Fundamentals of Nursing Q 583
A bioethical issue should be described as:
A. The physician’s making all decisions of client management without getting input from the client.
B. A research project that included treating all the white men and not treating all the black men to compare the outcomes of specific drug therapy.
C. The withholding of food and treatment at the request of the client in a written advance directive given before a client acquired permanent brain damage from an accident.
D. After the client gives permission, the physician’s disclosing all information to the family for their support in the management of the client.
Correct Answer: B. A research project that included treating all the white men and not treating all the black men to compare the outcomes of specific drug therapy.
The ethical issue was the inequality of treatment based strictly upon racial differences. Secondly, the drug was deliberately withheld even after results showed that the drug was working to cure the disease process in white men for many years. So after many years, the black men were still not treated despite the outcome of the research process that showed the drug to be effective in controlling the disease early at the beginning of the research project. Therefore harm was done. Nonmaleficence, veracity, and justice were not followed.
Option A: Patients have a right to make their own decisions about their healthcare, guided by the advice of health professionals. This guidance means making sure one fully understands his medical treatment options so one can weigh up options along with the benefits and risks before making a decision. This is called shared decision-making. It ensures that the patient and the doctor are making treatment and healthcare decisions together.
Option C: Advance care planning can help the people close to the patient and those caring for him know what is important to him about the level of healthcare and quality of life he would want if, for some reason, the patient is unable to participate in the discussions.
Option D: Information about medical conditions and treatments is more available than ever before, thanks largely to health websites on the internet. But despite this easy access to health information, it is hard to know what is relevant and appropriate for each patient. Everyone is different and only health professionals can provide the right health information that relates to an individual medical condition.