Effective communication is key in passing the intended message across (Ennis-O-Connor & Mannion, 2020). Mr. Straight ought to have communicated assertively, confidently, and directly to the chief of surgery and the surgeon. This would have enabled him to uphold patient safety in any decision he was to make. Communicating directly is key here as the surgeon is politically powerful and has a connection.
Even though she also knew the surgeon as powerful and influential, the operating room supervisor decided to be direct in her communication to Mr.Staight and report the event. Hence, she upheld her integrity and was also honest. Through such open communication, she offered the surgeon a chance to swing into action and address the mistake and only when to Mr.Straight when she realized that it wouldn’t be possible. She presented the case concisely and clearly, which enabled him to adequately evaluate the case and make an informed decision. Mr.Straight, on the other hand, sought the chief of surgery’s opinion through a hypothetical situation which is not a clear and concise way of communication. This strategy was ineffective as the chief of surgery only had an idea that something was wrong but could not make an informed decision due to a lack of facts. This led to an apparent lack of concern in the case hence hindering ethical decision-making.
Even though there is strong willpower in Mr. Straight to solve the problem, he noticed that he did not effectively communicate since he decided to minimize direct communication with the surgeon. This is not the first case, as he has a history of refraining from fingernail-biting situations in the past years. This is an indication that he does not have sufficient capacity to handle ethical dilemmas, as he was reluctant to confront the surgeon regarding the errors and his clinical decline. By applying the four principles of healthcare ethics, Mr.Straight can effectively address the ethical dilemma he is facing.
As earlier indicated, the four principles of health care of justice, non-maleficence, beneficence, and autonomy are key in making sound ethical decisions when faced with ethical dilemmas. When applied, Mr. Straight could have better understood the ethical situation and the decision to be made. While autonomy entails patients’ rights, non-maleficence entails the responsibility of not intentionally causing harm to the patient. In addition, beneficence is engaging in actions that focus on upholding the patient’s interest while justice is giving fair and equal treatment to every patient (Sanders et al., 2018). It is evident that Mr.Straight fell short in using the principles as the patient was not informed of the case and offered a chance to decide on the next course of action. The decision was arrived at to leave the cap and not inform the patient without consulting her; hence, she was not treated fairly, and the action has the potential of leading to harm.
The solution to this problem lies in being more direct and assertive and eliminating fear so that ethical decision-making can follow (Sanders et al., 2018). Therefore, the clinical decline and surgical mistakes performed by the surgeon have to be addressed by taking away some privileges and responsibilities. The patient should also immediately be informed of the event. He has to communicate to the chief of surgery and the surgeon that he intends to constitute a committee to investigate the case of neglect and lack of concern regarding the patient’s case. In addition, Mr. Straight has to report what has happened to the medical board, where the case can be looked into further and possibly take away the surgeon’s privileges.
Ethical dilemmas need immediate attention for the best resolution. Therefore, Mr. Straight has to take immediate action and apply ethical principles in solving the issue. The ethical decision-making model can also be used in making decisions that would be helpful to everyone involved and do not violate anyone’s rights.
American College of Healthcare Executives. (2019). ACHE code of ethics. https://www.ache.org/about-ache/our-story/our-commitments/ethics/ache-code-of-ethics
American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Ethics topics and articles. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/ethics-topics-and-articles/.
Ennis-O-Connor, M., & Mannion, R. (2020). Social media networks and leadership ethics in healthcare. Healthcare Management Forum, 33(3), 145–148. Order this paper