Assignment: Tonya’s Case: Ethics and Professional Codes

Assignment: Tonya’s Case: Ethics and Professional Codes

Tonya Archer’s Case Study on End-of-Life Issues
In health care, providers do everything possible within their means to aid patients in their recovery. Health care workers, guided by ethical principles, professional rules of behavior, and a personal commitment to restoring health and wellness, ensure that the patient is never at risk of illness. However, certain circumstances compel health care practitioners to operate in ways that are antithetical to what is typically expected of them. A relevant example is when they advocate for a patient’s death if recovery is unlikely. As was the case with Tonya Archer, such circumstances generate controversy, especially when patients and families refuse to consent. This paper examines Tonya Archer’s case study in detail, paying particular attention to the case’s applicable health care ethical principles, professional code of ethics, and the perspectives of accrediting authorities such as the Joint Commission.

Health Care Ethical Principles and Moral Theory

End-of-life concerns are divisive, and there is no one-size-fits-all response to such situations. Given Tonya’s severe brain injury and the fact that life support will merely prolong death rather than aid in rehabilitation, convincing Tonya’s family is critical. A cursory examination of this case reveals that the most salient end-of-life problem is the parents’ right to make end-of-life decisions for their kid. According to Karnik and Kanekar (2016), families act as proxies for patients who are unable to make independent decisions. Additionally, it is critical to adhere to the notion of useless care. The implication here is that, while it is critical to preserve life to the greatest extent feasible, it is irrational to continue utilizing family finances and hospital resources for procedures that will result in no positive results and for which outcomes cannot be determined.

When making the ultimate choice, the hospital must decide whether to keep Tonya on life support, as her parents prefer, or whether to terminate life support, as all medical evidence suggests complete brain death. Medical professionals can make choices based on medical facts and legal precedent. The majority of bioethicists believe that the term “brain death” is sufficient to warrant the withdrawal of life support (Muramoto, 2016). Similarly, in most cases, the law supports a hospital’s decision to withdraw life support. If the case proceeds to the courts, the courts are likely to order limited reasonable accommodations to allow for a second opinion on the diagnosis or in cases where religious objections have been raised. Given that it has not yet reached that stage, the ideal way is to educate parents about the ramifications of their choice and why the hospital’s choice is best for the kid, family, and hospital.

Moral theories also serve as the philosophical underpinnings for ethical decision-making. The deontological theory is the most appropriate in this instance. The fundamental premise of deontological ethics is that the morality of an activity should be determined by whether it is right or wrong. The focus should be on rules rather than the consequences of an activity (Mandal et al., 2016). Because the guidelines [medical and legal] favor terminating life support if the patient’s condition is irreversible, terminating life support is the best course of action. According to deontology theory, moral responsibility arises from a set of principles that may conflict with personal preferences, as in the case of Tonya’s parents.

Code of Professional Ethics

Health care providers, like other employees, should offer services and make decisions in accordance with the professional code of ethics. The judgment is compatible with the professional code of conduct, which requires us to perform professionally within the boundaries of our education and expertise. Indeed, this is the most critical code to consider, as it would ensure that no ethical or legal concerns arise in the future. The other code is to show empathy and respect for patients and their family while respecting their autonomy and privacy. Additionally, consulting expertise is crucial. Because autonomy is a contentious issue, it is critical that Tonya’s parents grasp the problem well and be guided by a medical perspective, rather than being swayed by emotions or love for the child, which can be deceptive.

Mission and Values of the Hospital

Health care organizations provide health care services in accordance with accepted standards of practice. Additionally, they are guided by their own distinct visions, purposes, and values. The hospital chosen through independent study looks forward to providing care that meets the requirements of all patients and families. Its objective is to be the state’s premier health care provider while adhering to the highest standards of excellence, quality, and safety. Honesty, competence, and holism are the guiding values. Reflecting on Tonya’s situation demonstrates that the hospital’s mission, vision, and values are consistent with the choice to withdraw life support. While parents may be hesitant, terminating life support is based on quality and honesty, and it increases patient safety.

Assistance from Accredited Organizations

Different authorized organisations play a variety of functions in health regulation and quality assurance. The Joint Commission would advocate for the abolition of life support. It advocates for safe drug use and the identification of patient safety issues. In general, contemporary standards place a premium on patient safety and care quality (The Joint Commission, 2021). The Joint Commission would accept the decision since safety and quality standards have been met and can be supported medically and legally.

In conclusion, Tonya’s case study exemplifies the debates surrounding the use of life-sustaining operations. While determining whether a surgery is unnecessary and wastes health care resources, patients and families’ autonomy should be respected. As health care workers are bound by professional codes of ethics, it is critical to consider making medically and morally sound decisions. Always, the ultimate decision should place a high premium on the patient’s health, safety, and wellness.

Write a 2-3 page paper that examines end-of-life issues in relationship to hospitals, professional ethics, and accrediting bodies.

How Institutional Conceptual Frameworks Influence Ethical Decision Making
We wrap things up by exploring institutions and groups designed to help ensure that hospital staff at all levels think and act ethically in caring for patients. Accrediting bodies are oversight agencies charged with performing accreditation of hospitals and helping to establish standards for health care delivery. Their aim is to keep the quality of care as high as possible and to make sure the care is delivered ethically. Ethics committees are groups of individuals within hospitals that meet regularly to advise staff on ethically difficult cases and to promote an ethical institutional culture.

Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:

Competency 2: Apply sound ethical thinking related to a health care issue.
Demonstrate sound ethical thinking in applying ethical principles and moral theories to a specific case.
Competency 3: Analyze ethical issues associated with patient care from the perspectives of various health care professionals.
Explain professional codes of ethics and apply them in to a specific case.
Competency 4: Explain the conceptual framework that health care leaders use to make ethical decisions.
Explain organizational documents like mission and value statements and use them to analyze a case study.
Explain the role of accrediting bodies and applies this understanding in analyzing a case study.
Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and respectful of the diversity, dignity, and integrity of others and is consistent with health care professionals.
Provides validation and support within written communications by including relevant examples and supporting evidence using APA citations.
Produce writing with minimal errors in grammar, usage, spelling, and mechanics.
Preparation
Complete the Case Study: Tonya Archer media activity, which is linked later in this assessment.

Before you begin creating your submission for this assessment, make sure you have worked through the Tonya Archer case study. This will provide the foundational context for the assessment, for which you will be carrying out independent research by using the Internet to complete the following:

Identify the professional code of ethics for your professional specialty or a specialty that you are interested in.
With a local hospital in mind (perhaps one you work for), locate the mission, vision, and values statement of that hospital.
After you identify the professional ethics code and the hospital mission, vision, and values statements relevant to your work and interests, it may be useful to complete the following:

Identify which item in the ethical code you believe is the most important and explain why.
Name something in the code you would like to see addressed in more depth. Why?
Which item in the code do you think would be the most challenging to follow and why?
Does your code make an explicit distinction between what is legal and what is ethical? That is, is the code clear that, while an action may be legal, it may not be ethical?
Finally, how well does your professional code of ethics align with the mission and values statement of your hospital? Can you imagine a situation in which following one would make it challenging to follow the other?
Instructions
For this assessment you will apply some concepts we have learned in the course, particularly those relating to the basic principles of health care ethics, professional codes of ethics, and values of health care institutions.

Write a paper that answers the following questions as it relates to the Tonya Archer Case Study:

What are the most relevant end-of-life issues in health care ethics as they relate to this case?
What should the hospital do? Should doctors simply keep Tonya on life support, as the parents want? Or, since all medical evidence indicates that Tonya’s brain damage is permanent, should life support be removed?
Support your answer with the following considerations in mind:

Explain which principles of health care ethics and which moral theory are the best philosophical foundations for your view.
Is your view supported by your professional code of ethics? If so, explain how. If not, explain what your code gets wrong about a case like this.
Is your view consistent with the mission statement and values of the hospital you identified in your independent research you conducted to prepare to complete this assessment?
Would an accrediting body, like the Joint Commission, support your choice? Why or why not?
Submission Requirements
Your paper should meet the following requirements:

Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting guidelines.
Length: 2–3 typed, double-spaced pages.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource