Category / Case Studies / Medical Ethics and Policy Guidance / Technology and Science
-
![Bushes cut to the shape of a question mark in a field.]()
Case Study: Starting ECMO Without Consent
Bioethics case study on starting ECMO without consent. Starting ECMO: Husband Requests Intervention for Wife Without Her Consent The patient’s husband requests ECMO without her consent. Center for Practical Bioethics
-
![A hand intervening in dominoes falling. Stopping the process.]()
Bioethics Case Study – ECMO and Healthcare Technology
Bioethics case study on ECMO and Healthcare Technology in VIDEO and PRINT. Technology Means Hard Choices: To Start or Not to Start ECMO. His wife became critically ill and had to be transferred to the ICU after delivering her baby via emergency C-section. She continued to decline in the ICU to the point that her only chance of survival was to be transferred to another hospital to start ECMO. Published by the Center for Practical Bioethics.
-
![Ink stamps spelling out "no!"]()
Case Study: Undocumented Patient Relies on Hospital ED
Bioethics case study on undocumented patients denied care. Mr. Ramirez is a 44-year-old male with multiple medical conditions, including cirrhosis of the liver and acute kidney failure. He has expressed that outpatient dialysis would indeed be his preference, but due to his undocumented status, accessing it is not an option.
-
![One bird figurine is rejecting the other bird figurine.]()
Case Study: COPD Patient Rejects Science on Smoking
Bioethics case study on patients rejecting science. Bonnie, the patient, stated that she does not believe smoking causes health problems, noting that her father was a lifelong smoker who smoked until the day he died at the age of 94, without any apparent smoking-related illnesses. The medical team is uncertain how to proceed with treatment, and an ethics consult has been requested. Center for Practical Bioethics
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
-
![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.
