As part of your clinical duties as a gynecology trainee, you have been asked to see some of the patients in the fertility treatment clinic. These patients have usually been referred by their GP for specialist advice and information provision when struggling to conceive naturally. You are therefore surprised to discover that one couple is […]
A 39-year-old has been married to her husband for 8 years. Although they have both always wanted a family, she initially wanted to focus on her career and then struggled to conceive. When she finally fell pregnant, both she and her husband were thrilled. Unfortunately, following her first trimester scan, a screening test indicated that […]
You are involved in setting up a specialist clinic for GPs to refer patients for consideration for fertility treatment funding. You have been asked to draw up some guidelines so that GPs know which patients would be eligible for fertility treatment on the National Health Service (NHS). Part of the discussion within the group has […]
A seven-year-old is on a school trip when she slips on the edge of the swimming pool and lands awkwardly on her wrist. She is taken to the local Accident and Emergency department by her teacher. X-rays reveal she has a nasty comminuted fracture of her radius, and the orthopedic team believes that it is […]
You admit a 78-year-old man with shortness of breath. He is acutely unwell. Investigations reveal that he has right lobar pneumonia. He also has dementia and ischemic heart disease. Despite intravenous antibiotics and fluids, he does not make much improvement over the next few days. He is lethargic, yet occasionally agitated and needs full nursing […]
A 15-year-old girl has suffered from leukemia since the age of 6 years. She has had multiple courses of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, all of which have failed. She is constantly in hospital and as such has had a disrupted education and little opportunity to make lasting friendships. She and her parents have […]
A couple, both in their late 20s, have been happily married for 4 years. She has congenital deafness due to a known gene mutation, and He is an unaffected carrier. They have a one-in-two chance of having a deaf child, and they wish to avoid that risk. They are referred to the Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis […]
A 45-year-old mature student nurse is in his last year of training. His friend has had human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection for many years. He is now in the terminal stages of the disease and is in constant pain and suffering. Both have been friends for a long time and this student nurse has always […]
A mom’s 3-year-old son and 13-month-old daughter had the triple measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccination just over a year ago after this mom had been reassured that it was extremely safe and would protect her son against dangerous childhood illnesses. Unfortunately, he had a bad reaction to the injection, with a high temperature, a rash […]
A 27-year-old woman who has struggled with anorexia nervosa since she was 11 years old is extremely intelligent, and having gained a first-class degree in history at Oxford University, she is now halfway through her PhD. It is at times when her life is most stressful that she struggles with her anorexia. The first time […]
Camille M. Renella, RN, CME, LNC
Clinical Medical Ethicist/Legal Nurse Consultant
Institute of Medicine Chicago (IOMC) Fellow
Executive Director