Importance Of Ethical Theories In Nursing

.1 Significance of the Concept
Ethical theories are a system of ideas intended to explain something, concepts devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena. Ethical theories try to explain the ethical actions and dilemmas in various situation because no theory in and of itself can provide the “correct” answer to any single ethical conflict. Ethical theories can be used as a way to analyze ethical problems. Ethics play a major role in the practice of nursing profession. The nursing professional practice is guided by the ethical theories and principles, hence the significance of this concept. All the ethical theories such as teleological theories and deontological theory have implications in the practice of nursing care. Ethical theories aid

The nurse acting as per the egoistic approach feels that whatever decision she has made is best for the patient, and with such a decision nurse feels comfortable the decision may not have any benefit or harm for the patient or relatives. According to this approach, the patient is not the primary consideration.

In pluralistic deontology, W.D. Ross argues that there are sever prima facie duties which need to be taken into consideration when deciding which duty should be acted upon. The sever prima facie rights helps the nurses to provide quality ethical care to the clients. Nurses follow those sever principles such as:
- Beneficence: This is the duty to help other peole to increase their pleasure, improve their character etc. the nurse apply this duty through mandatory reporting on certain communicable diseases, reporting abuses/neglect of vulnerable patients.
- Non-maleficence: This is the duty to avoid harming other people. The nurse applies this duty by ensuring for instance, that the hot water bag, given to the patient, is covered properly and closed tightly. The nurse ensures that she prevents harm to the patient by explaining to people and putting “ no smoking zone” poster when the patient is on

The nurse applies this duty by recognizing the good done by others and paying respect for these who have helped them.

4.3 Applications of the Concept to the Current Job
In the application of ethical theories to my current job, when using the framework to make ethical judgments about specific cases, it will be useful to follow the process below:
- Recognizing an ethical issues: one of the most important things to do at the beginning of ethical deliberation is to locate, to the extent possible, the specifically ethical aspect of the issue at hand. Sometimes what appears to be an ethical dispute is really a dispute about facts or concepts.
- Consider the parties involved: Another important aspect to reflect upon are the various individuals and groups who may be affected by my decision. I should consider who might be harmed or who might benefit.
- Gather all of the relevant information. before taking action, it is a good idea to make sure that I have gathered all of the pertinent information, and that all potential sources of information have been consulted. Formulate actions and consider alternatives: I need to evaluate my decision making options by asking the following question:
• Which action will produce the most good and do the least