Category: Accountability

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  • 98. Case: Talking About an Adverse Event

    You are a respiratory therapist working in a large hospital seeing a range of patients, but primarily working with the teams in the Emergency Department and ICU.  With one complex patient in ICU there was a miscommunication that resulted in improper settings being used for ventilation and this resulted in the patient having a longer-than-expected…

    View Case Study: 98. Case: Talking About an Adverse Event

  • 85. Case: Adam’s Story

    Adam Snowdon, a 16 year-old Sydney boy, was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) 18 months ago.  The disease has progressed rapidly over the past three months and over this period Adam has quickly begun losing the ability to use his right arm to the point now where it is no longer effectively functional.  He…

    View Case Study: 85. Case: Adam’s Story

  • 65. Case: Conflict in an Ethics Consultation

    The 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…

    View Case Study: 65. Case: Conflict in an Ethics Consultation

  • 34. Case: To Tell or Not to Tell

    The head pathologist of the regional hospital informs the head pathologist of the tertiary care centre that the post-mortem examination of a former patient, Mrs. Dempsey, has revealed that she suffered from a neurological infection called CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease). The tertiary centre pathologist reports this to the VP of Acute Care who determines through investigation…

    View Case Study: 34. Case: To Tell or Not to Tell

  • 33. Case: Ethical Advertising?

    A hospital has placed billboards throughout the region with the following statement:  “Are You a Victim of Sexual or Domestic Assault?  Come to Warman Center Where We Will Treat You Immediately. Our Staff of Counsellors and Providers Have Received Special Sensitivity Training in This Area. You Are Our Main Concern.” A twenty-five-year-old college student presents…

    View Case Study: 33. Case: Ethical Advertising?

  • 32. Case: To Report or Not

    Dr. B is the epidemiologist and director of infection control for an academic health centre. The reportable disease statutes and regulations in Dr. B’s province specify that hospitals and other health care facilities throughout the province are required to track nosocomial infections (infections not present in patients prior to their admission to the hospital) and…

    View Case Study: 32. Case: To Report or Not

  • 31. Case: Stakeholders’ Role in Decision-Making

    This case concerns parental involvement in decision-making related to maintaining a residential facility for adolescent patients. Due to a lack of sustainable funding, in consultation with the operations team, the facility board has made a decision to close the facility. The requestor indicated that the parents of the adolescent residents were concerned because they felt…

    View Case Study: 31. Case: Stakeholders’ Role in Decision-Making

  • 30. Case: Awards – Who Gets Them and Why?

    This case involves an organizational concern about inconsistency in the approach to applying for, being nominated for, and receiving awards.  Specifically, the requestor identified that there wasn’t a process or policy in place to objectively review each application and there were inconsistencies in the process for selecting those to receive individual awards. Overall, the motivation…

    View Case Study: 30. Case: Awards – Who Gets Them and Why?

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