Case #1

Mrs. Rogers is suffering from a rare bone disease.  Verna, her physical therapist knows of a hospital that has been successful in treating the disease.   She feels an aching desire to inform Mrs. Rogers of the existence of the hospital. However, Mrs. Rogers' physician does not want Mrs. Rogers to have this information. Verna has always been taught by her parents and believes that a professional has a duty not to interfere with the subordinate/authority-patient/physician relationship.

Verna keeps the information about the hospital to herself.  As a 
professional, do you see a moral failing in Verna's actions? If so 
what was the failing attributed to from a cultural aspect as well as 
from an ethical aspect of the case?

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Case #2 

Rachaela is Cuban nurse and is caring for a patient, Ken, who is dying. She and Ken are old friends. Rachaela knows that Ken is probably unaware of the seriousness of his condition, and she knows Ken is terrified of dying. She also knows that Ken has many business and personal affairs that he would want to get in order if he knew his condition.

In Rachaela's culture it is common to not bring to light when a patient is dying. she is, as the saying goes, caught on the horns of a dilemma. It appears that Rachaela is in a double bind of two moral dilemmas, describe what they are. How might her culture add t the problem of communication and problem solving with Ken? How might their friendship add or delete from the dilemma?

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Case #3

Mohan and his wife are asleep when their house catches fire. Mohan manages to get out of the house. He is taken to the hospital in an ambulance. For a long time Mohan can get no information on what has happened to his wife. Finally he is told she is dead. He begins to cry. He asks Kathleen, his social worker, to see that he is left alone.

Mohan's physician is contacted by the coroner about arrangements
for the disposition of the body of Mohan's wife. Mohan and his wife 
were Hindu and no one knows what should be done.

The physician instructs Kathleen to ask Mohan what he wants done.
Kathleen tell the physician that Mohan is crying and wants to be left 
alone for the time being. The physician angrily orders Kathleen to go
and get the information he asked for. Now Kathleen faces an apparent conflict. 

Identify the conflict with which Kathleen is struggling, i.e. beneficence veracity, privacy, etc.  How does Mohan's culture complicate Kathleen's dilemma?  What might she do to resolve the conflict?

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