ethics case

Nursing Ethics : Case Study

Introduction

Unintentional injury is a leading cause of ill-health and disability in children . Most unintentional injuries in children below age 5 occur at home , and children at socioeconomic disadvantage are at greater risk of such injuries . Although , there is little evidence as to whether care interventions , ethical rigorousness in practice , emergency care , and legal interventions can be effective in reducing unintentional injuries primary healthcare teams that include nurses have important contributory roles preventing unintentional injuries in children . These may include observing the ethical responsibility of the

healthcare professionals to report child injury , safety counselling in home or daycare participating in safety equipment schemes , and taking measures to implement safety measures

Case

An 8-month-old child is brought to the emergency department by his mother who reports that the child has been crying constantly for the last several hours from the daycare , from where she has picked the child up . She was visibly upset , and she states she cannot get the child to stop crying , and that is reason for here being in the emergency department . She wanted the doctors to have a check up on the child as she thought there is something wrong here . The triage nurse notes the child 's pulse and respirations are slightly elevated , and that is normal when the child is crying . Further examination , however , revealed that both of the child 's thighs are edematous and warm to touch , and the child resists examining the thighs . The nurse notes this information on the patient 's record and immediately reports this to the emergency room physician with the concern that the child may have been injured in some way . The physician examines the child and s bilateral x-rays of the lower extremities . When the results of the x-rays were shown to the physician , he immediately goes into the room and discusses the situation with the child 's mother . The child 's mother is visibly more upset and confirms that she had picked up the child from day care and at the time of picking the child up , noticed the child crying . The child was admitted to the hospital for further care with the child 's mother at her side . The emergency room physician determined that it was not child abuse and , therefore , should not be reported

Analysis

The child has intentional or unintentional injuries of both the femurs The mechanical impact is strong enough to cause fracture of both the femurs . There is no proof as to whether the mother is telling the truth There is no given proof whether the child was actually at the daycare center . The mother might have hurt the child , although without having any intention to break the femurs . When she found that the child is continuing to cry , then she might have sought emergency medical care . On the other view , the daycare might be at fault where there may be an episode of intentional injury . Even if unintentional , the daycare facility might have failed to monitor the...