A physician who doubts the diagnosis of a patient should order a consultation. In this assignment, you will review a scenario in which a consultation was ordered for a patient, and you will analyze the ethical obligations involved in the physician-patient relationship.
Scenario
A family practice doctor has a female patient who is twenty-two weeks pregnant with her third baby. The first child was born at thirty weeks and survived; however, her second pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage at nineteen weeks. The patient would like to do all she can to have a successful pregnancy. As of today, the patient has no signs of premature labor, and her cervix is closed. Given her history, the family practice doctor would like to discuss the possibility of a cerclage with an obstetric consultant. Chances of cerclage helping the pregnancy along are one in ten.
On the basis of the above scenario, respond to the following questions:
- Describe the ethical obligations associated with the physician-patient relationship.
- Explain the outcome of this consultation with your justification.
- Discuss what you would have done differently to handle the case.
- Provide a real-life example of a consultation.
Compile your responses in a 3-to-5-page Word document.
