GPSA - GP Supervisors Australia | Shades of Grey Ethical Dilemma Scenarios

MDA National have provided best practice responses to each of the cases in the Shades of Grey Ethical Dilemma Scenarios Flash Cards. They have also provided supporting documents and readings to assist you in working through each of the cases as part of your in-practice teaching with your GP Registrar. Click on each Case Study below to view.

CLICK HERE to download a summary of Medical Ethical Principles.

Thank you MDA National for the Best Practice Responses.

Shades of Grey – Ethical Dilemmas

The Ethical Dilemma flash cards are a great resource available to run through with your registrar as an in-practice teaching session. These are currently available to download or can purchase purchase.

Case Study 1 – Brian
A 13 year old male with anger issues and suicidal ideation represented by mother.

Supporting Resources:
Case 1 and 2 and 11 – Consent to Medical Treatment – The Mature Minor (2465 downloads)

Case Study 2 – Simon
A 17 year old male with behavioural issues threatening harm to others represented by mother.

Supporting Resources
Case 1 and 2 and 11 – Consent to Medical Treatment – The Mature Minor (2465 downloads)

Case Study 3 – Jason
A 22 year old unemployed male withdrawing from heroin use.

Case Study 4 – Sara
A 28 year old Iranian physiotherapist requesting sleeping tablets for insomnia.

Case Study 5 – Margaret
A 35 year old woman on an isolated dairy farm with family violence issues.

Case Study 6 – Mr Jason A
A 29 year old man with moderately severe asthma who is a regular smoker.

Supporting Resources:
Case 6 – Ending the Doctor Patient Relationship (892 downloads)

Case Study 7 – Stephen
An apprentice electrician who works for an unsympathetic boss with a workplace related injury.

Supporting Resources:

Case Study 8 – Bill
A 54 year old bus driver who has just been diagnosed with epilepsy and is anxious about losing his job.

Supporting Resources:

Case 25 – S8 State and Territory Legislation (842 downloads)

Case Study 9 – Mrs D.
A woman who has received a tubal ligation after a caesarean section to deliver her second child, seeking advise about lack of consent for procedure.

Supporting Resources:
Case 9 – Do I need consent DU (765 downloads)

Case Study 10 – Mrs P.
A 42 year old woman who has five children requesting a termination without her husbands knowledge, as he is opposed to abortion.

Supporting Resources:
Case 10 – Confidentiality and Consent (851 downloads)

Case Study 11 – Jennifer
A very mature 14 year old who requests to go on the contraceptive pill without her parents knowledge.

Supporting Resources:
Case 1 and 2 and 11 – Consent to Medical Treatment – The Mature Minor (2465 downloads)

Case Study 12 – Mrs R.
Mrs R. has Jeremy to see you with an ear infection. He is about to start school and has no vaccinations due to his mothers resistance.

Supporting Resources:
Case 12 – Good Practice Code of Conduct (572 downloads)

Case Study 13 – Chloe
A 17 year old girl with Chlamydia who doesn’t want her parents to know.

Case Study 14 – Joe

A recently retired man about to go on a cruise with tests confirming a malignant mass in his abdomen.

Case Study 15 – Connie
A 27 year old woman requesting a referral to a new counsellor, as her previous counsellor behaved inappropriately.

Supporting Resources:

Case Study 16 – Jocelyn
Jocelyn is requesting tranquillizers because she has been on edge, under a lot of stress and has had trouble sleeping.

Case Study 17 – Ricky

Ricky, who appears well, is requesting a note saying he is too sick to write an examination tomorrow.

Case Study 18 – Robert
Robert has come to the office for results of neuropsychological and neurological testing. According to the neurologist, Robert has a clinical presentation typical of Alzheimer’s disease.

Supporting Resources:
Case 18 – Assessment of Capacity Medico-legal Feature Pull – Out (548 downloads)

Case Study 19 – Rosemary
Rosemary does not want her husband (Peter) to know about his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The cancer is inoperable and Peter is terminally ill.

Case Study 20 – Mrs P
Mrs P. wants information about her husband Matthew’s condition. Matthew suffered a cerebral aneurysm while jogging 4 days about. He has been declared “brain dead”.

Case Study 21 – Annabelle
Annabelle wants to speak with the treating physician about her mother (Mrs M.) who is unconscious and bleeding as a result of a head-on collision.

Supporting Resources:

Case Study 22 – Sally
Sally is asking for a DNR order to be written on her mother’s chart without her mother’s knowledge. Her mother has chronic congestive heart failure and her health has deteriorated over the past 5 years.

Cases Study 23 – Derek
Derek requests results of an HIV test which is positive. He does not want his wife to know his HIV status.

Case Study 24 – Susan
Susan is asking for information about her under 18 daughter Linda’s visits to the doctor’s office. Susan suspects that Linda is sexually active and taking the pill.

Case Study 25 – Sarah
Sarah is a 17 year-old with a mental age of 5-6 and epileptic. Her mother alleges Sarah cannot understand the causal connection between intercourse, pregnancy and birth. Sarah’s mother would like to have her sterilised.

Supporting Resources:
Case 25 – S8 State and Territory Legislation (842 downloads)

Case Study 26 – Mark
Mark’s father is suffering from Huntington’s disease. Mark has decided that, in spite of the fact that he knows he has a 50% chance of being a carrier of the gene causing the disease, he prefers to not test for it in opposition to his wife.

Case Study 27 – Woman patient with MS
A woman patient with MS, has been found after attempting suicide and brought to the hospital by her husband where she refuses treatment.

Supporting Resources
Case 27 – Assessment of Capacity (689 downloads)

Shades of Grey Ethical Dilemma Scenarios – Best Practice Response

Shades of Grey – Ethical Dilemmas