Posted: May 25th, 2022

The Medical Ethics Case Study

Medical Ethics Case Study

According to Dr. Charles M. Culver, ethical dilemmas in medicine “are more conspicuous and more openly discussed than they were ten or twenty years ago,” due to two important factors, namely, “the increased sophistication of medical technology and medical treatments” and because “patients are demanding more of a voice in making decisions about their treatment” (1990, p. 3). Thus, the case study described below is a prime example on how ethical dilemmas in medicine can often become overwhelming, so much so “that the decisions of doctors and medical specialists are sometimes questioned as to their motives and aspirations” (Haring, 1973, p. 245).

The Dilemma:

In this case study, 72-year-old Joanna Alexander suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease and diabetes. The latter disease has brought about gangrene in both of her feet, a rather common result in those suffering with diabetes. Her physician is convinced that, in order to save her life, both of her feet must be amputated. However, Ms. Alexander has make it clear to her physician that she does not wish any surgical procedures to be performed at any time, despite knowing that the gangrene in her feet will eventually kill her. Also, Ms. Alexander’s immediate family agrees with her and refuses to give their consent for the amputation, due to feeling that the physician’s motivation for the amputation centers around the testing a new post-amputation experimental medication on Ms. Alexander. Obviously, Ms. Alexander’s family members only have her safety and well-being in mind, for her death would mean considerable financial gain for these family members.

Characteristics of the Dilemma:

In essence, what is one to do in such a situation? Although the physician, being a highly-trained medical specialist/surgeon, fully realizes that Ms. Alexander will die from the gangrene infection in her feet if amputation is not performed, the question is whether he is bound by ethical considerations to yield to the wishes of his patient and her family members or use his better judgment as a physician and perform the operation without their consent.

In addition, since Ms. Alexander suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease, “characterized by confusion, memory failure, disorientation and… hallucinosis” (Glanze, 1990, p. 49), she may not fully understand that the gangrene in her feet requires immediate attention or else she will die prematurely (depending, of course, on how far her Alzheimer’s has progressed). The opinion of her family is also quite perplexing, for they surely know that gangrene will lead to Ms. Alexander’s death; their fear of the physician’s alleged motivation for using Ms. Alexander as a “guinea pig” for the post-amputation experimental medication is also perplexing. Obviously, they wish for Ms. Alexander to live as comfortable as possible for the time she has left and are not concerned about gaining financially from her death.

For this situation, Dr. Culver offers some advice on how the physician should act in the case of Ms. Alexander. First, “a family may be deeply divided about the appropriate treatment for their loved one,” which, in the case of Ms. Alexander, is between the family and the physician. Such disagreements “can be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to resolve in a short time at the bedside of a… patient” (1990, p. 195). Thus, the physician in this case faces one of the most common predicaments associated with medical ethics, that is, whether to override the concerns and disagreements of family members and proceed with an operation that will, in the long run, provide relief to the patient and extend his/her life.

Another aspect has to do with prognosis which can often be “a critical factor in a patient’s choice of desired levels of treatment,” especially when the patient suffers from a “disorder of the central nervous system” (Culver, 1990, p. 95) as in the case of Ms. Alexander and her Alzheimer’s. Her physician obviously knows that Ms. Alexander’s Alzheimer’s will eventually cause her premature death, for in most instances, the prognosis of Alzheimer’s is no more than seven-year from the onset of the disease (Glanze, 1990, p. 49). Worse yet, gangrene can lead to death within a very short time if not treated; in some cases, the gangrene may be too advanced which, in the case of Ms. Alexander, requires amputation. Thus, the prognosis for gangrene is death.

Conclusion:

Therefore, exactly how should the physician in this case respond to the desires of Ms. Alexander and her family members and what should he do — operate or let his patient die a rather horrible and painful death? Clearly, there is no solid resolution to this case unless the physician can convince Ms. Alexander’s family members of his professional sincerity and the need to amputate. Perhaps this case could best be resolved via some type of group consultation, made up of physicians and other medical specialists, who could then come to an agreement with Ms. Alexander’s family members regarding whether to amputate or allow Ms. Alexander to die prematurely.

References

Culver, Charles M., Ed. (1990). Ethics at the Bedside. Hanover: University Press of New England.

Glanze, Walter M., Ed. (1990). Mosby’s Medical, Nursing and Allied Health Dictionary. St. Louis: C.V. Mosby Company.

Haring, Bernard. (1973). Medical Ethics. Notre Dame, IN: Fides Publishers.

---

Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply

Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?

Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.

Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?

• Plagiarism free papers
• Timely delivery
• Any deadline
• Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
• Subject-relevant academic writer
• Adherence to paper instructions
• Ability to tackle bulk assignments
• Reasonable prices
• 24/7 Customer Support
• Get superb grades consistently

 

Online Academic Help With Different Subjects

Literature

Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.

Finance

Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.

Computer science

Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!

Psychology

While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.

Engineering

Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.

Nursing

In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.

Sociology

Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.

Business

We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!

Statistics

We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.

Law

Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.

What discipline/subjects do you deal in?

We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.

Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?

Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.

What if I don’t like the paper?

There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.

Reasons being:

• When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
• We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.

In the event that you don’t like your paper:

• The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
• We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
• Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.

Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?

Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.

What if the paper is plagiarized?

We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.

When will I get my paper?

You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.

Will anyone find out that I used your services?

We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.

How our Assignment  Help Service Works

1.      Place an order

You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.

2.      Pay for the order

Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.

3.      Track the progress

You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.

4.      Download the paper

The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.

PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!

---