Hypertension and ethical dilemmas Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hypertension and ethical dilemmas - Assignment Example A dietician or a health professional will explain the importance of a healthy lifestyle to Ruth. She will follow a diet plan, exercise regularly, quit smoking, maintain a health weight, and overcome depression to manage hypertension (Bryg, 2009). She will have to avoid eating-out and take-away and indulge more on healthy home-cooked food because this will help in reducing her salt-intake and also help her maintain a health weight which would ultimately result in reduced hypertension. Ruth will need a manual or a digital blood pressure monitor (sphygmomanometer). She can check her blood pressure as instructed by the doctor or a health professional. By checking her blood pressure at home, Ruth will be able to keep a close eye on her hypertension (Bryg, 2009). By teaching Ruth how to monitor her blood pressure at home will allow her to keep a close check on her blood pressure level. She can record the values and plot a graph to check whether the treatment is effective in controlling her hypertension. Bryg, R. J. (2009). Complementary and alternative treatments for high blood pressure. WebMD. Retrieved October 19, 2010, from http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/hypertension-complementary-alternative-treatments?page=2 The first and the foremost ethical dilemma that arose in the scenario was when the personal information of Joe was being discussed among health care providers other than the reason for medical consultation. This is a clear violation of Joe’s right of keeping his personal and health information private and confidential (Thompson, 2003). The situation that Joe is faced by at the moment is that he is a minor due to which he does not possess the right to accept or refuse any treatment; the decision lies with his parent (Bartholome, 1995). His parents being his legal guardians have decided not to take the treatment on a religious ground which has gave rise to another ethical dilemma in which Joe’s