Introduction
It is essential to consider each side’s points of view for legitimate concerns in both legal and ethical decisions and to protect the interests of each affected individual. Dax Cowart’s case demonstrates the complexity of moral dilemmas, especially for cases where the matters of life and death are involved. The Stakeholders-Facts-Norms-Options (SFNO) model can be applied to the situation to perceive key sources of disagreements regarding ethical decisions and appropriate paths for their resolution.
Analysis of Dax Cowart’s Case
The utilized framework requires perceiving the connection between all elements involved in a challenging dilemma. In the example, the stakeholders include Dax Cowart, his relatives, the healthcare workers, and the company whose equipment nearly killed the patient. It is also vital to comprehend the facts regarding this case and ensure that all evidence is reviewed. The damage done to Cowart’s organs was immense, making him helpless and unable to continue his life comfortably (Kliever, 1989).
All sides understood Cowart’s handicapped condition, although the medical employees’ goal was to save his life at any cost, while the firm whose pipe exploded did not want its neglect to cause a person’s death. Moreover, Cowart’s mother knew about his unwillingness to live through pain but refused to oblige to his request to cease the attempts to save him (Kliever, 1989). Thus, it is clear that the selected model’s approach to resolving concerns already shows numerous conflicts of interest.
The norms of healthcare services provision also profoundly impacted the cases’ outcomes. The medical specialists involved in this case relied on the standards for treatment, which did not incorporate a patient’s wishes competently at the time (Kliever, 1989). Cowart could not exert authority over his body due to poorly understood boundaries by involved stakeholders. Law was also unclear regarding such sensitive subjects, as the legal assistance for Cowart did not protect his interests appropriately (BobHilliard01, 2011). Aside from receiving treatment, the option to cease it, which Cowart requested continuously throughout his ordeal, was not considered by other stakeholders.
The notion of informed consent plays a crucial role in Dax Cowart’s case, as it might have prevented the following legal struggles. Patients must be taught about potential issues, side effects, options, and outcomes stemming from their treatments (Pozgar, 2010). A nurse must comprehend these factors and be able to reveal them to a client.
The components of this process include full data disclosure, assessments of a person’s capability to comprehend it with written proof, and education of the involved personnel regarding a procedure’s aspects and their communication (Pozgar, 2010). Thus, a nurse should be able to add their observations regarding a patient’s status, wishes, and grievances that may be unclear otherwise. There is a need to incorporate many informed opinions regarding sensitive subjects, such as patient treatment.
As seen in the example, nurses and doctors are not the only persons whose knowledge may affect the final decision. Interprofessional collaboration allows people to reduce the impact of biases, such as one’s investment, on the outcome of a situation (Pozgar, 2010). Professionals may provide insight into details of a case limited to their specialization that other individuals may miss or misunderstand. A healthy work environment can boost collaboration efforts by encouraging engagement between teams within an organization or by allowing external experts to influence the outcomes of particularly challenging ethical or legal dilemmas.
Conclusion
In summary, the case of Dax Cowart reveals how the SFNO model can guarantee that the outcome of a challenging situation will serve the best interests of those most affected. Nowadays, informed consent allows individuals to control their treatment and protects their rights. All involved sides must come to an agreement based on the existing evidence to ensure that biases are excluded from the decision-making process.
References
BobHilliard01. (2011). Dax 1999 20.20 Edited.mp4 [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Kliever, L. D. (1989). Dax’s case: Essays in medical ethics and human meaning. Southern Methodist University Press.
Pozgar, G. D. (2010). Legal and ethical issues for health professionals (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Publishers.