Problem
I. A 16-year-old patient involved in a motor vehicle accident is brought via ambulance to the emergency room you work at. She needs an emergency blood transfusion. Her mother, a devout Jehovah's Witness, refuses to give permission for her daughter to receive blood products because it goes against her faith.
i. As a culturally and religiously sensitive nurse, how might you explain to this mother why her daughter needs blood?
ii. What are the ethical issues raised by the mother refusing blood products for her daughter?
iii. If the mother continued to refuse to allow her daughter to receive blood products, as a provider, what would you do?
II. A woman presents to your hospital complaining of pain in her left lower leg. You notice the area is tender to touch, red, and swollen. She is diagnosed with a deep venous thrombosis (DVT). This is her fourth DVT within 2 months.
i. If the woman asked you why she had had another DVT, what are some explanations you could give her?
ii. If the woman was prescribed anticoagulant drug therapy, how might you explain to her the hemostasis mechanism behind this therapy?