Assignment task:
Mr. C. Zhang, a 55-year-old Chinese male, is in the hospital. He has been diagnosed with end-stage lung disease. He currently is on a ventilator, but has stated his desire is to be removed from the ventilator. His healthcare provider has stated he would only have a short time to live if he decides to be removed from the ventilator. He has a wife, who is his power of attorney, and a daughter. Both of them are at the client's bedside. His wife has agreed to do whatever the client wants regarding medical decisions.
Mr. Zhang understands that it is highly unlikely that he will be able to breathe on his own without the ventilator. He writes on the communication board, "if I die, then I die but I cannot keep living like this." In the hallway, the daughter is telling the doctors and nurses not to disconnect the ventilator, as he is not ready to die. The daughter requests that you and the healthcare provider talk with the wife and tell her that taking the client off the ventilator at this time is not the correct thing to do. She pleads with you to make her father change his mind as it would have a devastating impact on her and her mother.
"Can't you just tell him you were wrong about his condition and that a few more days on the ventilator will make his lungs stronger?"
1. What is an ethical dilemma? What are the ethical dilemmas in the provided case study? What are at least three ethical principles at risk in this case?
2. Discuss at least three possible solutions. Discuss what a nurse's ethical responsibilities are in providing these possible solutions.
3. Choose one solution that you believe in and provide a fully developed rationale for your solution.
4. Consider how the use of interprofessional teams can influence the care of clients from diverse cultures. For example, how can social services, nutrition services, and occupational therapy assist in a discharge plan that considers cultural needs?
5. Demonstrate sensitivity and advocacy for diverse patients. How would you show cultural competence toward this patients' needs?
6. Explain factors that may affect communication within this nurse-client relationship.
7. Describe how culture, in this case study as well as globally, impacts nursing interventions and nursing decisions in an organization.