Ethical Issues In Nursing Case Study

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1. Describe at least three ethical issues in this case.

-One of the main ethical issues, which is mentioned several times in the case study, is the failure to gain consent prior to collecting the specimen, or even on the same day. This goes against the principles of autonomy, which is the ability for an individual to make their own choices without the pressure of outside forces (Beauchamp & Kahn, 2014). An individual should be able to make decisions based on their own beliefs, but this decision should also be made with a clear understanding of what the request is. Therefore, the nurse or another hospital employee should have explained the study to the Max’s parents in order for the study to obtain informed consent.

-Samples are being stored
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They were also trying to identify patients with this condition early in order to provide interventions by collecting these samples at birth.

Beneficence- If Max is found to have condition, UGH will provide treatment for the symptoms for free. UGH is trying to providing a benefit to their patient population by diagnosing this condition early and subsequently providing medical care for those individuals early in order to provide better outcomes. There is also the benefit of helping other children and society by being a research participant. The parents must evaluate what is the best for their child and based on the principle of beneficence they should participate in the study.

Justice- If other medical studies require that consent be provided prior to participating in the study, the same principle should apply to the newborn testing. Beauchamp and Kahn (2014) describe the principle of justice as providing equality to all individuals, and the libertarian theory places emphasis on respect of autonomy.

3. Is the research protocol ethical?