Posted: February 14th, 2023
Develop, in detail, a situation in which a health care worker might be confronted with ethical problems related to patients and prescription drug use OR patients in a state of poverty.
You should not be using any text you used in a discussion board or assignment for this class or any previous class.
Cite the textbook and incorporate outside sources, including citations.
This activity will be graded based on the Assignment Grading Rubric.
CO 7: Assess the moral solutions arrived at through “care” (care-based ethics) and “rights” ethics to social issues of ethical import such as poverty, drug use, lack of health care, and similar issues.
CO 8: Develop moral guidelines for using key recent and emerging healthcare and social technologies based on moral theories such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, care-based ethics, ethical egoism, social contract theory, etc.
SOLUTION
Scenario: Maria is a nurse working in a low-income community clinic. She has been providing care for a patient named Ana, who suffers from chronic pain due to a work-related injury. Ana has been taking opioid pain medications for several years, but she is becoming increasingly dependent on them. Maria is worried about the potential for addiction and the possibility of overdose, but Ana is resistant to the idea of tapering off the medication or seeking alternative treatments.
Ethical Problems: Maria faces several ethical problems related to Ana’s prescription drug use. First, she must balance the duty to provide effective pain relief with the risk of harm posed by opioid addiction and overdose. Second, she must consider the issue of patient autonomy and the right of Ana to make her own decisions about her care. Finally, Maria must address the issue of distributive justice and the impact of poverty on access to healthcare.
Care-Based Ethics: From a care-based perspective, Maria should prioritize the patient’s well-being and work to build a trusting relationship with Ana. She should communicate her concerns about the risks of opioid use and explore alternative treatment options with Ana. Maria should also address the social determinants of health that contribute to Ana’s chronic pain, such as poor working conditions and lack of access to healthy food and safe housing.
Rights-Based Ethics: From a rights-based perspective, Ana has the right to make decisions about her own care, but Maria also has a duty to ensure that Ana is fully informed of the risks and benefits of her treatment options. Ana has the right to effective pain relief, but she also has the right to receive care that does not harm her or put her at risk of addiction or overdose. From a distributive justice perspective, Maria must consider the impact of poverty on Ana’s access to healthcare and work to ensure that she has access to appropriate resources and support.
Assessment: Both care-based and rights-based approaches offer valuable insights into the ethical problems faced by Maria. However, these solutions are not without their flaws. Care-based ethics may be criticized for placing too much emphasis on the individual relationship between Maria and Ana and neglecting the broader social and political structures that contribute to Ana’s health problems. Rights-based ethics may be criticized for prioritizing individual autonomy over other values, such as distributive justice and the common good. Ultimately, a comprehensive
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