Analyze the Popovich v. Allina Health System court case involving professional malpractice. For this milestone, you will use the facts from the case to identify an ethics issue, determine an ethical theory that would help provide a safe and quality healthcare experience for the patient, and apply a clinician–patient shared decision-making model.
Ethical Component: In this section, you will evaluate the case to identify the specific ethical issues and determine ethical theories and shared decision- making models that would help resolve the issue and provide a safe, quality healthcare experience. Then, you will propose and defend ethical guidelines for healthcare providers to follow in order to avoid future incidents.
Describe the ethical issues that led to the malpractice case and explain why the issues are credited with causing the incident. Support your response with research and relevant examples from the case.
Describe an ethical theory that would help resolve the issue and provide a safe, quality healthcare experience for the patient. Support your response with research and relevant examples from the case.
Select a physician–patient shared decision-making model and explain how it would provide a safe, quality healthcare experience for the patient.
Propose ethical guidelines that would have helped prevent the incident and would help the organization prevent future incidents.
Ethical Issues and Causation
The primary ethical issues that led to the malpractice case were a failure of autonomy, beneficence, and justice.
Failure of Autonomy: The patient, Mr. Popovich, was not given the necessary information to make an informed decision about his care. He was not adequately informed of the risks associated with the steroid injection or the alternative treatments available. The core of informed consent is respecting the patient's right to make choices about their own body and health. The lack of detailed information prevented Mr. Popovich from exercising this right, directly contributing to his decision to proceed with a treatment that led to severe complications.
Failure of Beneficence: The physicians failed to act in the best interest of the patient. While the intention was to provide pain relief, the physicians' actions were not adequately supported by the evidence and lacked sufficient consideration for the potential harm. The failure to conduct a proper differential diagnosis and to pursue less invasive options first demonstrated a lapse in the duty to "do no harm" and to actively promote the patient's well-being.
Failure of Justice: The unequal distribution of care and attention to the patient's symptoms after the injection also played a role. The patient's repeated complaints were not met with the urgency and thoroughness they deserved, suggesting a lack of equitable care. This ethical failure contributed to the delay in diagnosis of a serious infection, worsening the outcome for Mr. Popovich.
Sample Answer
Analysis of Popovich v. Allina Health System
The Popovich v. Allina Health System case highlights several critical failures in medical ethics and patient care. A thorough analysis of this case reveals the ethical issues that contributed to the incident, the ethical theories that could have prevented it, and a shared decision-making model that would have provided a safer and higher-quality healthcare experience for the patient.
Ethical Issues and Causation
The primary ethical issues that led to the malpractice case were a failure of autonomy, beneficence, and justice.
Failure of Autonomy: The patient, Mr. Popovich, was not given the necessary information to make an informed decision about his care. He was not adequately informed of the risks associated with the steroid injection or the alternative treatments available. The core of informed consent is respecting the patient's right to make choices about their own body and health. The lack of detailed information prevented Mr. Popovich from exercising this right, directly contributing to his decision to proceed with a treatment that led to severe complications.