Legal and Ethical Responsibilities

 The healthcare system is relied upon by patients and their families to do the ethical thing when it refers to a person’s life. These legal and ethical responsibilities can be an enormous moral burden on all those involved, including the nurses. The views of the patient, their families, and all the healthcare providers can lead to legal and ethical issues. The following is a case study of an eighty-five-year-old widow who suffered from pain related to severe osteoarthritis. The widow lived alone but was over-medicating herself and not eating so she was placed in a long- term care facility for her safety. Her children did not want to see their mother in pain, but they also did not want her over-medicated and lethargic. The family had labeled her a ‘complainer’ for many years and since the healthcare providers were unable to get the pain under control, staff labeled her demanding and difficult to please. The daughter reported the facility to the state, claiming that the facility was not caring for her and controlling her pain. The son encouraged the doctor to order Nalfon, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Two weeks after taking the Nalfon, as ordered, the patient was hospitalized for severe gastric bleeding (Johnson & Potter, 2021). One of the legal and ethical issues highlighted in this case study is not respecting the patient’s autonomy. There is no mention of dementia or an inability to understand what is happening to her. The nurse should have evaluated the patient’s understanding of medications and the level of her pain. The patient should have been able to make decisions based on the