With the wide array of ethical theories available in nursing ethics, how does one decide which ethical theory would be most beneficial in making a healthcare decision?
With unparalleled advancements in technology, biomedical and bioethical research, nurses are required to have a good command of their personal and professional perspectives on ethics. In this day and age, nurses are constantly challenged to face the daunting task of decision-making for their patients. With the introduction of ethical theories, the process of decision-making has become much more feasible. Ethical theories come into view when one is faced with an uncertainty of the right course of action in an ethical dilemma or conflict and when one requires vindication of their
…show more content…
These four ethical principles, namely, beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy and justice form the substratum of principlism. Applying these principles in clinical decision-making, allows healthcare professionals to have a sense of direction and guidance when faced with ethical dilemmas in their nursing care (Stanhope, Lancaster, Jakubec, & Pike-MacDonald, 2016).
Beauchamp and Childress (2001) views beneficence as one’s moral duty to perform positive actions that contribute to the welfare and benefit of others. Beneficent acts encompass virtuous values such as compassion, love, charity, altruism and empathy (Johnstone, 2015). There are two components of beneficence, utility and positive beneficence. Positive beneficence necessitates moral agents to behave in a manner that benefits others. Utility, on the other hand, requires moral agents to consider both the benefits and disadvantages of creating the ideal overall result (Beauchamp & Childress,
…show more content…
There is an evident challenge in measuring the key components of utilitarianism that contribute to “greater good” like unhappiness, happiness and pleasure. It is also difficult to validate the value of the majority over the minority as every individual is equal and should be treated impartially. Conflicts also surface when an act that produces positive consequences is morally wrong for example, killing a physically and mentally incompetent patient in order to donate his organs for cancer research to advance the benefits of the world population (Wheeler,2012). This theory also poses questions on whether it would put healthcare professionals on a slippery slope and endanger the lives of terminally ill patients who do not wish to die but would feel obligated or are vulnerable to being coerced (Matzo & Sherman, 2006). Another major concern of utilitarianism is that is very difficult to determine the consequences of an action. For example, given a scenario where the patient’s son had passed away and the utilitarian nurse, thinking that the patient would be in great shock if he hears of the news and may deteriorate, decides to refrain from telling the truth. However, in the event where the patient learns of the news from elsewhere, then the patient-nurse relationship would be affected as the sense of trust is
Nurses everywhere face problems and challenges in practice. Most of the challenges occur due to a struggle with the use of ethical principles in patient care. Ethical principles are “basic and obvious moral truths that guide deliberation and action,” (Burkhardt, Nathaniel, 2014). Ethical principles that are used in nursing practice include autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, veracity, confidentiality, justice, and fidelity. These challenges not only affect them, but the quality of care they provide as well. According to the article, some of the most frequently occurring and most stressful ethical issues were protecting patient rights, autonomy and informed consent to treatment, staffing problems, advanced care planning, and surrogate decision making (Ulrich et. al, 2013). The ethical issue of inadequate staffing conflicts with the principle of non-maleficence.
In the medical profession, doctors and nurses run into ethical dilemmas every day whether it be a mother who wants to abort her baby or a patient who has decided they want to stop cancer treatment. It is important for the nurse to know where they stand with their own moral code, but to make sure they are not being biased when educating the patient. Nurses are patient advocates, it is in the job description, so although the nurse may not agree with the patient on their decisions, the nurse to needs to advocate for the patient regardless.
During week 4, we became familiar with the application of ethics in the nursing practice settings. We learned about ethical theories and principles, which are crucial when practicing in any clinical settings during ethical decision-making and while facing one or multiple ethical dilemmas. Also, we were introduced to the MORAL model used in ethical decision – making progress. The MORAL model is the easiest model to use in the everyday clinical practice, for instance at bedside nursing. This model can be applyed in any clinical settings and its acronyms assist
Ethics has been a popular topic in nursing for a long time. Nurses are expected to demonstrate ethical decision-making as well as professionalism. I believe that in order to accomplish this, they need to use the ANA Code of Ethics as framework for their decision-making. It is also imperative for nurses to have a strong understanding of ethics, because they will be faced with many difficult ethical decisions that do not always have a straightforward solution.
Planning included reaching out to other health organizations, objectives, and goals of health fair were established. The implementation includes getting volunteers, set up for the health fair. The evaluation of the process occurred throughout the implementation and changes were made as needed. The evaluation will be completed by gathering information from health booth to determine the number of participants. Review vendor and participant evaluations about the health fair including how they heard about the health fair, ratings of booths and suggestions for improvements. Record everything to determine changes. Reflection on past experiences and what worked and did not work.
This paper will focus on two BNUR leaner outcomes (University of Calgary, 2013) relevant to my learned understanding of nurses as ethical decision makers. I will outline the ways that I have seen ethics used and not used in practice, what I learned about ethics and its use in my theory courses and throughout my practicums, and I will reflect on how this understanding will translate into my professional practice moving forward.
Since ethical dilemmas are not always easily answered through the use of The Code of Ethics, ethical decision-making models are effective tools that can assist nurses in dealing with ethical issues. Ethical decision-making models provide a framework for working through difficult choices. They seek to define the limits of what is morally acceptable and help clarify the guidelines for making those difficult decisions. Ethical decision making models assist nurses in analyzing situations by focusing on understanding the patient needs, need for responsiveness to circumstantial considerations, and recognizing the uniqueness of each situation.
Davis J. Anne Diane Marsha and Aroskar A. Mila (2010). Ethical Dilemmas and Nursing Practice. Pearson
The classical term for the word ethics is, moral philosophies that rule an individual’s or group behavior or action. The American Nurses Association used ethics to write the Code of Ethics for Nurses with these values and visions in mind: “(1) As a statement of the ethical obligations and duties of every person who chooses to enter the profession of nursing. (2) To act as the nonnegotiable standard of ethics. (3) To serve as an expression of the understanding on nursing’s commitment to society.” (Nurses Code of Ethics, 2015). With our ever-changing society and healthcare, also comes changes to the American Nurses Association’s
6). Good intention is the main moral principle considered and consequences are irrelevant (Joel, 2013, p. 526). Seemingly, the deontological ideology focuses on the actions of the agent and would disregard patient focus and individuality. It is difficult to apply contemporary ethical theories to the nurse because of the values of the nursing profession. “Contemporary ethical theories do not lend themselves to the health-care professions or to ethically defensible decisions in health-care practice. None of the dominant ethical theories could be discovered in, or derived from, the profession of nursing” (Joel, 2013, p. 526). Casuistry, while not an ethical theory, is a case-based approach to practical decision-making. Cases that have set precedence are identified and comparisons are made using similarities, differences, and previous experiences. This concept is used to complement ethical theories in patient decision making by clinical ethics committees (Slowther, Johnston, Goodall, & Hope, 2004, § C4). Personally and professionally balancing ethical perspectives to be able to consider all details on a case by case basis seems like a more appropriate
One of the most poignant statements that I have heard during my tenure in nursing school is that “Nurses are often the first person that an infant sees at birth and the last person that a patient sees upon death.” Nurses have contact with patients recurrently along this continuum of life, now more than ever. This is due to the world’s aging population and the correlating factor of higher patient acuity (Larson, 2013). This frequent and close contact with nurses has fostered a sense of trustworthiness in the minds of U.S. citizens. This is evidenced by a recent Gallup Poll which listed nurses as the most honest and ethical professionals in America (www.galluppoll.com, 2015). Nurses have the challenging task of providing this trust-worthy,
The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses has five elements that pertain to the Principle of Autonomy. Each individual element applies to “respect individual persons” (Baillie, McGeehan, Garrett T, M., Garrett R. M., 2013, p.33). In Chapter 2 of the Health Care ethics: Principles and problems text, it discusses thouroghly the consent of an individual to make their own decisions regarding their health and future requests of care. As a nurse or within all heath care professions, we must treat each individual patient with care, respect, and to remain mindful to the patient regarding any aspect of their lives. In the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, it explains ways of maintaining the empathy required in the health field. It further discusses that the respect for human dignity must be a priority, relationships to patients must remain neutral, the severity of the situation, the right to self-rule, and the professionalism that must be upheld by the nurse and their associates.
Ethics is defined as moral principles that govern a persons or a group’s behavior, ethical principles apply to both personal and professional relationships (Webster, 2015). The field of nursing is a profession that has been highly regarded and respected in society. Most nurses enter the profession in order to utilize their clinical skills to help others in their time of need. Those in failing health rely on nurses to care for them in their most vulnerable states, and expect a level of compassion and humanity while receiving care. Nurses have an ethical responsibility to their patients, clients, and their community. Compassion, empathy, and integrity are staple characteristics that nurses possess that allow them to successfully perform their
The four fundamental nursing responsibilities of promoting health, preventing illness, optimizing health and alleviating the ill are represented in the code of ethics. (Arnold & Boggs, 2016) One can say that the code of ethics are rules that a nurse needs to follow in order to effectively communicate and protect the patients. The American Nurse Association provided the code of ethics to guide nurses to ensure that patient’s care, safety, rights and health are well cared for and well managed. Models like Utilitarian, deontological, and the human rights-based all contribute in answering dilemmas that can arise with a patient. Thus, explaining what some of the code of ethics are, and how the code of ethics influence our responsibilities as a nurse will impact the overall care of the
Ethics asses the values, morals, and principles of nurses. Legal codes or laws are rules established by our government. It’s important that nurses have a clear and comprehensive understanding of ethical and legal codes within their career. The understanding of these codes is essential for nurses to safely practice and to protect their patients. Nurses must abide by these principles or face the consequences of legal action. These principles include autonomy, utilitarianism, confidentiality, and many others. Autonomy is the agreement to respect ones right to determine a course of action, while utilitarianism is what is best for most people as defined in American Nurses Association. In order to give you a