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Read Chapters 3, 9, and 17 in your textbook.
Read the following:
How the Four Principles of Health Care Ethics Improve Patient Care
Baby Boomers and Beds: A Demographic Challenges for the Ages
Watch the video Tarik Sammour: Healthcare: Is It a Right or a Luxury?
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the baby boomer generation (individuals born between 1947 and 1964) is a growing percentage of those seeking health care. A monumental problem for long-term care, hospital, renal care, and home health care administrators will be the allocation of resources for the aging population in the U.S. health care delivery system.
You are the long-term care administrator for Shady Valley, a long-term care, 80 bed, skilled care facility. You and your team—director of nursing, assistant director of nursing, social worker, admissions director, and the business office manager—have the resources and bed space to admit one additional patient. Today the admissions director received three referrals from a local hospital. It is your teams’ job to examine the three referrals and write a recommendation for admission. The recommendation will be sent to the Shady Valley long-term care ethics committee prior to making the admissions decision. (See the following description of the patients.)
Patient 1: Mary Jones is a retired 65-year-old elementary school teacher. Mary recently fell and broke her hip while shoveling snow at her home. Prior to the accident, she was very independent and did not need help with her activities of daily living (ADLs). She is currently taking one blood pressure medication, one blood thinner medication, and one cholesterol medication. Mary suffered a very mild stroke (TIA) 2 years ago, yet she has not experienced any long-term symptoms from the stroke or a reduction in her ADLs. Recently, Mary received hip surgery and is ready for discharge to a long-term care/skilled care facility to receive physical therapy and then return home. Mary has Medicare as her primary payor source and Blue Cross/Blue Shield as her secondary payor source.
Patient 2: Donald Smith is a retired 93-year-old coal miner. He currently lives with his son and daughter in-law. Donald enjoys his lifelong passion of bird watching and stamp collecting. He recently fell and ruptured two vertebra disks in his neck (C-6 and C-7). Donald has black lung and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from working in the coal mine industry and requires 27/7 oxygen therapy. Additionally, he had successful open-heart surgery 5 years ago and a successful hip and knee replacement surgical procedure last year. He currently takes one blood thinner medication, two high blood pressure medications, and one cholesterol medication. Donald has Medicare as a primary payor source and looks forward to returning home after 20-100 days of skilled care at Shady Valley Skilled Care Facility.
Patient 3: Jane Brown is a retired 72-year-old legal secretary. Jane was recently involved in a car accident and is currently a quadriplegic. She was recently removed from a ventilator and is breathing on her own, she does not currently need a tracheotomy; however, this could be a necessary procedure in the future. Her medication list is vast to include multiple expensive medications. Prior to the accident Jane lived with her husband of 50 years; they have six children and 12 grandchildren that all live in the area. Jane has Medicare as a primary payor source and plans to apply for Medicaid to cover her long-term care expenses.
Your initial post should be a minimum of 500 words and include the following:
Regarding the three patients provided in the scenario, discuss which patient your team would recommend for admission to the organization’s ethics committee and why.
Discuss what ethical factors your team implemented regarding your decision such as justice, autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence.
Describe other factors that contributed to your teams ethical decision-making process, such as societal ethical issues, equitable access to care, diversity, equity, and inclusion, affordability, quality of care, and limited resources.
Lastly, do you feel health care is a right or a privilege?
Support your response with at least three scholarly sources published within the last 5 years. For guidance, use the Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources resource. You may also use the Writing Center’s APA Style resource.
Struggling with where to start this assignment? Follow this guide to tackle your assignment easily!
To structure your paper on this healthcare ethics scenario, follow these steps for a clear and well-organized response:
- Introduction (50-100 words)
- Purpose: Begin by introducing the scenario, explaining that you will be discussing the ethical considerations in the decision-making process for selecting one patient for admission to the long-term care facility.
- Thesis: Briefly outline your main argument, which will include the ethical principles (justice, autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence) you applied in your decision and your personal view on whether healthcare is a right or a privilege.
- Patient Assessment (100-150 words)
- Describe each patient briefly: Provide a brief background on each of the three patients, emphasizing the key medical issues, age, and level of care required.
- Patient 1: Mary Jones – 65-year-old recovering from hip surgery.
- Patient 2: Donald Smith – 93-year-old with black lung and COPD.
- Patient 3: Jane Brown – 72-year-old legal secretary, now a quadriplegic post-accident.
- Identify your recommendation: Discuss which patient your team would recommend for admission to the ethics committee and why. Clearly state the reason for your choice (e.g., medical necessity, ability to return home soon, etc.).
- Describe each patient briefly: Provide a brief background on each of the three patients, emphasizing the key medical issues, age, and level of care required.
- Ethical Considerations (150-200 words)
- Justice: Discuss how fairness and equality played a role in selecting the patient. Consider the resources available at the facility and whether any patient is being prioritized due to their age, social status, or severity of condition.
- Autonomy: Evaluate the role of patient choice in this decision. Were any of the patients able to express their preferences? If so, how was their autonomy considered in your decision?
- Beneficence and Nonmaleficence: Discuss how you ensured that the selected patient would benefit from the care provided and how you aimed to do no harm in your decision. Was any patient’s condition too severe for them to receive the required benefit from the care offered by your facility?
- Other ethical factors: Consider other factors such as equity, access to care, and diversity. How did these factors influence your decision?
- Broader Ethical Issues (100-150 words)
- Societal ethical issues: Reflect on broader societal issues, such as healthcare access for aging populations. Discuss how these societal factors could impact your decision. For example, the aging Baby Boomer population and resource allocation may influence who gets care and when.
- Equitable access to care: Did any patient face barriers in accessing appropriate care based on their medical history, insurance status, or financial means? Discuss how equitable care should factor into your decision-making.
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion: Consider how diversity and inclusion are important in healthcare settings and how this may play a role in selecting the patient for care.
- Personal View on Healthcare (50-100 words)
- Health care as a right or privilege: Based on your analysis, provide a conclusion on whether healthcare should be considered a right or a privilege. Justify your answer by reflecting on your evaluation of the ethical issues involved in your decision-making process.
- Conclusion (50-75 words)
- Wrap-up: Summarize your decision, emphasizing how ethical principles guided the decision. Conclude with your perspective on healthcare access, tying together the ethical considerations and your personal stance on healthcare rights.
- Citations
- Scholarly sources: Be sure to include at least three scholarly sources published in the last five years. These could include academic journal articles, books, or credible online sources. Make sure your citations are in APA 7th edition format.
By following these steps, you can ensure your paper is well-structured and covers all necessary aspects of the assignment. Good luck!
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