Ethical Dilemma Discussion

You are the lone respiratory Therapist at a small rural hospital working the night shift. It’s a usual night for you, quiet and uneventful. At around 2am a code is called in the ICU. The patient is an 80 year-old COPD patient. Just as you near the ICU another code is called about the same distance away from where you are. This patient is a 25 year-old diabetic who has just given birth to a baby girl.

You can only attend one code as you are the lone RT. Your obligation is to provide the best care possible to all patients. There is no protocol in place to aide you in determining which code to attend.

Are you facing an ethical dilemma? If so, what guiding principle or principles should be relied on to determine the best course of action? Which patient should you assist with first?

Please post a short response (250 words) explaining how you would make the decision on which patient to assist with. For full credit, include all Discussion Board components (including the citation(s) and reference(s) as outlined in your course syllabus.