Assignment on Ethical Dilemmas in nursing and can not think of a ethical dilemma.

I am studying an access to nursing course and have to do a 10 minute presentation on a ethical dilemma of my choice. I would like to make mine either mental health related or drug/alcohol related.

Examples of peoples in my class are:

Should IVF be available to women over 40?

Should anti depressants be prescribed to teens under the age of 16 without parental consent?

Should plastic surgery by available to people under 21?


Any suggestions will be extremely helpful!

Giving people who have lost capacity medications if a massive ethical dilemma

How about should patients with 'do not resuscitate orders' be treated in intensive care?

I have always found this question to be very intriguing


Maybe that could be an option for you

Could you elaborate on this? Not sure if i understand what you mean by loss of capacity. Thank you for answering so quickly!

Say someone has dementia so can't make fully informed decisions anymore refuses to take medication they need to keep them healthy, what you do then if an ethical dilemma

Would that be an ethical dilemma?

If they lack capacity then staff should do what's in the best interest of the patient, and if that means giving them medical treatment then that wouldn't be an ethical dilemma.

Probably comes under beneficence ...?

Good point, although it's that line of would the person really want that if they could make the decision for themselves I guess.

Yeah, but you can't think what if they would or wouldn't - as doing that could cause more harm to the patient by withholding treatment on that basis.

On the contrary, if they signed a DNAR when they were competent and possessed capacity that would still stand even when they lack capacity.

This is some tricky business. Just been trying to read up stuff for my interview which is why I know bits and bobs, otherwise I'd be a lost chicken on the matter :/

Please do correct me if I'm wrong tho

I left mental health nursing for various reasons, the forced treatment of people without capacity was a part of it. Yes a DNAR would still stand and it's a very tricky business as you have to be sure they aren't competent at all in that moment to make that decision, as it's a decision by decision basis.

I've had a bit of experience with mental nursing and it put me off too...

I rejected a mental healthcare worker job because felt like I'd not cope with it

I am studying an access to nursing course and have to do a 10 minute presentation on a ethical dilemma of my choice. I would like to make mine either mental health or drug/alcohol related.

Examples of peoples in my class are:

Should IVF be available to women over 40?

Should anti depressants be prescribed to teens under the age of 16 without parental consent?

Should plastic surgery by available to people under 21?


Any suggestions will be extremely helpful!

Person with MH forced to take drugs or undergo treatment because their illness (e.g. schizophrenia) is deemed dangerous to others (even though the person has never hurt any one).

Your sister says her boyfriend is off drugs. You know he's not - you've seen his blood results. What do you say, and to who?

For bonus points, you know they're about to try for a baby, and you know he's HIV+. She's never mentioned that. What do you say, and to who?

I really like this. How would you word it as a question?

Should a person with mental illness be made to undergo treatment if they're not harming others?

I am studying an access to nursing course and have to do a 10 minute presentation on a ethical dilemma of my choice. I would like to make mine either mental health or drug/alcohol related.

Examples of peoples in my class are:

Should IVF be available to women over 40?

Should anti depressants be prescribed to teens under the age of 16 without parental consent?

Should plastic surgery by available to people under 21?


Any suggestions will be extremely helpful!