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68. Case: Big Yellow Taxi
View Case: 68. Case: Big Yellow TaxiFollowing the bankruptcy of the local taxi service, a community hospital recognized that several of its frail, elderly patients who don’t drive had exceedingly limited options for getting to the hospital for their appointments. A few community volunteers were able to help out in the short term, but increasingly found that they were not necessarily…
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69. Case: On The Road Again
View Case: 69. Case: On The Road AgainJudy and Richard live in a rural community where the closest hospital is a four hour drive away in good weather. Travelling to the hospital for specialist appointments often entails an overnight stay and additional time away from work for both Judy and Richard. In discussing the recent trips to the hospital with their family…
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70. Case: Desperado
View Case: 70. Case: DesperadoA few of Gary’s friends cornered you at the curling rink last week. They are very concerned about how Gary is doing and wonder why “you and the other folks you work with” aren’t doing something more for him. “Can’t you see how he is going downhill? What’s it going to take for you to…
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71. Case: With A Little Help From My Friends
View Case: 71. Case: With A Little Help From My FriendsKerry is a long-time volunteer with palliative care services in her community. With the distances and difficulty of travel that some palliative care patients may face, she is glad to be part of a team that works to support patients who want to die at home. While every effort is made to provide all patients…
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72. Case: My Way
View Case: 72. Case: My WayYou are part of team preparing for an upcoming accreditation visit. In meeting the listed standards, there has been much discussion among the team about the expectations for smaller rural facilities in relation to these standards. When there are fewer resources (people, equipment, budget) for meeting some of the standards as compared to larger urban…
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67. Case: What is Angela’s Choice?
View Case: 67. Case: What is Angela’s Choice?Angela Flores is a six year old with some minor developmental delays caused by traumatic birth. She has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor and her prognosis is poor. The health care team is trying to determine goals of care and a develop treatment plan. Angela lives with and is cared for by her…
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66. Case: Blood Transfusions
View Case: 66. Case: Blood TransfusionsJoyce Skinner is a 38 year old woman with non-curative leukemia. She is the single mother of two children, ages 11 and 8, and her ex-husband is ‘out of the (parental) picture’. Since her leukemia diagnosis, Joyce has approached her progressive hematological cancer in an assertive manner, seeing it as her responsibility to fight to…
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65. Case: Conflict in an Ethics Consultation
View Case: 65. Case: Conflict in an Ethics ConsultationThe next three cases are from our Advanced Clinical Consultation Workshop facilitated by Paul Hutchinson, Imagined Spaces. These cases were submitted to us from Paul. I find it is often team conflict that can lead to an ethics consult and this will find its way into the consultation space. This can present in a couple…
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63. Case: Breastfeeding Concerns
View Case: 63. Case: Breastfeeding ConcernsNatasha is 15 years old and you, an RN, are meeting her for the first time at a prenatal visit. Her boyfriend, Josh, is 17. Natasha is planning on feeding her baby breast milk substitute as she thinks it will be easier. She has heard that it is harder to lose “baby weight” while breastfeeding, and…
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62. Case: Formula Feeding Resource Book
View Case: 62. Case: Formula Feeding Resource BookAndrew Godwin is a relatively new staff person working for Public Health. He is learning about the WHO Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes and the importance of promoting breastfeeding as a norm in Nova Scotia, as part of the Healthy Eating Strategy. He has received several phone calls from new parents asking him why the…
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60. Case: Health Care Providers Under Quarantine
View Case: 60. Case: Health Care Providers Under QuarantineMy story starts in early April, during a routine day shift in our minor care area. A previously well middle-aged man, recently returned from Hong Kong, presented with fever. Because SARS was already recognized and we’d gone through the recent experience of a crash intubation with our first case at Vancouver General, this patient was…
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