Scenario: You have been working as an RN onan orthopedic unit since your graduation from your nursing program2 years ago. Both the doctors and supervisor respect your work, andyou have found it exciting to work with the home health nurses asmany of your patients need home health follow-up for physicaltherapy and other needs following their surgeries.
Mrs. George is an elderly widow who has recently had bilateralhip replacement. Although she has made good progress, she continuesto need quite a bit of assistance with ambulation. Normally, iffamily members cannot assist them at home, patients with bilateralhip replacements are sent from the hospital to an assisted livingfacility for several weeks. Mrs. George does not have any immediatefamily to help her, but she has pleaded with her doctor, you, andthe home health nurse to let her go back to her homewhich she refers to as a cabin in the “piney woods” to complete herrecuperation. The doctor tells you and the home health nurse towork on a plan to see if it is feasible.
The home health nurse reports after her home assessment thatwith some assistance every day, she could probably manage at home,and although her cabin is not near any neighbor, she does have atelephone. Mrs. George is insistent that she will not goto what she calls “a nursing home” and her insurance will nolonger pay for her to stay at the hospital. Eventually, it isdecided that Meals on Wheels will deliver her meals and that a homehealth nurse will call on her every other day and a physicaltherapist will visit every other day so that she will have at leasttwo people in her home each day.
Although you and the home health nurse and the doctor are a bituneasy, you feel that you have solved this ethical dilemma (achoice between two negative solutions) and have selected the onethat is the least damaging to Mrs. George’s quality oflife.
Seven days after Mrs. George is discharged, there is a severestorm which disables most phone lines including Mrs. George’s. Thestorm also causes the flue in her wood stove to overheat in themiddle of the night causing a fire. Mrs. George is unable to useher walker fast enough to get outside before the fire consumes thesmall cabin. Mrs. George dies in the fire.
Your initial post should include a discusion based on thefollowing prompts:
Would you have solved this problem as described?
Name 2 things you would have donedifferently.
Does knowing the outcome change the way you wouldsolve the problem?
Having a negative outcome may or may not mean that theethical problem solving was faulty.
Do you feel the people in this story made a faultydecision?
If so, what would you have done differently?
