Ethical Legal Dilemma Advanced Practice Nursing Case Study I Week 3 - Assignment Example

Ethical Legal Dilemma Advanced Practice Nursing The issue of the proper care of a patient can be a touchy when itcomes to cases such as Ms. Anderson’s. There is a fine line between allowing a patient to refuse the medicine that they need for their improved health and simply allowing a patient to die under the practitioners care (Fry, Veatch & Taylor, 2011). The main question one would have to ask thus is when is it ok for an individual to make what could potentially be a life threatening decision and when is it right for doctors and other professionals to make such decisions on behalf of the patient.

Though it may seem callous to say, the main objective is to draw a line that crosses both an ethical and a legal aspect of such a scenario in order to negate any sort of liability that may befall the hospital should anything happen (Grant & Ballard, 2011). ReferencesGrant, P. D., & Ballard, D. C. (2011). Law for nurse leaders A comprehensive reference. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.Fry, S. T. Veatch, R. M. & Taylor, C. (2011). Case studies in nursing ethics (4th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

 Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) is a very controversial subject with both sides holding strong arguments on why it should or should not be accepted. On one hand its seen as the simple and outright killing of another individual yet on the other it can be said that such an act cannot be considered to be murder as it involves the willing participation of the so called victim (Lachman, 2010). What can be considered to be the best option as a result is the creation of a strong outline for the circumstances under which PAS is allowed for an individual (Calandrillo, 1998).

This is due to the fact that in some cases an individual who is bound to die in the end is simply being given a choice of suffering through out till the end or choosing to go in a more peaceful manner but earlier than would have been the case. An individual should have the right to be able to make such a decision for themselves (Lachman, 2010). ReferencesCalandrillo, S. P. (1998). COURT DECISION: Recent Developments in Health Law: Harvard Law & Health Care Society: Legislative Activity: Physician-Assisted Suicide Under Managed Care.

Journal Of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 2672.Lachman, V. (2010). Physician-assisted suicide: compassionate liberation or murder?. MEDSURG Nursing, 19(2), 121-125.