Case Study On Biomedical Ethics 

Bioethics is a branch of ethics that is concerned with moral challenges that pertains to the practice of medicine as well as biomedical research. In the day to day practice, healthcare providers are confronted with several medical challenges that arise due to advancements in medical technology (Haddad & Geiger, 2018)Case Study On Biomedical Ethics . Due to the prevalence of ethical dilemmas that arise in their line of duty, healthcare providers are guided by four main principles that include Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Autonomy, justice and fairness. The ethical issues presented in the case study primarily revolve around the doctor’s recommendation as well as the decision by James’ parents. According to the doctor’s opinion, James needed a kidney dialysis immediately.

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The doctor guided by the principle of autonomy discussed all the necessary details about James’ helath condition with his parents and suggested the most appropriate treatment plan. However, the doctor’s recommendations were incompatible with the beliefs of the parents prompting him to allow the parents have their say in believing that God was to heal their child and hence, allowed Mike and Joanne to seek faith-based healing for their baby. This paper will discuss the four principles of bioethics and also highlight the Christian worldview in relation to the case study.
Applying the Four Principles: Case Study
Part 1: Chart (60 points)Case Study On Biomedical Ethics
Based on the “Healing and Autonomy” case study, fill out all the relevant boxes below. Provide the information by means of bullet points or a well-structured paragraph in the box. Gather as much data as possible.

Medical Indications
Beneficence and Nonmaleficence Patient Preferences
Autonomy
 The doctor examined the patient and highlighted a diagnosis based on the signs and symptoms presented by the patient.
 The doctor noted that James contracted a kidney failure that was a secondary infection resulting from a previous case of strep throat infection.
 In the best interest for the patient, the doctor informed the patient’s parents of the need for immediate dialysis to help the child before the condition worsens.  In the case of respect for autonomy, the doctor willingly accepted to recognize and accept the decision by James parents to seek for faith-based healing because they believed that God was to heal their son. The doctor allowed the parents make a decision that was contrary to his opinion.
 The doctor respected the autonomy of the parents even though they made a decision that was contrary to his medical decision of having the child undergo a kidney dialysis.Case Study On Biomedical Ethics

Quality of Life
Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Autonomy Contextual Features
Justice and Fairness
 The doctor proposed the most effective alternative of dialysis because it was the only option that was to improve James’ condition.
 James parents objected the suggestion by the doctor to have a dialysis and instead opted for faith-based healing as they have a strong believe in God’s healing powers.
 Because James parents objected the doctor’s advice on relieving the symptom of their child, James’ health condition worsened.
 James’ helath condition deteriorated became his parents objected the decision of the doctor to have him under a kidney dialysis and instead opted for faith-based healing.
 After faith-based healing failed to heal James’ condition, his parents decided to try the doctor’s earlier recommendations of having a kidney dialysis.
 By the time James’ parents were consenting to the doctor’s decision of having a dialysis, the condition had worsened and instead, the doctor requested for a kidney transplant to help fic the problem because it was at an advanced stage.
 None of the volunteers including James’ parents and other church members was compatible with James hence, they could not donate a kidney for James.
 The doctor recommended James’ twin brother, Samwell to be the most suitable kidney donor for James because they were compatible. Case Study On Biomedical Ethics

Part 2: Evaluation
Answer each of the following questions about how the four principles and four boxes approach would be applied:
1. In 200-250 words answer the following: According to the Christian worldview, how would each of the principles be specified and weighted in this case? Explain why. (45 points)
Ethical issues and ethical dilemma in healthcare are a common occurrence and they must be addressed with utmost intelligence by giving priority to the most appropriate or effective decision. While some medical cases are straightforward, there are some that are very difficult to make a decision and therefore, the decision-making process is guided by the four principles of ethics that include Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Autonomy and justice (Bifarin & Stonehouse, 2022)Case Study On Biomedical Ethics . The principles help to guide medical practitioners on the course of action when confronted by two or more issues that seem to compete against each other.
According to the Christian worldview, the most appropriate principle to consider in the case study is beneficence which defined the actions that gives the most beneficial outcome to the patient (Grand Canyon University (Ed)., 2020). James parents for instance, opted to try healing through prayers because they had witnessed a case of a patient who regained mobility from stroke after due to prayers. In a similar manner, James parents believed that their son could be healed and therefore took him to prayers because they believed it was the most appropriate decision to cure their son. After realizing that their son could not be healed by prayer alone, they went back to the doctor to have their son receive the recommended treatment plan. In this case, the parents have a right to medical decisions of their son and hence cannot be judged for making a wrong decision because they were doing so for the best interest of their son. Case Study On Biomedical Ethics

2. In 200-250 words answer the following: According to the Christian worldview, how might a Christian balance each of the four principles in this case? Explain why. (45 points)
When making medical decisions that are presented by ethical dilemmas, it is important to balance the four principles so as to have positive health outcomes. in the case study, just like the parents, a Christian can balance the principles by acting in the most effective way to benefit their child. The parents acted in what they though could be the best option for their son which was faith-based healing through prayers, therefore, exercising the principle of beneficence. In equal measures, a Christian should ensure that the decision made does not harm their child just like James parents though that healing through prayers would be the most appropriate method that could not harm their child.
Just like Christians, the parents showed justice by subjecting their son to a complete healing through prayers as they believed it could be an ideal solution to his problems. Even though their decision did not turn to be effective, they had a believe that it was the most appropriate.
Lastly, Christians can express autonomy by making the right decisions. For instance, James’ parents made a decision to forgo the doctor’s treatment plan to save their son. When James was not healed through prayer, they also made a decision to seek medical attention. Case Study On Biomedical Ethics

References:
Bifarin, O., & Stonehouse, D. (2022). Beneficence and non-maleficence: collaborative practice and harm mitigation. British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, 16(2), 70-74.
Grand Canyon University (Ed). (2020). Practicing dignity: An introduction to Christian values and decision making in health care. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/phi413v/practicing-dignity-an-introduction-to-christian-values-and-deci sion-making-in-health-care/v1.1/#/home

Haddad, L. M., & Geiger, R. A. (2018). Nursing ethical considerations.

Case Study: Healing and Autonomy

Mike and Joanne are the parents of James and Samuel, identical twins born 8 years ago. James is currently suffering from acute glomerulonephritis, kidney failure. James was originally brought into the hospital for complications associated with a strep throat infection. The spread of the A streptococcus infection led to the subsequent kidney failure. James’s condition was acute enough to warrant immediate treatment. Usually cases of acute glomerulonephritis caused by strep infection tend to improve on their own or with an antibiotic. However, James also had elevated blood pressure and enough fluid buildup that required temporary dialysis to relieve. Case Study On Biomedical Ethics

The attending physician suggested immediate dialysis. After some time of discussion with Joanne, Mike informs the physician that they are going to forego the dialysis and place their faith in God. Mike and Joanne had been moved by a sermon their pastor had given a week ago, and also had witnessed a close friend regain mobility when she was prayed over at a healing service after a serious stroke. They thought it more prudent to take James immediately to a faith healing service instead of putting James through multiple rounds of dialysis. Yet, Mike and Joanne agreed to return to the hospital after the faith healing services later in the week, and in hopes that James would be healed by then. Case Study On Biomedical Ethics

Two days later the family returned and was forced to place James on dialysis, as his condition had deteriorated. Mike felt perplexed and tormented by his decision to not treat James earlier. Had he not enough faith? Was God punishing him or James? To make matters worse, James’s kidneys had deteriorated such that his dialysis was now not a temporary matter and was in need of a kidney transplant. Crushed and desperate, Mike and Joanne immediately offered to donate one of their own kidneys to James, but they were not compatible donors. Over the next few weeks, amidst daily rounds of dialysis, some of their close friends and church members also offered to donate a kidney to James. However, none of them were tissue matches. Case Study On Biomedical Ethics

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James’s nephrologist called to schedule a private appointment with Mike and Joanne. James was stable, given the regular dialysis, but would require a kidney transplant within the year. Given the desperate situation, the nephrologist informed Mike and Joanne of a donor that was an ideal tissue match, but as of yet had not been considered—James’s brother Samuel.

Mike vacillates and struggles to decide whether he should have his other son Samuel lose a kidney or perhaps wait for God to do a miracle this time around. Perhaps this is where the real testing of his faith will come in? Mike reasons, “This time around it is a matter of life and death. What could require greater faith than that?” Case Study On Biomedical Ethics