You did a great job. You are acting as an advocate for the patient for their interest. We must support the rights of patients who are unable to advocate for themselves .We are facing lot of ethical problems in our workplace. Nurses must take a decision in Ethical dilemmas. These decisions affected by so many factors, including principles learned in school and nurses personal beliefs, and values. It is important that all healthcare professionals value and support their peers who have the courage to stand up and speak out against unethical behavior even when others are silent or differ in opinion. Ethical dilemmas in practice arise when one feels drawn both to do and not to do the same thing.
Ethics are recognized globally as an essential part of being a nurse (Kangasniemi, 2014). Nurses are faced with ethical dilemmas related to clinical issues, and disease and treatment decisions daily (Kangasniemi,
Malpractice is negligence, offense, or breach of duty by a professional individual that causes a patient to be injured. Much of the time, it includes when a nurse did not meet a standard of care or to deliver care that he or she should deliver in a similar situation. According to Standards of Practices “Standard 2: Responsibility and Accountability”, the nurses have to maintain, practice, respect and promote patient’s autonomy, as well as to provide care in a responsible and accountable manner. However, keeping the truth from a patient will not enable them to come to terms with their condition and give them the alternative for further treatment. Hence, it would be better to tell the patient the truth to guarantee that the nurse will not face any lawful issues unless the patient has a lack of decision-making capacity which could be caused by mental illnesses, such as dementia or being
It examines and evaluates the decision making process integrating ethical principals. Advance practice nurses must be aware there are ethical consequences for decisions that are made. This core competency addresses the need for ethically sound solutions to be applied to complex issues. During this course ethical principles of decision making was addressed in the case studies. For example, a patient became pregnant and contracted a sexually transmitted infection from her estranged spouse. The ethical issues involved the need for both parties to be treated, separation from spouse, lack of health insurance and lack of space in home. The patient had several different complex issues that need to be addressed. Another example consisted of the mother who wanted to place her daughter on birth control. This situation can create a complex ethical issue. It provided an opportunity to use critical thinking pertaining to an obligation to the patient or fulfilling the desires of the
Provision one, a provision in the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses, entails that nurses should pursue their nursing career with empathy and respect towards all patients. In other words, patients should be viewed as separate individuals with separate values and beliefs. Nurses and other healthcare professionals should respect their individual decisions, whether they agree with them or not. This code of ethics provision relates to the ethical dilemma of a patient refusing medical treatment. Although nurses are trained to do all that they are capable of doing to save patients’ lives, sometimes nurses reach a dilemma that puts a strain on their practice. At times, patients’ refuse medical treatment, even if the treatment will
Utilitarianism and Deontology are two major ethical theories that influence nursing practice. Utilitarian principles of promoting the greatest good for the greatest amount of people parallels the nursing tenet of beneficence. Deontological principles of treating individuals with dignity, and promoting the well-being of the individual parallels the nursing tenet of non-maleficence. Utilitarian and Deontological principles can be utilized to resolve ethical dilemmas that arise in the nursing profession. The purpose of this paper is to define utilitarianism and deontology, discuss the similarities and differences between the two, and to address an ethical dilemma utilizing utilitarian and deontological principles.
The case study that I chose was from Nursing Ethics Journal is titled, The twins: a case study in ethical deliberation. This case presents a nurses perspective about nine year old, Roman Catholic, Hispanic twins, who survived a very difficult preterm birth and were in a persistent vegetative state since childbirth. The parents took care of the twins along with their four other children, but the growing demand of the twins was starting to take a toll on the parents, so they decided to place the twins in an institution. From the time that the twins were admitted to the institution, they have been frequently admitted to the hospital related to respiratory illnesses and urinary tract infection, which were a result of their deteriorating immune system. The nurse’s role was to obtain a do not resuscitate (DNR) order from the parents due to the doctors stating the twins have less than a year left to live, and “why prolong the inevitable?” (Freysteinson, 2009).
There are many ethical issues facing health care at any time and it is impossible to say definitively which is the most pressing or the most important. Health care professionals are expected to base their practice on a set of ethical principles, including truthfulness, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and confidentiality. Ethical issues can arise, however, when a l professional is called upon to act in opposition to personal values or in cases where the values of patient, health care worker, and sponsoring institution conflict. The following issues are presented in no order.
Health Care Ethics in Nursing: 3350 included discussions reflecting one’s own beliefs and how principles of ethical conduct are implemented during situations presenting ethical dilemmas. I completed an applied ethics report on death and dying and the beliefs different cultures have on life sustaining measures. Recently, we had a critically ill African American man intubated in our ICU, who was diagnosed with end stage liver cancer and although
Veracity, or truth telling, “engenders respect, open communication, trust, and shared responsibility. It is promoted in all professional codes of nursing ethics” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p. 73). In order to effectively illustrate veracity in the workplace, a nurse must openly communicate with their patient, deleting any barriers that exist. In the case study, Jackson assumed that her patient abused pain medication, which prompted her to offer a placebo in its place. Upholding the nursing ethics, I agree with you that the nurse obtains an obligation to speak the truth, when questioned on procedures, treatments, and diagnoses. According to the ANA Code of Ethics (American Nurses Association, 2015, p. 2), provision
When an ethical dilemma arises, a nurse has to consider the outcomes of each choice. In a pediatric situation, it is pertinent to remember that the parents are considered as patients too. To help make a choice, they should first look at their personal and professional values that define their nursing practice. After, they need to look at ethical principles and legal documents to help guide their decision. In the end, they must compare and contrast these factors together to come up with the ethical decision that they ultimately feel is best for their
As a registered nurse, we face ethical issues every day. Some days we understand the clear cut ethical issue at hand; however, other ethical issues can be disguised. In my year and half of being an RN I have come across many ethical issues. As mentioned before, some are clear cut and others are hard to tread through. Initially, these ethical issues can make you question your job; however, after some reflection I believe these issues make us stronger nurses.
This assignment is a reflection of ethical dilemmas in nursing practice as a registered nurse; this paper is based on the group assignment which was completed for NURS3004. This reflection will include an explanation of the role that I portrayed in the group, the preparation that I did for the role, what could have been done differently, how this group assignment has impacted me in terms of working in a team and finally explain how this assignment will assist me in my future clinical practice as a newly registered nurse.
I tried to justify my interprofessional capability level by using the self-assessment tool of Interprofessional capability, including four domains: Collaborative Working, Reflection, Cultural Awareness & Ethical Practice and Organisational Competence. I have scored myself high on organisational competence. But I achieved lower scores on the other aspects due to lack of practice experiences. Related to my previous nursing practice as an adult student nurse in the hospital I have enhanced my interprofessional capability through practice combined with the theory of interprofessional studies. Now I explore more on collaborative working, reflection and cultural awareness and ethical practice throughout my previous relevant experience of nursing
Nurses will frequently be put into situations where they are left to determine if they should respect the client’s wishes when these wishes conflict with medically ordered care. “Ethical dilemmas occur when there are conflicting moral claims” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p. 527). Ethical dilemmas help shape nurses by requiring them to think critically about situations and determine the appropriate decision in order to create the best outcome for their patient. It requires them to have moral courage to stand up for what they believe is most safe and ethical in patient care (Murray, 2010). Not only do such dilemmas strengthen their professional thought processes but also reinforces all of their personal and professional values.