In what ways can whistle-blowers protect themselves

Assignment Help Other Subject
Reference no: EM131140512

Assignment: Professional Standards and Institutional Ethics

In each case, answer the questions at the end of the case and give researched references to support your assertions; also, explain what would be the ethical course of action and the legal requirements for action in the case.

Case One

Mrs. Lewis was head nurse on a medical surgical floor in a community hospital with 250 beds. Over the course of 6 months, she noticed that all patients admitted from the Shady Rest Nursing Home had signs of severe injuries other than those connected with the admitting diagnosis. There appeared to be patient abuse in the nursing home. Mrs. Lewis investigated discreetly and found no explanation possible except abuse. In accord with the obligations of the law in her state, she reported the matter to the Department of Welfare Bureau of Inspection.

The Welfare Department investigated immediately, found proof of abuse, and threatened to close down Shady Rest if there were any more recurrences. Mrs. Lewis was overjoyed until her hospital administrator, bypassing the director of nursing, called her in and warned her that she would be fired if she reported any other instances of abuse. Shady Rest sent the hospital a lot of business, and good relations had to be maintained.

Mrs. Lewis was even more shocked when she discovered that the administrator was a golf partner of the owner of Shady Rest and was doing an old buddy a favor. Despite fears of retaliation, Mrs. Lewis consulted a lawyer, who threatened the hospital with exposure and with penalties that would follow if one of its employees failed to follow the reporting provisions of the law on abuse in nursing homes.

Did Mrs. Lewis act correctly? What should she have done if she could not have afforded to consult with a lawyer? In what ways can whistle-blowers protect themselves? Must the art of intimidation be part of the toolbox of healthcare professionals in order to protect their patients? Is power an appropriate consideration in healthcare ethics?

Case Two

On a July weekend, Mrs. Allesfertig, nursing supervisor of the whole hospital, discovered that the intensive care unit was seriously understaffed. She pulled two nurses with previous ICU experience off other floors to bring the unit up to strength in view of the extreme level of acute care needed. On the following Monday, Dr. Bestknabe, who has overall responsibility for the ICU unit, closed the unit for further admissions until the staffing had been worked out on a permanent basis.

Should the new staffing policy give the nurses authority to refuse to admit patients when the staff is not sufficient to handle them? (In some hospitals, nurses have this authority.) Can any policy take precedence over the professional judgment of trained ICU nurses?

Reference no: EM131140512

Questions Cloud

Describes strength and weakness of the us constitution : Provide a topic sentence that briefly describes one strength and one weakness of the U.S. Constitution. Provide a topic sentence that recommends one option to maintain the strength and one to correct the weakness
Trudy company incurred the following costs : Indicate to which account Trudy would debit each of the costs.
Evaluate the computation accuracy of the network : Use a single hidden layer, but with a variable number of hidden neurons. Investigate how the network performance is affected by varying the size of the hidden layer.
The following expenditures relating to plant assets : List the numbers of the foregoing transactions, and opposite each indicate the account title to which each expenditure should be debited.
In what ways can whistle-blowers protect themselves : In what ways can whistle-blowers protect themselves? Must the art of intimidation be part of the toolbox of healthcare professionals in order to protect their patients?
What is your opinion about mandatory drug : What is your opinion about mandatory drug sentencing laws for possession of controlled substances as per the Federal Controlled Substance Act (CSA) law of 1970 and subsequent reauthorizations in terms of a deterrent to possession and distribution ..
Write paper and address the changes in scope of an industry : Write paper and Address the changes in scope of an industry.- Identify the industry you have selected and summarize industry changes over the past five years.
Find the probability of the customer selecting both items : Purchasing a Pizza The probability that a customer selects a pizza with mushrooms or pepperoni is 0.43, and the probability that the customer selects only mushrooms is 0.32. If the probability that he or she selects only pepperoni is 0.17, find th..
Match the statement with the term most directly associated : 1. _______ Rights, privileges, and competitive advantages that result from the ownership of long-lived assets that do not possess physical substance.

Reviews

Write a Review

 

Other Subject Questions & Answers

  Explain the historical evolution of habeas corpus

Explain the historical evolution of habeas corpus, including its English and American traditions. The explanation of its evolution within the American tradition should include the general meaning of the right of habeas corpus in the U.S. Constitut..

  Diagnosing and troubleshooting errors

How do third-party plug-ins change the process of diagnosing and troubleshooting errors within an application?

  How did the researchers answer their question

What is the question that the researchers are attempting to answer? How does this question fit into the research that has already been done in that area? Why is it important?

  Using washburn guitars

In Washburn's factory, what is the break-even point for the new line of guitars if the retail price is $349? Using Washburn guitars, explain shifting the demand curve versus moving along the demand curve.

  No cover sheet is requiredchoose an african american and

no cover sheet is required.choose an african american and have the person approved by the professor. make sure that

  Extensive paper on free will

I have to write an extensive paper on free will. Please give me some possible sources on this topic! They must be reputable... (not like something on the internet).

  How do toys influence behavior self-concept and identity

How do toys influence behavior, self-concept, and identity? What did you observe concerning positive and negative gender stereotyping

  Describe the changes in predominant health problems

Your lectures in the first half of our course discuss major events in U.S. healthcare history and key changes over time. Briefly describe the changes in predominant health problems among Americans since good record keeping began in the 1800s.

  He also begins seeing children for therapy and advertises

dr. martin decides he wants to extend his practice to treating children. he has never had any training in child

  Features of the culture industry-discourse

Which of the following are the two features of the culture industry: Althusser's key contribution to the study of popular culture was focused on theories related to: Which of the following statements about discourse is NOT true?

  Discuss legal and statutory requirements

Discuss legal and statutory requirements that apply to rooms division operations

  Attraction in interpersonal relationships

Share an example of a time when you developed a friendship/relationship with someone whom you did not get along with at first.

Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd