Applying Ethical Theory

Applying Ethical Theory

The right to prevent medical intervention is well established. However, it is unclear how best to exercise and respect this right when it comes to life support issues. Withdrawing or withholding a life-sustaining treatment is quite challenging for healthcare providers, family members, and patients alike. When a patient’s life is about to end, one is expected to intervene, continue with treatments or try a new course of action. The patient does not want to be on life support, and this decision has even been notarized. The right of the patient to make her choices is paramount even when experts do not agree with the choice. However, conflict arises because clinicians are responsible for preventing harm, as shown in the ethical principle of non-maleficence. Ethical issues regarding patient autonomy and consent are at play in this scenario. Karnik and Kanekar (2016) claim that healthcare professionals need to respect the patient’s autonomy while considering its cons and perform their duties to benefit the patient without harm.

Virtue theories emphasize developing good character habits like benevolence and morality (Fieser, n.d ). One needs to know what the right thing to do is (Hinman, 2016). The right thing to do in this case would be to save the life of the patient, but at the same time, it is mandatory to consider the patient’s decision and consent. This is a moral dilemma that makes the right thing to do complex. However, given that preserving life is more honorable than allowing one to die when this action can be prevented, clinicians should consider putting the patient on life support.

Virtue ethics would be advantageous in this scenario because the caregivers would exercise their compassion traits, which will drive their actions to do what is right. Health practitioners have the trait of compassion, which should lead their actions. However, virtue ethics does not provide a definitive answer when it comes to moral dilemmas, such as one faced by clinicians in this case. Given that the right thing to be done in this scenario is not clear, virtue theories might pose a challenge.

Consequentialism is the idea that the badness or goodness of an action is only determined by the badness or goodness of the consequences that result from the action. While making a choice, an individual needs to list all the probable courses of action as well as the probable consequences of every course. Act utilitarianism is a theory that falls under this theory, and it posits that an individual needs to act in a way that results in the greatest good over evil, and how others will be impacted should be put in mind (Skelton, 2017). The action that might yield the greatest good while considering all the parties involved might be to discontinue the life support plan.

In this case, the advantage of using consequentialist theories is that a decision will be arrived at after weighing all possible options. The patient might have had a poor quality of life, might lack the finances to pay for the bills after coming out of the life support, and she probably just wanted to die. To save the patient further problems, in regard to living a quality life and the probable financial problems that the family might encounter, discontinuing life support care might produce the greatest good. However, it must be proven that the patient made the autonomous decision based on maximizing her self-interest, even though the choice might not have been physician-recommended. On the other hand, consequentialist theories like utilitarianism might require logical and extensive calculations before deciding on an action, hence making it unconducive for time-sensitive or emotional situations (Skelton, 2017). Given the urgency of the matter, this theory might be costly.

Deontological theories require one to act in accordance with their duties and follow appropriate rules (Hinman, 2016). Following appropriate rules, it would be important for the life support to be withdrawn because the autonomy and consent of the patient are paramount. Cooper (2016) claims that if a patient who has decision-making capacity denies recommended medical treatment, their denial must be accepted and honored. Therefore, it is the duty of the clinicians to follow the notarized decision by the patient not to be kept on life support.

Deontological theories focus on unbreakable duties like justice and beneficence, focusing on perfect duties that must be upheld, since breaking these would deny a person their due respect (Skelton, 2017). This would be advantageous in dealing with this situation as the clinicians will uphold their duty to the patient’s autonomy and decision-making and show great respect for her choices even if they disagree. However, even though these theories offer strict moral guidance, they can be inflexible and strict in some situations like the one at hand. The theory claims that it is acceptable to shirk off duty if it comes in conflict with personal relationships, but if it fails to highlight the situations in which one can shirk their duty (Skelton, 2017). This scenario is complex because the physician-client relationship is strong enough to warrant the decision to put the patient on life support, but the duty of the physician should be to honor the autonomy of the patient.

The right thing to do in this situation is not easy to tell. However, based on the ethical theory of deontology, the right thing to do in this situation would be to uphold the patient’s decision, informed consent, and autonomy by discontinuing the life support. This would help avoid legal problems and adhere to the patient’s will, even if it is against the expert recommendation.

References

Cooper, S. (2016). Taking no for an answer: Refusal of life-sustaining treatment. AMA Journal of Ethics, 12(6), 444-449.

Fieser, J. (n.d.). Ethics. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://www.iep.utm.edu/ethics/

Hinman, L. M. (2016). Ethical theories. Ethics Updates. Retrieved from

http://ethicsupdates.net/theories/index.shtml

Karnik, S., & Kanekar, A. (2016, June). Ethical issues surrounding end-of-life care: a narrative review. Healthcare (Basel), 4(2): 24.

Skelton, L. (2017). Ethical Theories and Perspectives on End-of-Life Decisions. Dialogue & Nexus, 4(1), 13.

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Applying Ethical Theory

Compose a 2-3 page paper in which you respond to a simulated medical ethics dilemma by applying the three
normative theories of ethics.

Introduction

The field of ethics is highly personalized; each individual has his or her own view of actions that are morally and
ethically sound. Rather than relying solely on personal experiences and emotions to govern ethical views, however,
individuals often use ethical theories as a foundation. Ethical theories are useful in a variety of ways:

• To help people think through issues that arise in their everyday life.
• To make decisions, particularly those involving moral and ethical challenges.
• To justify decisions to others.
• To recognize types of arguments that other individuals use.

You will learn about three traditions of normative ethics:

• Virtue ethics.
• Deontological ethics.
• Consequentialist ethics.
• These three traditions have contributed to our understanding about ethics through the works of key thinkers in history. Understanding these ethical theories will help you support your positions on ethical issues you encounter. In this assessment, you will apply ethical theory to a scenario that will be provided for you.

Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course
competencies through the following scoring guide criteria:
Competency 1: Explain the nature of ethical issues.
Explain the ethical issue in a scenario.
Competency 2: Critically examine the contributions of key thinkers from the history of ethics.
Apply the three traditional theories of normative ethics to a situation.
Competency 3: Engage in ethical debate.
Describe the advantages and disadvantages of each of three approaches to ethical theory as they
relate to a specific situation.
Competency 4: Develop a position on a contemporary ethical issue.
Apply ethical theory to justify an ethical position on an issue.
Competency 5: Communicate effectively in the context of personal and professional moral discourse.
Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members
of professional communities.

Overview
You have now studied the three approaches to ethical theory (deontological, consequentialist, and virtue theory) as
exemplified in the work of Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, and Aristotle. Your assessment is to write an essay
applying these three approaches to the following practical case:

• You are called to consult in the critical care unit of your local hospital. The hospital admits JoEllen, 53, after
  she takes an overdose of prescription medications with alcohol. On admission, she says, “Not supposed to
  be here . . . ” and soon becomes uncommunicative. As her condition deteriorates rapidly, her son arrives
  with a notarized advance directive in which JoEllen specifically asks not to be placed on life support. What
  should you recommend to the attending health professionals?

Instructions

As you write your essay, consider how you would achieve the following:

• Explain the ethical issue in this scenario.
• Apply the three traditional theories of normative ethics to this situation.
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the three theories as they relate to this situation.
• Apply ethical theory to justify your stance on the right thing to do in this situation.
• Your instructor may provide video feedback on your work, as well as complete the official scoring guide for the assessment.

Additional Requirements
Written communication: Ensure written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall
message.
APA formatting: Format resources and citations according to current APA style guidelines.
Number of resources: Use your judgment to ensure your topic is thoroughly researched. There is no
minimum number of resources required.
Length of paper: Submit 2-3 typed, double-spaced pages.
Font and font size: Use Arial, 12-point font.