Patient autonomy ensures that physicians give all information about their conditions and interventions and make sure they understand the benefits and risks involved in each procedure (Samuel et al., 2017). This information is supposed to help the patient make the most rational decisions on their own. I would take a different approach to Mrs. George’s situation. The fact that she has had a hip replacement procedure means that she cannot perform her normal daily tasks as usual. The aim of doctors is also to convince the best decisions for their patients considering their age, mental status, and physical abilities to ensure the best outcome. There are several ways I would try and apply to help deal with Mrs. Georges, situation. I would try to convince her to go to the assisted living facility by assuring her that her condition would only recure a few days to recover (Smebye et al., 2016) fully. The patient can also be advised to look for relatives or other members like friends they can live with as they recover.
Knowing the outcome of the situation will change the way we solve similar problems in the future. Apart from considering the patient’s financial stability, and physical ability, it is important to consider the possibilities of unplanned natural calamities that they can be exposed. I do not feel like the doctors in the case made faulty decisions. The doctors and nurses understood the implications and Mrs. George’s condition, including her financial status. The physician in charge uses other interventions that can help the patient continue recuperation at home. The doctor organizes Mrs. George’s meals to get delivered to her home through the Meals on Wheels services (Cho et al., 2017). He also makes sure a schedule is organized to avail a nurse at Mrs. George’s home each day. The decision-making process was also not faulty since it is not possible to control nor predict the existence of natural calamities.
References
Cho, J., Thorud, J. L., Marishak-Simon, S., Hammack, L., & Stevens, A. B. (2017). Frequency of hospital use before and after home-delivery meal by meals on wheels, of Tarrant County, Texas. The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 22(4), 519-525. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-017-0973-5
Samuel, G. N., Dheensa, S., Farsides, B., Fenwick, A., & Lucassen, A. (2017). Healthcare professionals’ and patients’ perspectives on consent to clinical genetic testing: Moving towards a more relational approach. BMC Medical Ethics, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0207-8
Smebye, K. L., Kirkevold, M., & Engedal, K. (2016). Ethical dilemmas concerning autonomy when persons with dementia wish to live at home: A qualitative, hermeneutic study. BMC Health Services Research, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-015-1217-1
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