Describe a situation of an ethical dilemma that you have experienced in practice and how it was resolved. (Saunders, 2014)

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Ethical Dilemma

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Ethical Dilemma

Introduction

Ethical dilemmas occur in a decision-making context where any of the available options needed violate or compromise certain ethical principles. Ethics are moral standards that govern are professionals’ behavior, practice, and decision-making. Ethical dilemmas are complex challenges that professionals cannot solve easily (Buka, 2020). They are common incidences in healthcare. Therefore, the ability to find optimal solutions during such situations is critical to every health care worker. To address ethical dilemmas properly, nurses must be familiar with the code of ethics for nurses developed by the American Nurses Association (Buka, 2020). This paper discusses ethical dilemmas in nursing.

The identified ethical dilemma is related to a 38-year-old female who developed ectopic pregnancy and refused to abort the baby. The patient reported to the hospital with complaints of nausea, breast soreness, dizziness, and sharp waves of abdominal pain (Hendriks et al., 2020). After a thorough examination and a series of tests, the patient was diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy. The physician explained to the patient about the diagnosis, including the dangers of the situation to her health.

The physician also explained that the embryo cannot survive because the pregnancy occurred outside the uterus. Additionally, the patient was advised that the best option is to end the pregnancy before engaging in additional treatment (Hendriks et al., 2020). Despite the physician’s efforts, the patient refused that her pregnancy cannot be terminated and that she must give birth to her baby. She pushed the physician away and shouted at him saying that he knows nothing about women’s health. The patient maintained that she must keep her pregnancy. The physician was in a dilemma wondering whether to respect the patient’s autonomy or the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence.

The conflicting ethical principles in the scenario include patient autonomy and beneficence and non-maleficence. Keeping the pregnancy (the patient’s preference) is not beneficial and would result in harm to the patient (Hendriks et al., 2020). An ectopic pregnancy happens when a fertilized egg implants itself outside of the uterus. Such types of pregnancies are also known as tubal pregnancies since most of them occur in the fallopian tubes. No pregnancy can survive outside the uterus, therefore, all ectopic pregnancies must be terminated (Hendriks et al., 2020). The physician had to find proper ways of addressing this ethical dilemma.

To address the issue, the physician had to involve a multidisciplinary team, family members, and the patient. The physician first sought advice from other healthcare professionals regarding what needed to be done in this case (Buka, 2020). He then established a team that included nurses, a surgeon, a gynecologist, a clinical officer, and others. The team also included the patient and a few family members. He also sought advice from the organization’s ethics committee. After an intensive talk, the patient saw a sense through the help of family members (Buka, 2020). She eventually agreed to terminate the pregnancy and was treated effectively. In the next three months, she was able to conceive normally and gave birth to a normal baby in nine months.

Conclusion

Ethical dilemmas are common issues in healthcare. The presented scenario involves a 38-year-old female who refused to terminate an ectopic pregnancy. She decided to keep the pregnancy because she believed she would give birth to the baby. The conflicting ethical principles in the scenario include patient autonomy and beneficence and non-maleficence. The issue was solved through interprofessional collaboration, with the patient and family members.

References

Buka, P. (2020). Essential law and ethics in nursing: Patients, rights and decision-making. Routledge.

Hendriks, E., Rosenberg, R., & Prine, L. (2020). Ectopic pregnancy: diagnosis and management. American family physician, 101(10), 599-606. https://www.aafp.org/afp/2020/0515/p599.html