Ethics_Case_Study

Ethics Case Study Jasmine J. Kelly Northwestern State University Abstract This paper will extend my knowledge of cultural and ethical considerations when providing nursing care to diverse populations. I will read Chapter 8 in my Butts and Rich ethical textbook and a case study. I will then carefully answer questions and apply the Four Topics Method for Analysis of Clinical Ethics Cases to my answers. I will also address how my cultural background may influence my decision about organ transplantation. The recipient I would choose for the organ donation of the liver is Mrs. Bay. Mrs. Bay has is ahead of Mr. Mann on the waiting list and I do not think it would be fair for him to receive the liver transplant when she has been waiting longer. One policy regarding organ donation is first come, first serve, which is a fairness principle. Another policy is the social worth principle, which is a method of placing more value on some people and not on others because of certain individual characteristics. Mrs. Bay is a mother who is raising two children and is active in her community, Mr. Man is not on good terms with his two children but he is still their father, on the other hand he doesn’t guarantee that he will stop drinking once he receives the transplant. Mr. Man has ESLD due to alcoholic cirrhosis, which is the scarring of the liver. The scar tissue formed because of his heavy drinking that he has done since high-school. Mrs. Bay has ESLD due to hepatitis which is the inflammation of the liver. She has liver cells that have been destructed and cells that are inflamed. She didn’t do anything to put her health in danger it just happened. My cultural background may have influenced my decision because my family and I believe in fairness. We are compassionate people. I make decisions on what I think is right and what I feel is morally correct. References Diseases that may lead to Transplantation:Hepatitis. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.transplantliving.org/beforethetransplant/diseases/hepatitis.aspx Diseases that may lead to Transplantation: Cirrhosis. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.transplantliving.org/beforethetransplant/diseases/cirrhosis.aspx Organ Distribution: Allocation of Livers. (2010). Retrieved from http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/policiesandbylaws/policies.asp Butts, Janie B. and Rich, Karen L. (2008) Nursing Ethics: Across the Curriculum and Into Practice. Sudbury, Massachusetts. Jones and Barlett Publishers.