Legal and Ethical Issues in Planning and Delivery of Healthcare Services

Target:

Evaluate legal and ethical issues associated with the planning and delivery of healthcare services

Course Objectives for Assignment: 

• Identify and apply ethical principles to the management and delivery of health care.
• Promote informed decision-making by communicating emerging ethical and legal health care trends to stakeholders.

IMPORTANT NOTE: NO LATE SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED.  In addition to the written instructions, there are 2 VIDEOS that explain this assignment. See above links for videos.

The final project for this course is an analysis of the legal and or ethical issues involved in the below health care scenario. See questions to be answered at end of this factual scenario below. I have also provided, after the formatting requirements for the paper, two articles that will aid you in your analyzing the scenario and writing your paper.  

The two articles to base the analysis of your paper are entitled:

Clinical Ethics Issues and Discussion and

A Framework for Thinking Ethically

This is the final paper for the class and must be double spaced and be approximately 4-5 pages in 12 point New Times Roman font. Include a cover page [not counted as a page] which should have student name and title of your paper. See more formatting requirements later in these paper instructions.

NOTE: For this paper it is unnecessary to do any research beyond the two articles and e-books furnished with this assignment.  You may use all the articles in the class also. No case research is required.  To do internet research would only be wasting your valuable time.

Case Scenario

A 72 year old man was admitted to the Neurological Intensive Care Unit following a cerebral hemorrhage which left him with severe brain damage and ventilator dependent. One year before this event, the patient and his wife had drawn up “living wills” with an attorney. He was diagnosed by her treating physician as being in a permanent unconscious condition. The patient’s living will specified that the patient did not want ventilator support or other artificial life support in the event of a permanent unconscious condition or terminal condition.

The patient’s wife is his legal next of kin and the person with surrogate decision-making authority. When the living will was discussed with him, she insisted that the patient had not intended for the document to be used in a situation like the present one. Further discussion with her revealed that she understood that the patient would not be able to recover any meaningful brain function but she argued that the living will did not apply because his condition was not imminently terminal. She further indicated that she did not consider the patient to be in a permanent unconscious condition.  The immediate family members (the couple’s adult children) disagreed with their mother’s refusal to withdraw life support.

The treatment team allowed a week to pass to allow the wife more time to be supported in his grief and to appreciate the gravity of his wife’s situation.  Nevertheless, at the end of this time, the surrogate was unwilling to authorize withdrawal of life support measures consistent with the patient’s wishes as expressed in the patient’s living will. End of scenario.

You paper should have 3 major sections. Each is numbered 1, 2 and 3. Questions to be discussed based on the facts above. You must weave into your discussion the relevant facts from above scenario to support your discussion in discussion areas 2 and 3 below. And for discussion area 3 you must weave into your discussion the ethics philosophy you pick for each issue from the article A Framework for Thinking Ethically. A penalty will be deducted if you fail to use appropriate headings in your paper.

1. Three Legal/Ethical Issues. Just list the three most important legal/ethics issues in this scenario that you will discuss. They must be three separate, different and distinct issues. Pay particular attention to the articles and resources furnished with this assignment. No explanation is required in this section, just state them 1, 2, 3 distinct issues.

2. Discussion of Three Legal/Ethical Issues.  Discuss the three most important ethical/legal issues you listed above. Must use the relevant facts in the scenario to support your discussion of the legal/ethical issues.

          Must use headings below.  Headings will be:

           Legal/Ethical Issue 1 [state the issue] then discussion

           Legal/Ethical Issue 2 [state the issue] then discussion

           Legal/Ethical Issue 3 [state the issue] then discussion

      For each legal/ethical issue above discuss

            a. Why each is a legal /ethical issue?

            b. Discuss each issue in the context of the scenario facts and

            c. Define the concepts you use

3. How I would Handle Each Issue.  First, in this section and for each issue, as a well-informed health care provider, how would you handle each of the three issues discussed above and why?  Must use the relevant facts in the scenario to support your positions. Secondly for each issue, using the article in these requirements, entitled “A Framework of Thinking Ethically” fully discuss the specific ethics philosophy that would epitomize your handling of each issue. Fully define the specific ethics philosophy used and weave the ethics philosophy into your discussion. See article below entitled A Framework for Thinking Ethically.  This paper does not want your feeling or opinion, rather a thoughtful response is expected, as it has been throughout class.

Must use headings below.  Headings will be:

Handling of Legal/Ethical Issue #1 (followed by the discussion)

Handling of Legal/Ethical Issue #2 (followed by the discussion)

Handling of Legal/Ethical Issue #3 (followed by the discussion)

[A penalty will be deducted if you fail to use appropriate headings in your paper. ]

This is an independent paper and you are on the honor system not to discuss or consult with any students or other individuals about this paper. You may use the information we have discussed in the class, the articles in the class, and the two articles I have furnished below. Just so you know, all you need to read to analyze the questions for your paper are the two articles I have furnished with this assignment and information in the class.

All you need to read to analyze the questions for this paper are the two articles below entitled:

Clinical Ethics Issues and Discussion & A Framework for Thinking Ethically

The paper must be:

• Late submission – No late assignment 4 papers will be accepted. Paper must be in narrative format not outline or bullets. 

• Double spaced and be 4-5 pages in 12 point New Times Roman font. [No deduction if paper exceeds a page or so.  Thus 3 and half page paper will be penalized.]
• Must cite to source of all your  facts in the text of your paper in APA format. 
• Use your own words. No quotations longer than 10 words.
• You can cite directly to the original source. Here are the links to the sources where the University received copyright permissions for the materials:
• Clinical Ethics and Law:http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/law.html
• A Framework for Ethical Decision Making:https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/a-framework-for-ethical-decision-making/
• Resources:  The following class resources can be used to identify discuss and propose a resolution to the 3 legal/ethical issues. All of these issues and resources are in the classroom. Be resourceful. Find the links in the classroom as needed.

Lategan, L. O. K., & Van Zyl, G. J. (2017). Healthcare ethics for healthcare practitioners. UJ Press.

Chapter 5: Influence of Culture, Values and Faith in End-of-Life Decisions. Page 53+

Chapter 9: Ethical Decisionmaking Processes. Page 94+

The Ethical Framework for Decision-making. 

Showalter, S. (2020). The law of healthcare administration. (9th ed.). Health Administration Press.

Chapter 11. Consent and Withholding Consent. Page 405+  Many other topics are covered. Based on the legal/ethical issue you identify, other chapters may be helpful.

• Include a cover page [not counted as a page] which should have student name and title of your paper [Provide a short name for the legal responsibility the specific health care organization has for one type of patient right in a specific setting ] 
• A the end of the paper a list of references [not counted as a page]    
• Be prepared using word-processing software and saved with a .doc, .docx, or .rtf extension. No pdf.
• Be uploaded to your Assignments Folder by 11:59 p.m. EST on the due date.    
• The paper is to be posted in Assignment #4 drop box.

Grading rubric for assignment is with assignment in Assignments area of class.