Category / Case Studies / Medical Ethics / Pandemic Ethics / Religion and Morality
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Case Study – Vaccine Line Skipping: A Matter of Fairness
Jessica is a 33-year-old female, who relatively speaking, is a healthy individual. She does have level 1 asthma, which is well managed and has not had an incident or attack in recent memory. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she has been “working from home” for the past year, with no excessive diminishing of her quality of life.
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Case Study –God Wants Me to Suffer. Hospital Care and Religious Beliefs
Landon is a 47-year-old father of two who has a history of alcohol abuse but has been sober for over a year. He was admitted from the emergency department, where he presented earlier this morning with acute abdominal pain. He was diagnosed with pancreatitis and biliary colic, indicating the need for a cholecystectomy (a laparoscopic procedure to remove the gallbladder to prevent gall stones, pain and infection).
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Case Study – Moral Distress and Hospital Workers
Jennifer is an ICU nurse, having worked for Pleasantville Medical Center for 20 years. Currently, she says she is taking Covid-19 hard. She has confided to friends and fellow hospital staff that she feels she is carrying a large burden.
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Case Study – Continue to Fight? Patient Decision-Making Changes
Sarah is a 73-year-old individual who identifies as female and is suffering from metastatic colon cancer. While an inpatient, she is cared for by her longtime oncologist, hospitalists, and ultimately a critical care team. Initially Sarah has decision-making capacity, Sarah makes decisions with her family (husband and two adult children).
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Case Study – Don’t Take My Foot! Surrogate Decision-Making
The patient, Lockett, is an 82-year-old male, admitted for shortness of breath and complications from his diabetes. Lockett has been diabetic for over 10 years and has not been following the treatment plan outlined by his physicians.
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Case Study – Should Leo’s Nonadherence be Grounds for Firing Him as a Patient
The patient, Leo, is a 54-year-old male, suffering from multiple medical condition including shortness of breath, COPD, renal complications, and confusion. Leo has a history of alcohol and substance abuse. The patient does have decision making capacity but is also supported and spoken for (not in an official way) by his large family.
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Case Study – Maxine’s New Love and Decisional Capacity
The patient, Maxine, is an 88-year-old female, admitted due to shortness of breath and complications due to severe dementia. Maxine is well known at the hospital, having followed her for several years including the death of her husband, original dementia diagnosis, and monitoring of her progression.
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Case Study – Would He Want the Clinical Research Trial
The patient is a 44-year-old male, suffering from complications from an aggressive form of cancer. The patient’s condition has continued to worsen, with treatments not as effective as expected, and now expectations are low. The patient is non-responsive but does have a completed advance directive, which states that aggressive measures should cease if there is not a high expectation of meaningful recovery.
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Case Study – The Avid Outdoorsman and Quality of Life
The patient is a 45-year-old male with chronic cardiac issues. If the current standard continues, the patient is not expected to live past the next five years. It is recommended that the patient undergo a surgical procedure that will add several years to his life expectancy.