Unit Code&Title: NURS1006 Ethics and Law for Professional Practice
Assessment Type: Essay
Word Count: 2500 words
Task: Write an essay of around 2,500 words (+/-10%) that draws upon Steps 1 – 3 of the decision-making framework (McDonald & Then 2019) to explore and analyse the legal and ethical implications of the case study outlined below.
NURS1006 Ethics and Law for Professional Practice Essay- Australia.
You are on placement in the children’s haematology/oncology ward at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia. During your placement, you have enjoyed caring for a 15-year-old male called ‘Abdul’. Abdul is well-known to staff because he had previously been diagnosed with a rare malignant blood condition. He is well liked by staff, and he is considered mature for his age.
Abdul is back in hospital after recent tests showed a re-emergence of his condition. Abdul attends the hospital with his parents, and the paediatric oncologist has recommended a new treatment that has just become available. After meeting with the paediatric oncologist, Abdul initiates a conversation with you while his parents are out. Abdul reports that his parents are refusing to let him receive the treatment, saying the risks are too high. But Abdul says to you, ‘I know the risks, I want to do this, it’s my best chance of a cure’.
Apply the ethical decision-making framework to this case study (Steps 1-3 only).
This case study was adapted from McDonald & Then 2019, p. 139.