decisions. For instance, James’ parents decided to forgo the doctor’s treatment plan to save their son. When James was not healed through prayer, they also decided to seek medical attention. Case Study On Biomedical Ethics Discussion

References:

Bifarin, O., & Stonehouse, D. (2022). Beneficence and non-maleficence: collaborative practice and harm mitigation. British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, 16(2), 70-74.

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Grand Canyon University (Ed). (2020). Practicing dignity: An introduction to Christian values and decision making in health care. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/phi413v/practicing-dignity-an-introduction-to-christian-values-and-deci sion-making-in-health-care/v1.1/#/home

Haddad, L. M., & Geiger, R. A. (2018). Nursing ethical considerations Case Study On Biomedical Ethics Discussion