NURSING

Nursing Case Study: Advance Decisions

Nursing Case Study: Advance Decisions

Introduction

Nursing is a very noble profession which is directed towards helping people in surviving and staying healthy. As noble as the profession is, nurses have a very heavy responsibility on their shoulders as they are required to make some very rare and unusual decisions at some points in time. A similar case with reference to the responsibility and role of nurses has been observed in this assignment which gives the reader a review of a dilemma faced by a nurse.

Noticing

Before starting the discussion, it is indeed necessary to understand the case in detail. The reason behind this is that until and unless the case is completely understood; an effective interpretation and response cannot be provided.

Case Summary

Candice is the central character in the case who is a patient of chronic myeloid leukaemia and has been provided with relevant therapies including bone marrow transplant, radiotherapy and chemotherapy for the ailment of the disease. Candice is merely 19 years old and has been living with her boyfriend from the past 2 years. Moreover, like every patient, Candice was required to write an Advance Decision which is a legal requirement for the future treatments of the patients.

The twist in the case developed when the condition of Candice started to deteriorate after being provided several treatments. This is the point where the Advance Decision prepared by Candice was reviewed and it was revealed that Candice had made the decision that her treatment should not be stopped at any point in time. Moreover, she had accepted the complete responsibility for any reactions or health instabilities that might occur because of the provided treatment. When the condition of Candice started to take a downfall, her boyfriend decided that he needed to contact Candice's mother to inform her of the ongoing circumstances.

The Dilemma

After the mother of Candice was informed of the situation, she arrived to the hospital and looked at the condition of Candice and the Advance Decision prepared by her. Being the mother of Candice, she stated that Candice was not nearly old enough to understand the consequences of the Advance Decision made by her.

Moreover, she also proposed that the treatment of Candice be stopped immediately as the Advance Decision was invalid and could not apply to case in hand. The problem here is that the medical team believes that Candice's condition could be reversed and that she has a probable chance of getting back to normal if the treatment is continued as per the Advance Decision.

Interpreting

As far as understanding the proposed scenario is concerned, the situation could be looked at from multiple points of views. The books of nursing and medical studies are filled with cases targeted towards the conflicts and claims that arise with regards to patient treatments, advance decisions and claims in the case of treatment failures etcetera.

Patterns in the Data of Candice's Advance Decision

In the presented case, Candice has written an Advance Decision beforehand. As mentioned above, Candice has proposed that her treatment should not be ...