Case Scenario #12

Nurse Grace encountered a vehicular accident when heading to her work in a private hospital the

night before the Enhance Community Quarantine. A man suddenly collapsed in the street with

no other companion. The nurse noticed that the victim has no breathing, nor any pulse. Nurse

Grace just had training at Philippine Red Cross regarding Basic Life Support and Basic First Aid

a month ago. She immediately helped the man administering CPR. After one cycle of continuous

chest compression, the victim finally recovered, however suffered from rib fracture.

“For the goodness and welfare of the clients” also known as Beneficence (Nursingcrib,

2017), is one of the 6 ethical principles in nursing. It implies that one of the duty and

responsibilities of a nurse is to do actions for the comfort and safety of the clients. The principle

of Totality which is included in the moral principles in nursing (Nursingcrib, 2017), talks about

the greatness and importance of the whole than its parts. Therefore, actions that were done by the

nurse considering the Ethico-Moral aspects of nursing is legal and rational.

Nurse Grace made the right decision of performing CPR – given that she had undergone

a Basic Life Support and Basic First Aid training just a month ago at the Philippine Red Cross, it

was an act considering the duty and experience of Nurse Grace as well as the welfare of the

victim. It took a cycle [30:2 – a ratio of 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths (Furst,

2017)] of continuous CPR before the victim recovered, that caused him to suffer from a rib

fracture, which is a possible consequence of chest compression. Statistics shows that about 30%

of people that were revived through CPR suffered from a broken rib/sternum (Response Institute,

2017).
 Since the incident happened outside Nurse Grace’s workplace and the act is done to a

stranger, what Nurse Grace had done is under the ‘Good Samaritan Law’ which will protect her

from liability in performing reasonable assistance in an emergency situation; considering that the

harm was unintentional and is not caused by gross negligence nor willful misconduct. Only a few

weeks is needed for a cracked bone to completely heal, and is a minimal consequence compared

to death (Response Institute, 2017). Therefore, I conclude that the case is clear from misconduct

with accordance to the Ethico-Moral aspects of nursing practice.

References:

Furst, J (2017). How many cycles of CPR should you perform in 2 minutes? Retrieved from:
https://www.firstaidforfree.com/how-many-cycles-of-cpr-should-you-perform-in-2-
minutes/#:~:text=Cardiopulmonary%20resuscitation%20(CPR)%20comprises%20of,one
%20round%20of%2030%3A2.

Nursingcrib (2007). ETHICO-MORAL ASPECTS IN NURSING. Retrieved from:

https://nursingcrib.com/nursing-notes-reviewer/ethico-moral-aspects-in-nursing/

Response Institute (2017). Is It True that Ribs Can Break During CPR? Retrieved from:
https://www.cprconsultants.com/is-it-true-that-ribs-can-break-during-cpr/#:~:text=Sometimes
%2C%20ribs%20do%20fracture%20or,sternum%20and%2For%20broken%20rib.