ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

 A strategic plan is a document used to structure and communicate organizational goals. It is also used to mitigate risks and alleviate the potential for legal cases. Barbara receives information that there is an additional, more pressing issue at a satellite clinic that is not documented in the original UCCO case. This issue relates to the emergency care clinic, which is used to treat patients with trauma-related injuries. The clinic has been over-utilized for the past year, resulting in stressed staffing, overwhelming costs, and decreasing quality of patient care and customer satisfaction. Staff productivity is affected by use of personal cell phones and clinic equipment is often used for social media.

In one particular case, a 13-year old patient was seen for trauma care by the UCCO Emergency Clinic. The patient’s parents make it clear to the staff that they are not willing to give consent to any procedure involving blood products or transfusion. The risks are explained to the parents. The patient arrived unconscious but shortly regains consciousness. After the parents leave the room, the patient tells the nurse that she is afraid of dying and would like any care, including blood procedures and products, to save her life. The nurse later finds out that the rejection by the parents was due to religious reasons. The nurse quickly discusses the case with fellow employees, one of which posts comments on her social media page using a clinic-owned computer. The nursing director give a verbal warning to all involved nurses and staff.

Visit the Rasmussen online Library and search for a minimum of 3 articles covering the topics of ethics, healthcare professionalism, and federal legislations. Conduct academic research using the library’s databases, like:

• CINAHL
• Discovery
• Business Source Complete via EBSCO
• Business via ProQuest

In the databases use basic search languages (controlled vocabulary/keywords) to determine ethics laws specific to this situation. Some keywords to consider are healthcare professional code of ethics. Then, refine your searches based on your search results. Make sure to include a minimum of 3 credible, academic sources in your paper.

Using your research, address the following points in a minimum of 3-page report:

• Was the nursing manager legally compliant with to protect patient information? Explain the legal risks and support with federal legislations and professional expectations, such as HIPAA and professional codes of ethics.
• What bearing does the age and religious requests have on the patient’s case? Are there medical and ethical laws that supersede the parent’s requests?
• What is the role and importance of communication among UCCO facilities, particularly in reference to compliance and ethical standards?
• What are the ethical and professional factors of using social media?
• Were the reactions to the patient’s case illegal, or just unethical? How does this align with UCCO’s mission, values, and strategic action plans? How does it compare to your own personal beliefs and values?