Category / Case Studies / Professional Education and Clinical Services
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![Arrows on pavement to represent having to make a choice.]()
Bioethics Case Study – When Facilities Refuse Admission
Bioethics case study on when facilities refuse admission, hospitals are the last resort in VIDEO and PRINT. Hospitals must jump through hoops to find facilities that can meet patient mental health needs. Without a deliberate effort to provide for such patients, they will continue to remain abandoned by society and left to places of last resort, typically the hospital. Published by the Center for Practical Bioethics.
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![Hospital entrance automatic doors.]()
Case Study: Patient Discharge Issues
Bioethics case study on patient discharge issues. Mr. Stone has a history of combative or noncompliant behavior before hospitalization. Since hospitalized, Mr. Stone has regularly taken his medications and cooperated with staff. But the staff is having difficulty discharging him due to his previous behavior.
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![Clinician talking with other clinician in the background.]()
Bioethics Case Study – What Does It Mean to be a Bioethics Expert?
Bioethics case study on bioethics expertise in VIDEO and PRINT. What Does It Mean to Be an Expert? Perception, Reality and Practical Implications When does someone’s expertise become beneficial to others? As professional ethicist do we understand morality more than others, and if so, what is my role to others as an expert? The case illustrates how bioethics expertise enabled a son to feel understood and supported in allowing his mother to pass. Published by the Center for Practical Bioethics.
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![The Statue of Liberty.]()
Bioethics Case Study – Justice for Undocumented Patients
Bioethics case study on undocumented patients in VIDEO and PRINT. This case study in clinical ethics discusses ‘When What Is Right ≠ What Is Best’ regarding justice for undocumented patients. Published by the Center for Practical Bioethics.
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![A caring doctor-patient moment. The doctor is setting their hand on the patient's hand.]()
Case Study – Doctor-Patient Relationships: When Is It Ethically Acceptable to End Them?
Bioethics case study on doctor-patient relationships in VIDEO and PRINT. This case study in clinical ethics discusses when it is acceptable to end a doctor-patient relationship. Published by the Center for Practical Bioethics.
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![Man holding his head in pain.]()
Case Study: Behavioral Issues Lead to Challenging Discharge
Bioethics case study on Mr. Ankeal with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and multiple other chronic conditions, including chronic pain has been hospitalized. He has been moving between outpatient dialysis centers for several months due to repeated behavioral issues. The hospital care team has been unable to find an outpatient dialysis clinic willing to accept him due to his documented behavioral history. Published by the Center for Practical Bioethics.
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![Distributive Justice demonstrated with two plastic fish in glasses of water. One fish has plenty of water, the other does not.]()
Case Study – Distributive Justice: A Challenge for Clinical Ethics
Bioethics case study on distributive justice in VIDEO and PRINT. This case study in clinical ethics challenges several concepts within the idea of justice. Should this patient receive an equal share? Or receive according to his need? How do we ensure we treat this patient fairly?
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![A bed and night stand.]()
Case Study: When is it ethical to override a patient’s medical wishes?
Bioethics case study on Mr. Schumann, who signed an advance directive seven years ago indicating that he would not want life-sustaining treatment if he were unconscious with no hope of recovery. The family acknowledges the directive but insists that, if he could speak today, he would want everything done – for their sake.
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![A priest giving mass.]()
Case Study: Autonomy and Moral Distress Father Trent Chooses to Reject a Kidney
Bioethics case study on Fr. Trent’s request presenting a complex ethical dilemma involving organ allocation policy, personal autonomy, and the role of altruism in life-saving medical decisions.
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![The McKenzie River in Oregon.]()
Case Study: Obligation to Report Self-Harm
Bioethics case study on Ms. Taylor disclosing her intention to pursue physician-assisted death (PAD), also known as medical aid in dying (MAID). Although she currently resides in a state where MAID is illegal, she retains legal residency in Portland, Oregon – where the practice is permitted – and has already obtained the necessary medication.
