Ethical Decision Making In Nursing

Understandably, Helen’s quality of life and death was significantly impacted based on this decision. In all likelihood, Helen’s cancer had returned and there was no prospect for return to her normal patterns of life. Personally, I am biased to think that Helen’s quality of life was significantly decreased in this state. She reported being in severe pain, which required high doses of sedative narcotic analgesics to control, as well as being bed-ridden and alone most hours of the day, due to limited staffing for palliative care in this private facility. I believe that aspects of this represented psychological suffering. The course of treatment that her children desired perpetuated this, because foregoing treatment would have almost certainly resulted in Helen’s death.
Exploring

I struggled to understand opposing perspectives, particularly since even within the context of an ethical decision-making framework, they did not always appear logical. This experience has allowed me to recognize within myself that consideration and imagination of other people’s perspectives is a weakness for me, and I will need to incorporate strategies into my nursing practice to accommodate this. Specifically, incorporation of lines of questioning that will enlighten me as to other perspectives to consider will help me to develop comfort with this area.
Ethical decision-making is an integral part of nursing practice, and the ability to do so is a vitally important to effective nursing practice. Examining Helen’s situation within the context of McDonald’s Framework for Ethical Decision-Making (2001) allowed me further insight into the values and biases that influence my decision-making. This was a process that I struggled with, and will require much more effort, but I believe that this foundational understanding of ethical decision-making will be invaluable to my future nursing