Ethics Issues

Ethical Issues

The case study

A male patient aged 36, a career Navy seal officer, presented with blurred vision and numbness in his hands. He said he has had it on and off for a while, but decided to come seek medical attention because it is interfering with his ability to do his job. He said his ophthalmologist did not note any problems with his eyes and just gave him a new prescription. He stated that he is still has blurred vision, despite the new glasses. The doctor asked him what particular duties that presented to him and he stated that he was having a hard time using his respirator when diving and that he once lost his vertical orientation. Coupled with the numbness in his hands and the blurry vision, he was fearful that he may endanger his team. The doctor agreed and then asked him why he did not go to the base medical office. He said he wanted a second opinion but the doctor suspected it was because they would put him on desk duty until they determined the cause of his illness and if it turned out to be a chronic problem he would be on permanent desk duty or retirement. A thorough physical exam led the doctor to believe that he had multiple sclerosis. The doctor informed him of his suspicions and that he must have further testing (MRI and blood work to start).

The Ethical Dilemma

An ethical dilemma is a situation that requires an individual or individuals to make decisions between two or more unfavorable alternatives (Aiken, 2004). When clients and health care providers differ in their understanding of what is wrong or right, an ethical dilemma usually occurs. These ethical dilemmas occur frequently in clinical practice. It is the responsibility of the health care providers as professionals to analyze and deal with these dilemmas. Ethical dilemma can be caused by several factors such as the expectations of the patient, organizational expectations, and the practitioner’s personal values and how they all interact with each other.

An ethical dilemma has...