Persons With Advanced Stages of Cancer, Coursework Example

Persons with advanced stages of cancer require a specific plan of care and treatment that aims to address some of the challenges associated with the disease and how it impacts their quality of life. The patient example demonstrates that potentially life-saving treatment may also pose consequences of its own, particularly when there are risks associated with becoming pregnant and how this impacts quality of life. Fertility is an important issue for consideration that poses ethical risks for some patients, particularly those with advanced stages of cancer and who require advanced forms of treatment. Therefore, options are available in these cases, including embryo cryopreservation, among others (Adams, Hill, & Watson, 2014).

Patients with different forms of cancer which impact fertility experience a number of ethical dilemmas as a result of these circumstances, and DNP nurses must be prepared to address these conditions with patients and consider the Code of Ethics established by the American Nurses Association in developing strategies to address patient needs (2015). Each individual patient has the right to make her own decisions regarding their health; however, it is the responsibility of nurses to protect patients from unnecessary risk or harm whenever possible (Chism, 2016).

Since patients have the right to make their own decisions regarding fertility and pregnancy (Dillard, 2014), it is important to protect this right at all costs, as nurses must be mindful of the work that must be performed to support effective decision-making for patients under which all risks, challenges, and other issues are presented by the nurse to the patient. This is one critical component of the ethical responsibility of nurses to their patients, given the issues that pose a threat to the patient’s quality of life and her risk of early mortality in the event that a pregnancy occurs. Nonetheless, the DNP-prepared nurse must enable the patient to make her own decision in this regard.

References

Adams, E., Hill, E., & Watson, E. (2013). Fertility preservation in cancer survivors: A national survey of oncologists’ current knowledge, practice and attitudes. British Journal of Cancer, 108(7), 1605-1615. doi:10.1038/bjc.2013.139

American Nurses Association (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org

Chism, L. A. (2016). The DNP graduate as ethical consultant. In L. A. Chism (Ed.), The doctor of nursing practice: A guidebook for role development and professional issues (3rd ed., pp. 203-244). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.

Dillard, C. J. (2014). Rethinking the procreative right. Yale Human Rights and Development Journal, 10(1), 1-63. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1059&context=yhrdlj