Assume you are a physician assistant. A seriously ill patient tells you that she has been seeing a faith healer who promises miracle cures, and she is considering discontinuing her medical care. What will you do?
Tell the patient’s physician of the woman’s state of mind, and perhaps explain to her that the medical options you are pursuing offer her the best chance of a recovery.
Assume you are a nurse in a pediatric clinic. The physician has been prescribing medication for treating an infection in a six-year-old patient, and before she leaves the country on vacation she writes an order to continue to administer the medication via injection during the time she is gone. When the child’s mother brings him in for an injection, she mentions that she believes the boy is becoming allergic to the medication, and you observe a red rash on the child’s abdomen. What will you do?
Do not administer the medication as ordered. The pediatrician will have asked another physician to cover for her while she is gone. Your responsibility is to get the child assessed. Make an appointment with the covering physician so the child’s rash can be evaluated as quickly as possible.
