This video was extremely difficult to watch as I saw a team of healthcare workers fail to work cohesively for the best interest of the patient. Not only was there an ethical issue unfolding, but the poor communication and lack of team continuity was heart-wrenching. When reviewing this clip, it was clear that the lead physician, Will, did not have the full support of his team when going against the patient’s wishes to resuscitate. I believe that the healthcare team struggled during this emergency because they felt an internal ethical conflict. According to Cynda Hylton Rushton (2006), “moral distress involves an irreconcilable conflict between one’s ethical commitments and the action required for congruence between or among them” (p. 1).
It appeared, at first, that the husband of the patient understood and supported the DNR status of his spouse. It was only after Dr. Will came in insisting on going against the patient’s wishes and resuscitating his wife that the husband …show more content…
Dr. Will is abrupt and forceful when speaking with the husband. He then begins shouting orders at the nurses and other healthcare team members. He does not attempt to clarify his reasoning for performing life-saving measures. Natalie does try to intervene, but I think she too fails at properly communicating. Although she clearly disagrees with Dr. Will’s actions, I don’t believe she did a good job conveying the importance of maintaining the patient’s DNR wishes. Lastly, poor communication by the nurses was shown when they remained silent and did not speak up as the patient advocate. According to Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler (2012), silence during a crucial conversation is “almost always done as a means of avoiding potential problems” (p.58). If they intended to be true patient advocates, I think that ethically they should have confronted the situation and spoke up to represent the
It appeared, at first, that the husband of the patient understood and supported the DNR status of his spouse. It was only after Dr. Will came in insisting on going against the patient’s wishes and resuscitating his wife that the husband …show more content…
Dr. Will is abrupt and forceful when speaking with the husband. He then begins shouting orders at the nurses and other healthcare team members. He does not attempt to clarify his reasoning for performing life-saving measures. Natalie does try to intervene, but I think she too fails at properly communicating. Although she clearly disagrees with Dr. Will’s actions, I don’t believe she did a good job conveying the importance of maintaining the patient’s DNR wishes. Lastly, poor communication by the nurses was shown when they remained silent and did not speak up as the patient advocate. According to Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler (2012), silence during a crucial conversation is “almost always done as a means of avoiding potential problems” (p.58). If they intended to be true patient advocates, I think that ethically they should have confronted the situation and spoke up to represent the