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ethical decision making
CHAPTER 11

Ethics and Health
Pat Kurtz and Ronald L. Burr
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REFLECTIONS

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.
—Albert Einstein
A state legislature allotted its state health department $750,000 to match Ryan White federal funding for medication sufficient to treat 20 patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, there were 100 patients who needed the help. Public health nurses in each district were asked to select patients for the medication program.
A terminally ill cancer patient who is in great pain begs the nurse for more medication than the physician has ordered.
What should the nurse do?
A man was diagnosed and treated for a venereal infection by his family nurse practitioner. He agreed that his wife should also be treated but he did not want her to know that he acquired the disease from a prostitute and infected her. He asked the nurse practitioner if there was any way to avoid sharing this information.
When faced with situations like these, it sometimes feels like there are no “right” answers. What are your reactions to the three ethical dilemmas? What other information would be helpful to know about these situations to make a decision?

CHAPTER FOCUS

Virtue or Character Ethics
Principle-Based Ethics: Developing Moral Rules
Utilitarian Theories: Doing the Most Good for the Most People
Deontological Theories: Balancing Rights and Obligations
Justice in Health Care
Values and Health Policy

Ethics of Care
Ethical Problems Faced by Community Nurses: The Research



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