Ethics paper ideas PLEASE!

Nursing Students Student Assist

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I have an ethics paper to write and I've been having an extremely difficult time finding a topic that interests me. I have to pick a topic, my professor wants it to be related to critical care nursing but she has been pretty accommodating as long as it is a bit related. My first degree is in alcohol substance abuse counseling so I'm interested in this... possibly pain management in addicts? Or I am also interested in herbal medicines but I'm having a hard time thinking of a specific topic related to this with 2 sides. I'm really open to anything I do want something kind of original though!! All feedback is appreciated!!! please just remember it must have 2 sides and I must argue for only one side.

EDIT: could I write it on opioid replacement therapy?!?!!?! is that a 2 sided debate?

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Pediatric cancer patient wants to stop treatment and parents oppose this.

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Specializes in Ambulatory Care-Family Medicine.

Legalizing marijuana for medical treatments in all states. Should there be any restrictions (pediatric cancer patient whose parents refuse but physician believes it would be beneficial)

Should addicts be forced into rehab in order to receive certain medical interventions (pick an intervention/disease ex: chemo for cancer treatment in the heroin addict).

Physician assisted suicide.

Patients who assault healthcare workers, should the worker/employer file charges against the patient? What if they have mental illness?

Patients/family sneaking in drugs/alcohol for the admitted patient. At what point does the hospital decide it is time to discharge due to non-compliance? Think of ethical and legal concerns.

Patients who refuse discharge. At what point can hospital have them removed from premises since they won't leave the room and have another patient waiting for that bed. Again think legal and ethical concerns.

Pediatric parents would rather treat their child's cancer with herbal or homeopathic remedies. At what point does physician/nurse report to CPS and should they even report to begin with? What point does patients right to treatment trump the parents right to make decision for their child?

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Futile care is a big issue in critical care.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Late reading this but am thinking about limited vs unlimited vising hours in critical care units.

Hot button one now is about allowing family presence during code/rapid response efforts.

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Specializes in Stepdown . Telemetry.

Kindof old post but something i have been reading about is ethical implications of ai in heathcare. It irks me for some reason this notion of care robots for elderly, is it ethical to deprive them of actual human care? Also related, robots replacing care techs or nurses? Is it safe? Who is respnsible for their actions? Maybe it CAN be done but SHOULD it? Again, the issue of dismissing need for actual human care, empathy and critical thinking in complex health environments.

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Specializes in Emergency / Disaster.

I like your original topic and hope you ran with it. I can imagine that pain management in addicts has a special set of issues. Formerly married to an alcoholic (and subsequent drug abuser when drunk), there is a clear line dividing helping them and enabling them. In order to get better, they have to want to get better. I wouldn't put it past some individuals to inflict pain on themselves in order to get additional meds to support their high. There has to be a point at which you just can't continue to give them the meds to support their habit. I surely wouldn't want to be the person to decide the amount of pain they have to endure because of an addiction.

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