A Legal and Ethical Dilemma

Deciding to place a loved one into a long-term care facility can be extremely difficult. Even more difficult is the thought of your loved one’s rights being violated while in long-term care. Patient healthcare rights are not as clearly defined as one would expect, and there are long-term care and other healthcare facilities that create their own sets of patient rights. However, there are also certain indisputable rights afforded to patients across the board.

Read the case study titled “A Legal and Ethical Dilemma”, located on pages 463-465 of your text. Next, use the Internet or Strayer Library to research information on a patient’s right to die.

Write a four to six (4-6) page paper in which you: 1. Describe the legal and ethical dilemma discussed in the case study. Analyze the key ways in which a patient’s right to die relates to this specific case. 2. From your research, specify the potential repercussions for failure to comply with the wishes of a patient who has requested to withhold a life-sustaining procedure. Next, take a position on whether the patient’s right to die or the patient’s right to be protected from harm should take precedence in this case. Provide a rationale for your position. 3. Imagine that you are a part of the ethics committee investigating this case. Determine the main facts pertaining to the issue that the committee should consider. Suggest one (1) step that the facility should take next in order to resolve the dilemma. Provide a rationale for your response. 4. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources. Note: Wikipedia and other similar websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: • Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. • Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: • Identify the factors that have led to the current realities of long-term care in the United States. • Assess the various stakeholder groups of long-term care along with the nature of the relationship(s). • Evaluate the impact of litigation on long-term care providers and practices. • Use technology and information resources to research issues in long-term care management. • Write clearly and concisely about long-term care management using proper writing mechanics.