HLTENN008 Diploma of Nursing – Apply Legal and Ethical Parameters to Nursing Practice

Assessment Brief

• Course Code: HLTENN008
• Course Title: Apply legal and ethical parameters to nursing practice
• No. Of Words: 3000

Assessment Summary

Let our Nursing tutors and academic help you with your tasks and grab top-notch ranks with your assessments! The completed learning journal is the assessment task for this unit. HLT54115 Diploma of Nursing HLTENN008 Apply legal and ethical parameters to nursing practice. Casestudyhelp.com is the leading and Guide HLTENN008 Legal and Ethical Nursing Case Studies Essay Sample, Nursing Assignment Writing Help and Guide for Writing a Nursing Case Study at affordable price.

 

 

HLTENN008 Apply Legal and Ethical Parameters to Nursing Case Study Assignment Solutions

Case Study 1: Dr and Mrs Jones

An aged care health service provider you work for as a community nurse has received a request from Dr Jones, 80-years-old, for support to maintain his 78-year-old wife, Mary, at home. Mary was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 10 years ago.

Dr Jones is a former GP, who retired to care for his wife.

Along with the aged care health service provider’s social worker, you recently conducted a home visit to assess Mrs Jones and discuss support options with Dr Jones. On arrival, you found the house was unclean and in disrepair. Both Dr and Mrs Jones were unkempt and unclean.

Mr Jones is fully dependent on Dr Jones for all of her personal care needs. The assessment found she was emaciated, malnourished, dehydrated and constipated. Mrs Jones’ skin was yellow and she also appeared lethargic and depressed.

Despite her obvious state of poor health and need for care and treatment, Dr Jones vehemently rejected any suggestion of admission to hospital. He insisted his wife remain in his care at home. Dr Jones became agitated when you insisted that a hospital admission was required.

Earlier in her life, Mrs Jones had devoted herself to Dr Jones and raised their six children almost single-handedly while her husband worked in his GP practice. The social worker surmised that for Dr Jones to allow his wife to be cared for by others would be an admission that he had failed as both a husband and a GP.

Dr Jones was also very thin and stated he lacked sleep because his wife was restless and wandered at night time. Further discussion with Dr Jones revealed he had been prescribing medications for his wife and administering large doses of analgesics.

Question 1:

Identify the legal/ethical issues in this situation.

Response:

The legal issue in this situation is that Dr Jones is prescribing medication to his wife without being able to make a sound clinical prognosis if she requires the medication that is being prescribed. Dr Jones also has not contacted anyone up until recent regarding his wife’s health situation, which may show a lack of sound judgement when caring for his wife.

Question 2:

Explain your duty of care and likely course of action as a nurse in this situation. In your response, explain your reasoning and decision making process.

Response:

As a community nurse your duty of care is to ensure the client is living in a well-kept place and is being cared for adequately. With Mrs Jones having dementia and being solely reliant on Dr Jones, is our duty of care to ensure that her health is being monitored and that her condition is that of a medically appropriate standard. Also, that Dr Jones can care for himself and his wife adequately. After finding Mrs Jones in am unhygienic malnourished state with lethargy and depression it is clear that we will have to arrange for Mrs Jones to go the hospital to receive medical attention.

Question 3:

Explain whether this situation could require mandatory reporting and why. Who would you need to disclose this situation to?

Response:

Mandatory reporting would be required due o the lack of care being provided to Mrs Jones.  Also, her medications have not been prescribed nor been administered the correct way, therefore creating a neglect in her care. AHPRA and AMA would need to be notified as Dr Jones has been providing scripts for his wife without a current registration to the AMA.

Question 4:

Describe the documentation that needs to be completed in this situation. What information needs to be included in this documentation?

Case Study 2: Mrs Yiannopoulos

Mrs Yiannopolous is an 88-year-old Greek woman who has lived in Australia for over 50 years, however she only has basic English skills. She has been hospitalised this week with anaemia, gastric pain, lower leg oedema and ascites. She had been referred to the hospital by her GP.

Mrs Yiannopolous lives alone in a small unit in a country town and receives care in a day care centre for aged members of the community. Her only close family member is her 68-year-old daughter, Maria, who lives in the same town. Mrs Yiannopolous was admitted by a care worker from her day care facility.

The physician who reviewed Mrs Yiannopolous provided her with the following information:

“Your haemoglobin level six months ago was 12 and now it is only four. Your anaemia may be caused by bleeding in your stomach, so a thorough examination is absolutely necessary. To confirm this, we’ll need to undergo a gastroscopy where a camera is inserted down your throat, into your stomach. If your condition is not treated, serious problems might occur and the consequences could be life threatening.”

Mrs Yiannopolous has refused to accept this advice and the treatment, saying she is too old and the thought of the gastric camera terrifies her.

Later in the afternoon, Mrs Yiannopolous’ daughter Maria arrives at the hospital and speaks with her mother.

Maria meets with the care team, including yourself, and explains:

“I want to respect my mother’s decision. I knew that her legs and abdomen were swollen, but because of her age I didn’t want her to be brought to hospital. My mother and I remember the terrible experience my father had at this hospital and she does not want to be treated like that. I agree with her, and think she is making the right decision.”

Question 1: Identify the legal/ ethical issues in this situation.

Question 2: Explain your duty of care and likely course of action as a nurse in this situation. In your response, explain your reasoning and decision making process.

Question 3: Explain whether Mrs Yiannopolous is in a position to make an informed decision about her treatment.

How could you advocate on behalf of Mrs Yiannopolous to help her with her decision around the proposed treatment?

Question 4: Later that day, Mrs Yiannopolous’ daughter, Maria, makes a complaint to you about her mother not being provided with an interpreter. She tells you she wants her mother’s medical records so she can seek a second opinion elsewhere. Maria does not have power of attorney for her mother.

How do you respond to this situation?

Case Study 3: Joey

You are a community health nurse who visits and case manages Joey, a 31-year-old man who lives with his parents in the community.

Joey has a paranoid illness that became acute and caused him to act violently towards a local shopkeeper. Joey was arrested and then taken to a local acute mental health unit and made an inpatient under mental health legislation.

His condition was stabilised and with the help of regular injections of anti-psychotic medication he was discharged. These medications are administered by you in his home. In hospital the care team recommended Joey for discharge to a supported accommodation unit run by a local charity. However, Joey’s choice was to return home and continue living with his parents, who have taken on the role of his legal guardians. This was a significant sacrifice for his parents. They now rarely have breaks from caring for Joey, and their friends feel awkward in Joey’s presence when visiting the home.

When you visit Joey, you often find him a bit non-communicative although his parents – with whom you have a good rapport – say he is usually affable when he is alone with them.

As part of his aftercare plan, Joey agreed to continue to receive his scheduled injections. Recently though, he has refused an injection you came over to administer. You know from his medical records that this is an indication that Joey is rapidly becoming acutely paranoid again.

You ask Joey if you can advise his parents that he has not had his injection. You feel that in their role as Joey’s carers, his parents need to know of his decision. Joey says he does not want his parents to know.

Question 1: Identify the legal/ ethical issues in this situation.

Question 2: Explain your duty of care and likely course of action as a nurse in this situation. In your response, explain your reasoning and decision making process.

Question 3: Explain whether this situation could require mandatory reporting and why. Who would you need to disclose this situation to?

Question 4: Explain how you would approach obtaining consent from the relevant parties to provide Joey with his injection.

Case Study 4: Tom

You are a nurse working in an oncology adolescent unit.

You have been providing nursing care for Tom, a 15-year-old boy, for the last six months. Tom is an only child, and his mother and father have really struggled to come to terms with his cancer diagnosis. Tom’s mother has given up her job as a teacher to care for Tom and support him through his treatment.

Tome went into hospital recently for a routine tonsillectomy and was found to have an oesophageal tumour. Further scans revealed Tom had a secondary tumour in his stomach. Tom has undergone radical surgery resulting in short-term tracheostomy, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Tom underwent further scans at the end of his last chemotherapy cycle.

Yesterday, you sat in on a consultation with Tom and his family while his oncologist discussed his progress. It was revealed that Tom has developed another tumour, in his small intestine. The oncologist proposed prompt radical treatment of further surgery and chemotherapy. Tom’s parents were keen to start the treatment program as soon as possible. You noticed that Tom looked uncomfortable during the discussion and did not add much to the conversation or decision-making process.

Later in your shift, you take the opportunity to talk to Tom by himself after his parents have left the ward. Tom informs you that he doesn’t want any more surgery or chemotherapy. He tells you he just wants to get out of hospital and be a teenager as long as he has time left to enjoy it. Tom states that he feels his mother was very pushy about getting the treatment, but he has made up his mind. He wants you to help convince his parents and the doctor to honour his wishes.

Question 1: Identify the legal/ ethical issues in this situation.

Question 2: Explain your duty of care and likely course of action as a nurse in this situation. In your response, explain your reasoning and decision making process.

Question 3: Describe what you would say to Tom’s parents to advocate on Tom’s behalf.