Incident Case: The Missing Needle Protector Ethical Dilemma (Essay Sample)

Incident 9: The Missing Needle Protector Ethical Dilemma
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Incident 9: The Missing Needle Protector Ethical Dilemma
Summary of the Facts
Hopewell Hospital has offered quality care in its past, and new leadership under E.L. Straight has taken over the management, which has made changes to improve care. Dr. Cutrite is respected and has contributed to the facility’s performance and growth despite declining health and cognitive abilities. The surgical team, including Dr. Cutrite, is in an ethical dilemma. They forget a pink needle protector in Mrs. Jameson and have not notified her or the institution’s chief surgeon. The operating room supervision reports to Straight the missing needle protector located in Mrs. Jameson. The supervisor notes that they could not detect the protector due to its pink colour and noticed it a week later while conducting an equipment count. Straight has planned to call Mrs. Jameson but does not want to notify her. Mr. Cutrite also opposed calling and notifying her, claiming the needle protector would not hurt Mrs. Jameson. In hypothetic, Straight decides to ask the chief surgeon the danger of living with a plastic needle protector to confront the situation but fears hurting Mr. Cutrite.
The Problem and Involved or Affected Parties in the Ethical Dilemmas
Protecting patient wellness and protecting one’s profession is a main ethical issue in the case. Mrs. Jameson has undergone successful surgery, but the team forgot a needle protector. The team is hiding this information to protect their employment. Affected stakeholders include Mrs. Jameson, Operating room supervisor, Straight, and Cutrite. The professionals have acted unethically by omitting facts and commissioning a plan to conceal the information.
Definition and Application of the Ethical Decision-Making Model
The ethical decision-making model (EDM) consists of moral awareness, moral judgment, and ethical behaviour as decision-making principles in dilemmas. Moral awareness involves being informed on the moral consequences of an action (Reynolds, 2006; Milliken, 2018). Therefore, a morally aware nurse should understand that failing to disclose medication errors can drastically damage the patient, nurse reputation, and institutional relationship with society. Moral judgment is a process characterized by evaluating behaviour, reasoning, action, and decisions, which is also aligned with integrity and focus on patient wellness (Reynolds, 2006; Way, 2016). Ethical behaviour is also a critical and invaluable tool in promoting patient welfare and entails exercising moral thoughts and decisions to avoid harm and promote beneficial aspects (Reynolds, 2006). Therefore, healthcare providers must become informed on the consequences of their actions, make morally correct decisions, and act ethically.
The surgery team failed to implement the EDM model in the thinking, decision and action after learning Mrs. Jameson had the needle protector in her abdomen. They were morally aware that their actions' outcomes were to proceed in implementing other ethical requirements, including beneficence, non-malfeasance, justice and others (Varkey, 2021). For instance, they debated the consequences of their actions. Straight asked the chief surgeon in hypothetic, and Mr. Cutrite proposed the client would leave with the needle protector. The team failed in exercising moral judgment to qualify their thoughts; it was inadequate to become morally aware. They failed and failed the client. On the contrary, the team decided to conceal the fact and did not notify the chief surgeon adequately. Finally, the team acted unethically in protecting their employment and career while jeopardizing the patient’s wellness. Healthcare providers must promote patient wellness. They were bound by Kant’s deontology and natural law ethical principles to fulfill their duty and act following humane behaviour (Mandal, Ponnambath, & Parija, 2016). Therefore, the team failed in exercising moral awareness, moral judgment and ethical behaviour.
The Effectiveness of the Communication Approaches
Communication was the central factor leading to the issues. The surgical team declared the error weeks after the surgery and failed to inform the chief surgeon after the fact. Therefore, the team, and its leadership, failed to communicate to the institution and the client about the incident. The team also acted unethically, defying the EDM model and advancing their interests. The team intended to conceal the fact, as noted in Straight’s use of hypothetic and Mr. Cutrite’s hesitation to consider other medical implications. Therefore, Mrs. Jameson is at risk of developing unknown complications due to communication failure.
The team also has professional management issues. Under Mr. Cutrite and Straight, the team failed to approach the problem objectively. Straight fears hurting Cutrite, and they all avoid repercussions if they inform the Chief Surgeon. Therefore, the leadership has failed to control the event favouring the patient.
The case offers invaluable lessons to healthcare professionals. Despite their position and role in healthcare, nurses and other experts must improve patient benefit as the priority. Leaders should work with policies than their emotions. Kant’s deontology emphasizes commitment to duty and the promotion of universally acceptable acts (Tseng & Wang et al., 2021). They should have implemented these principles and treated Mrs. Jameson as an end than a means to their career progress and income.
Proposed Solution
The organization should enforce collective responsibility and emphasize the consequences of such