Case Study
You are a nurse caring for a patient who has an extensive history of peripheral vascular disease, resulting in frequent surgeries for the purpose of revascularizing her lower extremities with the intent of avoiding amputations, if possible. This is your patient’s third surgery this year; the patient has been brought to your step-down unit for postoperative recovery. While implementing the surgeon’s orders, you note several conditions that require the surgeon’s immediate attention. Upon calling the surgeon, they indicate that they will address these issues tomorrow.
PROMPT: Apply the nursing process to make ethical decisions in this situation.
Answer the following questions.
What are the ethical problems within the case study?
As a nurse advocate, how would you represent your patient?