Nurse midwife’s responsibility.
- The legal principles involved in this case revolve around patients’ rights and the nurse midwife’s responsibility. The nurse-midwife was responsible for providing full information to the Benitos. On the other hand, the Benitos were free to make an informed decision on their unborn child’s well-being.
- I agree with the nurse-midwife that she is not to blame for Jana’s deformity, the new-born. She performed her duties well when conducting the ultrasounds and did well to inform the parents of the probability of a miscarriage if an amniocentesis. The parents decided to forego the procedure. The child was born without any mental problems, just as the nurse-midwife had said. The blame lies on the parents for deciding to forego the procedure, which could have revealed the deformity.
- The standard of care to be followed when examining a pregnant patient requires that professionalism and ethics be followed. A nurse-midwife should perform all the necessary tests and inform the pregnant women of any impending danger to their unborn child. They should not coerce the parents but rather leave them to make an informed decision.
- The key element of malpractice evident in this case is the fact that Lakisha did not give parents both positive and negative sides of amniocentesis. She told the parents the possibility of a miscarriage, which led them to forego the practice. The harm that resulted directly from Lakisha’s action is the failure to note the child’s deformities before she was born.
- The parents’ contributory harm results in their decision to forego an important process that would have led them to discover the condition of their child. They made a decision based on fear of miscarriage without considering the other side of the process.
- The ethical issue involved in this case is the disclosure of information. The nurse-midwife should disclose all information relevant to the case. Discretion should be applied in ensuring that sensitive information is relayed without causing shock to pregnant women.
Summary
The case presented involves a pregnant woman who fears that her child may be born with mental problems. The nurse-midwife conducts the required ultrasound, and based on medical knowledge; she informs the parent that it is unlikely for their child to be mentally deformed. She fails to explore all options. When the parents learn of the possibility of a miscarriage, they decide to forego an amniocentesis, which could have detected their child’s deformity. Surprisingly when the child is born and found to be deformed, the parents blame the nurse.