Case Study on Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative Sample

Case Study on Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative Nursing Assignment Sample Paper

Case Study on Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative Nursing Assignment Sample Paper.

Write a 1,200-1,500 word analysis of  “Case Study: Healing and Autonomy.” In light of the readings, be sure to address the followingBiomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative questions:
Under the Christian narrative and Christian vision, what sorts of issues are most pressing in this case study?
Should the physician allow Mike to continue making decisions that seem to him to be irrational and harmful to James?
According to the Christian narrative and the discussion of the issues of treatment refusal, patient autonomy, and organ donation in the topic readings, how might one analyze this case?
According to the topic readings and lecture, how ought the Christian think about sickness and health? What should Mike as a Christian do? How should he reason about trusting God and treating James?
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

DO MY NURSING PAPER

We will write a custom paper on

Case Study on Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative Sample

specifically for you.

Paper type:  Case Study
Course Level: Undergraduate
Subject Area: Nursing
# Pages: 5

Case Study on Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative Assignment Nursing Sample

One of the issues that present a big challenge to contemporary physicians is how to create a balance between professional ethical requirements and religious beliefs of their patients. As McCormick (2014) explains, many patients give a lot of weight to their spiritual beliefs and values, and it is the responsibility of the healthcare provider to ensure that their clients’ philosophies do not have a negative impact on the healthcare delivery process. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the power of spiritual healing and patient’s autonomy in influencing the physician’s decision regarding the most appropriate care that a patient should receive. Using the information presented in the case study, the author of this paper will identify issues that are considered to be the most pressing and that require the attention of healthcare practitioners. Moreover, it will recommend the most appropriate actions that both the physician and James’ parents should take to enhance recovery of the patient.

It is important to note that there are two most pressing issues related to Christian vision and Christian narrative in the current case study. One of the problems is inherent in the way James’ parents use their religious autonomy to prevent the doctor from performing the temporary dialysis that was required initially to restore his normal health.  Being strong believers, Joanne and Mike have decided to place the health of their son in the hands of God because they have faith in His healing powers. Unfortunately, their decision results in deterioration of their son’s health which generates even more serious complications. Additionally, the fact that James health condition has not improved after he is taken to the faith healing service makes his parents think that the outcome might be as a result of their diminished faith or due to God’s punishment. Clinging to their philosophy, they want to have a stronger faith in God this time around that James’ health will improve even without the kidney transplant. Their motive for making such a decision is to ensure that their son Samuel does not lose his kidney. Therefore, while the religious views and values of Joanne and Mike have a great influence on their decision-making process, it is clear from the case study that they are the source of James’ deteriorated health condition (McCormick, 2014).

Considering the power of ethics that govern professional practice in health care, the physician should not allow Mike to continue making decisions that he finds to be irrational and harmful to James. The physician should use relevant ethical principles and theories to make decisions and to convince the boy’s parents to allow him to receive care as deemed appropriate by his healthcare professionals (Sidhu & Srinivasraghavan, 2016). He should base his decision on three ethical principles namely beneficence, non-maleficence, and respect for human rights. The principle of beneficence guides healthcare practitioners to always engage in actions that maximize benefits for their clients. Besides, as far as non-maleficence is concerned, every doctor should always aim to minimize harm for their clients. Moreover, healthcare practitioners are obliged to respect human rights at all costs. Essentially, Mike’s decisions maximize risks and minimize benefits for James. Furthermore, they are a violation of human rights because they deny James an opportunity to receive appropriate care in order to eliminate ill-health and suffering (Sidhu & Srinivasraghavan, 2016). Therefore, by preventing Mike from depending solely on God’s faith for their son’s healing, the physician will have adhered to the moral standards that govern his profession.

Moreover, the physician should use relevant ethical theories to help Mike understand the importance of allowing doctors to attend to James. The two ethical theories that the doctor should use to influence Mikes’ decisions are deontological ethics and utilitarianism or consequentialism ethics (Mandal, Ponnambath, & Parija, 2016). Deontological ethics is an ethical theory that defines the morality of human actions based on the actual rules or means used to achieve the outcomes. The father of deontological ethics, Immanuel Kant, postulated that an action is ethical provided it can be made to become a universal law. In the current case study, depending solely on the power of religious faith to cause healing cannot be made an international law, which makes it immoral. The other ethical theory, utilitarianism ethics, holds that the soundness of an action is majorly defined by its consequences. In this sense, an action becomes ethical if it generates maxim happiness and pleasure. However, Mike’s decisions are the main sources of his suffering, which makes them immoral (Mandal, Ponnambath, & Parija, 2016).

Based on the events of the narrative, one might conclude that the current case study presents a scenario in which there are conflicting views on Christianity and ethical practice. The conflict is seen in a number of issues related to patient autonomy, treatment refusal, and organ donation. First, since James is a minor, he lacks the power to make a decision regarding the best type of treatment that should be offered by the physician. Rather, he relies on Joanne and Mike to make the judgment. Surprisingly, they cling to their religious beliefs to make a ruling that ultimately impacts negatively on their son’s health.  Second, in health care practice, an adult patient has the power to either accept or refuse treatment. Since James is the patient, he has no option but to go by his parents’ final choice to refuse treatment during their initial interaction with the doctor (Sidhu & Srinivasraghavan, 2016). Third, James’ parents are against the doctor’s idea of using Samuel’s kidney to relieve James from suffering. Again, Samuel is a minor who relies on his parents’ to make decisions related to healthcare issues that have a direct impact on his life. Therefore, he will have to respect their stand should they decide to wait for God’s miracle on James’ health. Generally, from the given narrative, the reader is able to understand the degree of impact that religious beliefs and values can have on healthcare delivery process and on patient outcomes (McCormick, 2014).

The topic’s readings and lecture help Christians to understand how they should think about health and sickness. Precisely, Christians should view sickness and health as important physiological processes in human life. Besides, they should understand that mankind must experience a deterioration in health at some point in their lives, and they should seek medical attention as necessary during such times. Furthermore, Christians should demonstrate respect to sick persons by helping them to obtain medical care. According to McCormick (2014), the Bible teaches Christians to show compassion to the injured and the sick people in the society by assisting them in gaining improved health outcomes. Similarly, as a Christian, Mark should understand that James’ illness is causing him a lot of pain and that he should make decisions that will eliminate the agony. Specifically, he should allow Samuel to donate a kidney that will be used for James’ treatment. Most importantly, Mike should reason that it is important for him to trust in God that the doctors can offer care that will generate positive health outcomes for James. Moreover, he should believe that God will protect his two children even as they continue to live without both kidneys (McCormick, 2014).

In summary, religious beliefs and values play a significant role in influencing healthcare-related decisions made by many Christians today. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the practitioner to ensure that patient’s cultural inclination does not have a negative impact on their therapeutic relationship. Events of the case study demonstrate how parents who have strong faith in God can contribute to the negative health outcomes for their children. The scenario teaches modern physicians how they can handle similar situations in their practice. For instance, from the narrative, healthcare practitioners learn that they should begin therapeutic relationships by getting to understand the cultural and spiritual beliefs of their patients. In addition, they need to apply relevant ethical theories and principles to assist their defiant clients in understanding the importance of accepting care as recommended by their physicians. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the care provider to identify conflicting views in the course of care and to identify the best approach to solve them. Consequently, Christians should seek medical advice whenever they are sick and trust that God will provide healing.

Case Study on Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative Nursing Sample Paper

References

Mandal, J., Ponnambath, D., & Parija, S. (2016). Utilitarianism and deontological ethics in medicine. Tropical Parasitology, 6(1), 5-7. doi:10.4103/2229-5070.175024

McCormick, T. R. (2014). Spirituality and medicine. Washington, DC: University of Washington Press.

Sidhu, N., & Srinivasraghavan, J. (2016). Ethics and medical practice: Why psychiatry is unique. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 58(2), S199-S202.

order a custom nursing essay