Ethics Case Study: Mr. Annet and Substitute Decision-Making

Case 2 (Mr. Annet))

Introduction

The case study informs that Mr. Annet was admitted to ED in acute respiratory distress. His daughter has provided her care at home for several years. Mr. Annet has been suffering from Alzheimer's disease and her daughter is the substitute decision-maker. Mr. Annet has bruises and sores on his body, pneumonia, a fractured left clavicle, and 2 fractured ribs. The daughter of Mr. Annet is not cooperating and threatens the team with lawsuits. However, the charge nurse believes that Mr. Annet has been abused. Thus, this paper seeks to analyze the case of Mr. Annet through the lens of ethical principles and two ethical theoretical perspectives (Dentology and Consequentialism). CNO documents are reviewed and the best course of action is provided.

Discussion

Main Issue

The case informs that his daughter seeks aggressive intervention and wants his father to be put on a ventilator otherwise she will take legal action, however, the charge nurse believes that police must be called to inform him about the abuse of Mr. Annet. The daughter of Mr. Annet might be the potential abuser. However, the healthcare team does not appreciate this idea and desires to avoid any legal repercussions.

Ethical Principles and Ethical Theories

The analysis of the case study informs that the ethical principles that are relevant to the case include autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice (Haddad and Geiger, 2019). The autonomy principle promotes the rights of the patients and encourages their participation in decision-making. The beneficence principle emphasizes acting in the best interest of the patients. The non-maleficence principle emphasizes not harming patients and the justice principle emphasizes equitable distribution of healthcare resources (Haddad and Geiger, 2019). In the context of autonomy, the wish of a daughter (Sonja, substitute decision maker) must be followed. In the context of beneficence, the concerns of the charge nurse seem appropriate. Similarly, the effectiveness of aggressive interventions is also in question. In the context of non-maleficence, the healthcare team is analyzing the benefits and risks of different interventions. In the context of justice, charge nurses seek to report elder abuse.

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