Ethical Considerations

     Mr. Delmar is choosing to make a decision about his choice of health care. In this way, he is choosing to take charge of the situation to ensure that he has a say-so in the kind of care he is to receive. Ms. Woods, the nurse practitioner, believes that all patients should be able to act autonomously. She feels that by signing the necessary documents and acting as his second opinion, that she is able to fulfill his right to autonomy. 

     However, the bigger issue in this scenario is the practice of beneficence that is an ethical principle which all nurses should follow. Beneficence is the principle of doing good for the client. Ms. Woods may believe that the best course of action for the client is to act as a consult on the case so that he may choose to end his life. However, in acting on this kind of thinking the nurse may instead hinder the care of the patient. The physician acting as a secondary opinion will most likely be able to have a better idea of the patients disease process for the patient and would be able to make a better decision for care of the client. They may be able to provide better forms of palliative care and other services which the nurse cannot provide.