Advocating for Patient Safety: A Nurse's Dilemma

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Career Cluster: Health Science

  Program Name: Orientation to Nursing

  CIP Number: 0351260302

  Course Name: Orientation to Nursing Course Number: 8417106

  Course Type: EXPL - Middle School Programs

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with the case study, “Duty or Compassion?” Resource ID: 215386

• Career Connection

  
  

  Students will gain insight into professions related to healthcare, ethics, and visual storytelling. Students will practice the soft skills of working cooperatively with a group and participating in discussions.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Analyze the importance of following medical protocols in a healthcare setting.
  • Apply knowledge of ethical decision-making in healthcare to create a visual representation.
  • Illustrate the importance of advocating for patient safety in a healthcare setting through a comic strip.
  • Demonstrate creativity and critical thinking in designing characters and scenarios that communicate key messages.
  • Communicate effectively through visual storytelling to convey complex ethical concepts.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with/able to:

  • Have a general understanding of the roles of healthcare professionals like nurses and doctors in a hospital setting.
  • Familiarity with the concept of medical protocols and the importance of following established procedures in healthcare settings.
  • An understanding of ethics and the ability to identify ethical dilemmas balancing duty and advocacy in patient care.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  1. How can nurses ensure that their actions align with legal and ethical standards while providing patient care?
  2. What do doctors and nurses need to do to keep patients safe in a hospital?
  3. How can following a doctor's instructions affect a patient's care when they are very sick?
  4. Why is it important for healthcare workers to think about what is right for the patient, even if it's different from what the doctor says?
  5. Why do you think nurses and doctors have to balance following rules with making sure patients are safe and well?

• Procedure

  
  

  Introduction

  • Ask students to think about a time they had to make a tough decision between following the rules and doing what they knew was right.
  • Allow students to share their experiences.

  Discussion/comprehension questions

  1. Why is Nurse Jackson concerned about Mr. Smith's health?
  2. What does Dr. Ruiz instruct Nurse Jackson to do for Mr. Smith?
  3. Why is Nurse Jackson torn between following Dr. Ruiz's orders and advocating for Mr. Smith's safety?
  4. How can Nurse Jackson communicate her concerns to Dr. Ruiz effectively?
  5. Why is teamwork important in healthcare?
  6. What would you do if you were in Nurse Jackson's situation?
  7. What does it mean to advocate for someone's safety?
  8. Why is it important for healthcare professionals to consider both rules and patient well-being?
  9. How can personal values influence decision-making in healthcare?

  Student-centered and integrated activity

  • Read the case study Partner read the case study “CTE Case Study: Duty or Compassion?”Resource ID: 215386.
  • Before beginning the reading, provide direct instruction for the following vocabulary words:
    • advocate
    • respiratory
    • declining
    • prioritizing
    • ethical responsibility
    • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
    • congestive heart failure
  • Students should underline or highlight the vocabulary words in their text and write the definitions in the margins.
  • Provide time for students to read the case study, either individually or with a partner.
    • Have students individually write a short reflection on what they believe Nurse Jackson should do in the case study provided.
    • Students will then share their reflections with their shoulder partner and discuss the reasons behind their choices.
  • Assign students to create a comic strip in pairs illustrating the importance of advocating for patient safety while abiding by legal and ethical codes in the nursing practice. (see attachment)
  • Students have the option to create on paper or digitally.
  • Students must include two different media elements,
    • If completing on attached handout, student must hand drawn and include printed pictures.
    • If students create a digital comic strip, they can include pictures, audio, video, etc.

  Closure/Future Work

  • Discuss guiding questions.
    
  • Summarize the lesson by highlighting the complexities healthcare professionals face in balancing duties and ethical responsibilities.
  • Students will reflect on other ethical issues they could face in other professions.

• Teacher Notes

  
  

  Some Discussion points:

  • HIPAA Violations: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a critical aspect of healthcare law in the United States. It mandates the protection of patients' sensitive health information from being disclosed without their consent. Discuss with students the importance of maintaining patient confidentiality and the potential consequences of violating HIPAA regulations, such as legal penalties and damage to the nurse's professional reputation.

  • Patient Privacy: Nurses have a legal and ethical obligation to protect patient privacy and confidentiality. This includes refraining from discussing patient cases or sharing identifiable information with anyone not directly involved in the patient's care. Encourage students to consider scenarios where patient privacy might be compromised, such as discussing cases in public areas or on social media platforms.

  • Informed Consent: Nurses play a crucial role in obtaining informed consent from patients before performing procedures or administering treatments. It's essential to discuss with students the principles of informed consent, including the patient's right to understand the risks, benefits, and alternatives to proposed interventions, as well as their right to refuse treatment.

  • Whistleblowing: Discuss the ethical implications of whistleblowing in nursing, where a nurse may be obligated to report instances of misconduct, negligence, or unethical behavior by colleagues or employers. Explore the potential risks and challenges associated with whistleblowing, as well as the importance of following established reporting protocols and seeking support when faced with ethical dilemmas.