Ethical Dilemmas In Healthcare

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What is an ethical dilemma? The ethical dilemma is when confronted with a situation that involves a solution that will not satisfy everyone. It is like choosing between two solutions that is neither right nor wrong. Workers in the healthcare professions are prone in encountering this kind of dilemmas, due to the kind of service we provide. We are not only dealing with patients’ well-beings, but their families’ ability to assume care upon discharged. I can still remember a patient I handled more than a decade ago. A 24 year old Hispanic male, single, who came is as an undocumented resident, to find a great opportunity in life. He was in the country for less than a month when the unexpected happened. He was a victim of a hit and run, motor vehicular accident. He sustained a C1-C4 spinal cord injury and other serious injuries that affected his vital organs. He was paralyzed from the neck down and will be vented dependent. He has no medical insurance and did not qualify for any financial or medical assistance. The Mexican Consulate cannot help the hospital to send him back to Mexico. He has two sisters that live in Houston. He has no advance directives and wants to continue fighting for his life. The attending physician in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) warned him that he will be lucky if he …show more content…
He agreed not to be resuscitated in case of cardiopulmonary arrest. He assigned one of his sisters as his medical power of attorney. Several meetings had transpired between the hospital staff and the family to find a solution in transitioning him to home. The hospital offered to rent a vent, arrange home health service and respiratory care to train them for few months. The family refused due to inability to take care of him 24 hours/day and will not be able to fund his medical care. His other sister needs some support as well due to newly diagnosed of breast

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