Compassionate Limit Setting for the High-Risk Non-Adherent Patient Population

In a society that overlooks, stigmatizes, and becomes desensitized to the growing substance use disorder population, medical ethics looks to the future to help patients that are high-risk and non-adherent (HRNA) while in an acute care setting. Medical ethics can create an environment that supports providers in managing patients with behavioral, social, and substance use disorders as well as offering a higher quality of care by providing consistent, safe, and effective care for patients.This initiative provides a safe and therapeutic environment for patients and healthcare teams. This stance of medical ethics outlines the communication management of non-adherent patients and family members to help aid in the continuation of their inpatient medical treatment. All possible avenues will be explored for the best environment to optimally control the situation, and to provide safe and effective medical care for the patient and lessen the risk to staff. Ethics’ goal is to facilitate conflict management discussions between medical providers and the patient. This paper then gives the perspectives of medical ethics conflict management strategies pertaining to a case study based upon the HRNA patient population.