Medical Indications: The Principles of Beneficence and Nonmaleficence What is the patient’s medical problem? Is the problem acute? Chronic? Critical? Reversible? Emergent? Terminal?

Medical Indications: The Principles of Beneficence and Nonmaleficence What is the patient’s medical problem? Is the problem acute? Chronic? Critical? Reversible? Emergent? Terminal?

Ethical Framework Essay

One of the most challenging situations in my nursing career that required me to consider ethical dimensions was when I attended to an 80-year-old woman suffering from stage IV cervical cancer. I needed to consider different ethical dimensions related to the patient’s care when attending to the patient.

Medical Indications: The Principles of Beneficence and Nonmaleficence

1. What is the patient’s medical problem? Is the problem acute? Chronic? Critical? Reversible? Emergent? Terminal?

The patient’s medical problem was stage IV cervical cancer which can be classified as a terminal disease. In stage IV, cancer means that cancer will have spread in an individual’s body to other parts of the body and organs of an individual, making it difficult to treat.

1. What are the goals of treatment?

The goals of treatment for stage IV cervical cancer include controlling symptoms and improving a patient’s quality of life, and stopping cancer growth in some instances.

1. In what circumstances are medical treatments not indicated?

For patients with stage IV cervical cancer, medical treatment is not indicated when cancer has spread extensively to major organs.

1. What are the probabilities of success of various treatment options?

For patients with stage IV cervical cancer, the probability of success of various treatment options such as chemotherapy are low because cancer has already metastasized to major organs.

1. In sum, how can this patient be benefited by medical and nursing care, and how can harm be avoided?

Stage IV cancer patients can benefit significantly from medical and nursing care, especially through receiving counseling services to avoid trauma from the diagnosis and the various treatment procedures such as surgery that may be associated with the diagnosis. The provision of a non-judgmental environment for the patient and consistent therapeutic communication can also help significantly to improve the health outcomes of the patient. On the other hand, harm can be avoided on the eight-year-old stage IV cancer patients by avoidance of unnecessary treatments that can negatively affect the patient’s quality of life while not providing the patient any benefits as a result of the significant advancement of their cancer Guidolin et al., (2021). For instance, chemotherapy may not be preferred for the Stage IV cancer patient due to the significant harm it could cause on the patient while also having less impact on the improvement of symptoms related to the patient.

Patient Preferences:  The Principle of Respect for Autonomy

1. Has the patient been informed of benefits and risks, understood this information, and given consent?

For the case study involving the 80-year-old female patient suffering from stage IV cancer, they were advised on the risks and benefits of any form of treatment such as chemotherapy. The patients were therefore educated on how chemotherapy would affect them and were given space to decide whether to begin chemotherapy treatment or to forgo treatment and receive less engaging treatments to improve their daily life.

1. Is the patient mentally capable and legally competent, and is there evidence of incapacity?

The 80-year-old female with stage IV cancer was legally competent and mentally capable of making informed decisions. This is because the patient did not show any form of mental incapacity or impairment of thoughts.

1. If mentally capable, what preferences about treatment is the patient stating?

In the case study, the eight-year-old patient highlighted that she did not want to go through chemotherapy as her cancer had already spread to different organs and that what she needed was a treatment that would improve her quality of life and extend her life. The patient stated that she did not want to go through chemotherapy as such treatment was risky, and she had no chances of controlling cancer which had advanced significantly.

1. If incapacitated, has the patient expressed prior preferences?

Because the eight-year-old patient with stage IV cancer was not incapacitated, she had not expressed any prior preferences.

1. Who is the appropriate surrogate to make decisions for the incapacitated patient?

Patient’s children

1. Is the patient unwilling or unable to cooperate with medic
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