NUR222 task 3: Nursing- Case study John, a 78-year-old man with a history of stage 4 colon cancer, is admitted to the hospital with a rapid deterioration over the last few months.
NUR222 task 3: Nursing- Case study John, a 78-year-old man with a history of stage 4 colon cancer, is admitted to the hospital with a rapid deterioration over the last few months. As John’s health declines, he experiences delirium, severe pain, and discomfort, requiring aggressive pain management and palliative care interventions. However, John’s cognitive fluctuations make it challenging for healthcare professionals to assess his capacity to make decisions about his care. At times, John appears lucid and able to communicate his preferences, while at other times, he becomes confused and agitated, making it difficult to ascertain his true wishes regarding treatment options and end-of-life care. John’s son, Jack, lives interstate. His daughter, Sarah, is John’s primary caregiver. Sarah and Jack are joint enduring power of attorneys for health matters, For John. However, Sarah and Jack struggle to agree and make decisions on John’s behalf, as John’s wishes regarding end-of-life care have never been clearly documented and he does not have an advance health directive. Jack and Sarah are both committed to honouring their father’s autonomy and ensuring his comfort and dignity in his final days and seek guidance from the healthcare team on how to proceed. Despite discussions about the benefits of palliative care and symptom management. Jack prefers to pursue treatments and Sarah would prefer to focus solely on palliative comfort measures. Use the ethical and legal decision-making framework to analyse the ethical and legal issues in the case study.
