Question

Janine works as palliative care nurse at a regional health facility and relates the following conundrum. Janine describes looking after Jack who recently returned to the palliative care service after a further unexpected exacerbation of his respiratory lung cancer. Jack is rapidly deteriorating with little tolerance for any activity and cannot undertake any activities of daily living. Shirley, his wife is constantly at his side offering as much support as possible. Jack is highly dependent and has several HCP ‘s attending to him including physiotherapists, doctors, nurses, occupational therapist and other allied health workers including kitchen and cleaning staff. Jack received care for the past 6 days at which time he was in and out of consciousness and his lucid moments were characterized by confusion due to his severe low oxygen saturation rates. Whilst confused he tried to leave or get out of bed and required constant supervision, and at night restraint. Shirley was at his bed side frequently. Shirley in conversation with Janine, complements her and the team on the care that Jack has received, and reminisced with her and over the last few weeks they had spent together on a cruise to New Zealand and surrounding Islands. Janine realize that cruise was associated with a severe outbreak of COVID19. Janine asks Shirley, “why didn’t you let us know of your trip”? Shirley states that if she did, she might not have been allowed to see Jack. Subsequently, Shirley was not allowed to visit Jack, Jack died 2 days later. His pathology result was positive for COVID 19. Janine has explained the issue to all the staff associated with the care of Jack. The paramedics who cared for of Jack were also informed of his infective status prior to his death.

Question

Analyze how deontology would inform the conduct the healthcare professional involved in the case study.

Answer 1

1.In contrast to the utilitarian concept, deontology is ethics of duty where the morality of an action depends on the nature of the action, that is harm is unacceptable irrespective of its consequences.

Deontology states that an act that is not good morally can lead to something good, such as shooting the intruder (killing is wrong) to protect your family (protecting them is right).

analysis of how the deontology would inform the conduct the health care professional involved in this case study :

In this case study the morally not good or rational thing is that the patients wife not saying anyone about her trip on a cruise to New Zealand which has Severe COVID 19 out break. She did this because if says the truth the Healthcare professionals won't allow her to visit her husband. This sinario is morally not good. Which lead to death of her husband. Thus the consequences of the harm is unacceptable and irreversible.

In this case study if the wife decided to not meet her husband atleast for few days. He would have saved.

Although health care results from the application of bioscientific knowledge by specialists in their respective areas, social and technological factors. It determine whether the treatment will benefit or harm the patient regardless of the place of service (ambulatory, infirmary, clinic, home or community). Other factors, such as knowledge and experience of the professional, environmental aspects and condition and comorbidity of the patient also affect the continuity of care. This means that safe results depend on the profound understanding of organizations, systems and human factors, error recognition, prevention and management; and willingness and ability to use tools to measure and improve the quality of treatments. Precarious teamwork, inability to communicate effectively with patients the mistaken understanding of human factors and vague notion about the health system are circumstances linked directly to the occurrence of adverse events.