his week students will be completing a narrated PowerPoint to discuss one of the following cases.
- Lisa McPherson Clearwater, Florida (1995)
- Terri Schiavo St. Petersburg, Florida (1990–2005)
- Nadya Doud-Suleman Bellflower, California (January 2009)
- Elodie Irvine v. Regents of the University of California 57 Cal.Rptr.3d 500, 149 Cal.App.4th 994 (2007) Court of Appeal State of California, Fourth Appellate District Division Three
First, students should pick one of the ethical cases above and create a PowerPoint presentation to address the following:
- What are the facts of the case? This should include: what do we need to know, who is involved in the situation, where does the ethical situation take place, and when does it occur? (3-4 slides)
- What is the precise ethical issue in regards to autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, fidelity, and justice? (5-6 slides)
- Identify the major principles, rules, and values of the case. Values are sets of beliefs about good and bad, right and wrong, and about many other aspects of living and interacting in society with others. A principle is a personal rule that governs personal behavior. A rule is generally imposed by a figure of authority and used to guide and govern people. (3-5 slides)
- Is there legal ground for this case, state what they are? Who is at fault? What legal action should be taken? (2-4 slides)
- Is there alternatives to the actions completed in this case by the parties involved? What could have been done to prevent the outcome of the case? (3-6 slides)
- If you were a member of the ethics committee at the facility the event happened, what action would you take in this case? (2-4 slides)
- As a healthcare professional, how did the outcome of the case make you feel? Does it align with your personal values and beliefs? Would caring for this patient be difficult? How do you separate your personal beliefs when completing your job? (4-6 slides)
For the presentation, ensure information is referenced and cited in your slides. The presentation should start with a title slide and end with reference slides. At least 3 references are required for this assignment. If you include pictures, your pictures should also be referenced and cited.
Now students will add the narrative to their PowerPoint using one of the following tools.
VoiceThread ( – VoiceThread allows you to upload, share and discuss documents, presentations, images, audio files, and videos (over 50 different types of media can be used in a VoiceThread). Within the presentation, you can comment on VoiceThread slides using one of five options: Microphone, webcam, text, phone, and audio-file upload. VoiceThreads can be used to create micro-lectures by:
For detailed information on how to use VoiceThread to create micro-lectures, see:
Screencast-o-Matic ( is a program that allows for one-click screen capture recording. Not only does Screencast-o-Matic record all the activities on your computer screen, but it allows you to simultaneously record your voice as the narration to support your screen capture recording. Screencast-o-Matic is great for:
For detailed information on how to use Screencast-o-Matic to create engaging course supplements, see:
Assignment Expectations:
- Length: 25-33 slides, and 8-15 minutes in length
- Use the tips at create the slideshow. Because good PowerPoints have very few words, submit a script that describes the content of each slide – about 50 words per slide. Place this script in a separate Word document that shows each slide number and the text for each slide as shown in the provided PowerPoint Slide Notes.docx.
- Structure: Include a title page and reference page in APA style
- References: References are required. You should include the appropriate APA style in-text citations and references for all resources utilized to answer the questions. You must include at least 5 pictures or graphics. All pictures or graphics taken from outside sources must be referenced and cited.
- Format: save your assignment as a Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt or .pptx)
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
For this assignment, students are required to choose one of the four ethical cases provided and create a narrated PowerPoint presentation. The presentation should cover the facts of the case, the ethical issues, principles, rules, and values, legal grounds for the case, possible alternatives, and actions that could have been taken. Students are also expected to analyze the outcome of the case and its impact on healthcare professionals, including their values and beliefs. In this answer, we will focus on the ethical issue of Terri Schiavo’s case.
Answer:
Terri Schiavo’s case occurred in St. Petersburg, Florida, from 1990 to 2005. The case involved a woman in a vegetative state due to cardiac arrest, and her husband and family disagreed on whether to keep her on life support. The case was widely debated and attracted national attention.
The precise ethical issue in this case was autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, fidelity, and justice. Terri’s husband argued that his wife would not want to be kept alive artificially, while her family believed that Terri was conscious and that her life should continue. The ethical dilemma arises from the clash between what Terri’s perceived wishes and her rights versus her family’s wishes.
The major principles, rules, and values of the case include the sanctity of life, human dignity, patient autonomy, respect for patient wishes, and the right to refuse medical treatment. The case involved several ethical violations, including the disregard for Terri’s autonomy, a lack of respect for her dignity, and the disregard for her pain and suffering.
Legally, the case went through various appeals, petitions, and court orders. The Florida court ordered that Terri’s feeding tube should be removed. However, the US Congress intervened and passed a bill to transfer the case to the Federal court. The Federal court eventually upheld the state court’s decision, and Terri’s feeding tube was removed.
There were possible alternatives to the actions taken in this case. The healthcare providers could have attempted to provide palliative care and pain relief to Terri. The family and husband could have come to an agreement on Terri’s care. Arguments could have been made that Terri’s death was a constitutional issue and not only a matter for state courts.
If we were members of the ethics committee at the facility where the event happened, we would advocate for autonomy, respect for Terri’s dignity, and the right for her to receive appropriate palliative care. We believe in the right of the patient to receive medical care that is consistent with their wishes.
The outcome of the case made healthcare professionals feel conflicted. It challenges our personal values, beliefs, and professional ethics. It is essential to separate our personal beliefs when completing our jobs, but it can be challenging, especially when personal beliefs clash with professional ethics. Caring for Terri would have been challenging due to the ethical considerations involved.
In conclusion, the Terri Schiavo case highlighted several ethical issues that challenged healthcare professionals’ values and beliefs. The case stimulated a national conversation around end-of-life care, autonomy, and decision-making in healthcare. The lessons learned from this case continue to shape healthcare policies and practices.
