ProNurse

your thoughts?

no no, lol, im a student and iv just finished a topic on ethics and id like to what other students or nurses think of different ethicaal debates

im a little shy too be honest. im a first year and im worried my lecturers will see! lol

yes, the obvious example is being declined a liver transplant due to being a heavy drinker.why should treatment be continually be offered to people who are just a drain on services through their own irresponsability.

Hmmm.  Should, for instance an unrepentant smoker or pie-loving fatty be denied treatment, while, for instance, the non-smoking, slim rapist or murderer who falls ill in prison be given it?  What about those who participate in sports?  No-one forced them to play rugby or ride horses, so why should the taxpayer support them when they are injured?  Should we deny treatment to those who develop drug-induced mental illnesses? Being an RMN I deal with people who will never be well enough to "contribute" to society and will cost the taxpayer thousands if not millions (far more than a couple of liver transplants that for sure) over a period of years or even a lifetime. 

The problem with denying treatment is where do we stop, because there will always be sound financial reasons not to give a certain treatments to certain people.  I must admit I'm not a fan of the "slippery slope" argument, but denying treatment for lifestyle choices is not something that sits well with me.

again i would have to say this is a very difficult question to answer.

i currently work on a ENT surgical ward and that vast majority of people we see requiring head & neck cancer treatment which usually results in a laryngectomy formation, are people who have smoked heavily, drank alcohol excessively, or both. but again we'd never dream of denying them treatment. likewise my previous employment on a vascular ward where people required bypass graft surgery, the atherosclerosis of their arteries is usually caused by smoking and/or a high cholesterol diet, to which a similar view to treatment is held.

there can be in reality a very poor opinion held towards addicts by some (and please note i say some) nursing staff. it is often what is said in the coffee room and not on the ward foor that is the true thoguhts of your peers and colleagues.  

i feel the best thing you can do is to uphold the equality of treatment for all patients with no execptions. unfortunately you may see repeated patient admissions for the same or similar problems, which some nurses become irritated by overtime, but i personally think it is important to help your patient to seek the appropriate support through the services available (if they wish to - as you can not force them to) and provide the same level of care as you would to the 'non-addict' patient in the bed next to them.