Case scenarios: • Mr B, a 56 year old male is suffering a terminal illness, and is heavily medicated with regular analgaesia. The patient has begun to develop pressure areas during his hospitalisation...

Case scenarios:


•    Mr B, a 56 year old male is suffering a terminal illness, and is heavily medicated with regular analgaesia. The patient has begun to develop pressure areas during his hospitalisation and must be re-positioned every two hours as part of his care. This procedure causes him a great deal of pain and he requires large doses of extra pain relief to tolerate it. Patient B has requested that he not be turned any more as he finds it distressing, he dislikes the effects of the extra medication and he says it is “pointless anyway”. When you approach the specialist in charge of his case, he states that Mr B is probably in a confused state of mind due to the heavy medication regime and that the turns must continue in order to avoid further complications that may increase the patient’s pain and distress.


•    Patient C is a 44-year-old accountant. She has two young children, and is the family’s main breadwinner. She has been admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) with a cardiac rhythm problem. RN Z has drawn up two syringes, one containing normal saline to flush the patient’s IV line and the other potassium chloride (KCl) to add to aburette. RN W has checked the ampoules, but the ED is busy and she does not accompany RN Z to the cubicle to confirm correct administration. RN Z mistakenly injects the KCl as a bolus into the IV line and Patient C has a cardiac arrest.


•    On your ward there has been an ongoing issue with controlled medications going missing. You have strong evidence that one of your nursing colleagues (nurse M) is involved, and that her actions may be compromising patient care. When you approach her about this, she denies all knowledge. This colleague is a single mother who needs her job. If you present your evidence to hospital management, Nurse M will certainly lose her employment.


•    Mr D is brought into your emergency department by his son, with severe chest pain. Mr D is dismissive, claiming his son is over protective and the pain is just indigestion. His son insists, and on examination it becomes obvious Mr D is having an infarct. The emergency doctors order cannulation and preparation for treatment. As you begin to set up, Mr D becomes agitated, sayingit is nothingandthat he wants to gohome. Youattempt toexplainthe needfor treatment, but he is determined to leave in spite of ongoing signs of central chest pain.



ASSESSMENT


Recommended approach:


Your task in Assessment 2 is to analyse the legal and professional issues that arise in each scenario. Through the use of relevant literature & resources, you need to demonstrate that you have engaged in a reflection and critical analysis of the legal and professional issues that you have identified.


Ensure that the title page is correctly filled out with your student ID details. Provide an introduction and conclusion to your essay.
Ensure that you analyse each of the four provided scenarios.
Use headings and sub-headings in your paper to make your analysis clearer to the reader. Within the body of your work, analyse each scenario separately.
Your analysis of each case should show:
-    the relevant legal and professional issues;
-    use of case information, relevant literature & resources to demonstrate why these issues are relevant;
-    reference to relevant Victorian and Australian and Singapore law and nursing documents;
-    that which you consider to be the correct legal and professional actions in these cases.