What legal and ethical issues were raised by this case?
What will be an ideal response?
Suggested response: The key ethical issues of respect for autonomy, capacity and consent lie at the very heart of this case. The doctors and nurses involved were challenged in their decision making about Kerrie's care as Kerrie was not giving consent for the medical treatment needed to treat an anti-freeze overdose. Without this treatment, there was a high probability that Kerrie would die. What is the central issue here? A fundamental premise of our society is that people should be able to make decisions about their lives, and that their autonomy in making choices should be respected, as long as this does not impact on, or cause harm to, others. The Coroner in the Kerrie Wooltorton case when summing up the evidence stated: ‘Any treatment to save Kerrie's life in these circumstances would have been unlawful because the law respects the autonomy of an individual to make a decision even if the decision is seen to be perverse or unwise by others'. Therefore, key to this case is the consideration of capacity and a person's ability to self-determine their actions. This has led to legal provision that supports an individual with capacity to refuse medical treatment even if this leads to their serious injury or death.
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The functional units of the musculoskeletal system are the:
a. Joints. b. Bones. c. Muscles. d. Tendons.
A patient is suffering from shortness of breath. How should the nurse write the expected outcome for this patient?
a. "The patient will be comfortable by the morning." b. "The patient will breathe unlabored at 14 to 18 breaths per minute by the end of the shift." c. "The patient will not complain of breathing problems." d. "The patient will appear less short of breath."
What is the earliest symptom of emphysema?
a. barrel-shaped chest b. dyspnea with activity c. daily morning cough with clear sputum d. ruddy complexion
A hospitalized patient who is taking demeclocycline [Declomycin] reports increased urination, fatigue, and thirst. What will the nurse do?
a. Contact the provider to report potential toxic side effects. b. Notify the provider to discuss changing the medication to doxycycline. c. Perform bedside glucometer testing to evaluate the serum glucose level. d. Provide extra fluids and reassure the pa-tient that these are expected side effects.