The healthcare system is very complex, and the nurses should be aware of all the policies, laws, ethics, and available sources to provide quality care to all patients. The following case study will explore some of the decision-making processes the nurses consider while caring for their patients to keep high standards of care. What does Sue need to know about her personal values and legal/ethical issues to determine how she will make decisions about providing care for indigent persons? As mentioned by the Cherry and Jacob (2014), “nursing ethics is a system of principles concerning the actions of the nurse in his or her relationship with patients, patients’ family members, other health care providers, policymakers, and society as a whole” …show more content…
The question raises to one’s mind that the United States (US) is a developed country, then why are the citizens not receiving necessities for the quality of life? As mentioned by Cherry and Jacob (2014), “The system has become more selective in the amount and type of treatment offered” (p. 178) to the person with and without the insurance. The diagnostic testing availability depends on the social and financial status of a patient seeking treatment (Cherry & Jacob, 2014). Financial burden interferes with physical and mental healing. In the majority of the developed country, the healthcare is accessible at lower costs and on sliding scale to their citizens; and US citizens should have that option as well, so the preventive care is available to all. The International Council of Nurses Code of Ethics for Nurses holds the nurse accountable “initiating and supporting action to meet the health and social needs of the public” (Cherry & Jacob, 2014, p. 170). The philosophy of utilitarianism should be practiced by every developed country to promote healthcare and deliver the quality of care to all people who provide a sense of relieve for the healthcare providers. Despite healthcare …show more content…
First, the increased workload due to staff shortage is putting patient care in jeopardy. Sue need to be aware of facility policies and guidelines about staffing flexibility and accepting an assignment to provide safe care. As stated by Martin (2015),”When nurse staffing is inadequate, the ability to practice ethically is questionable” (p. 4). The Safe Harbor Act protects nurses from the unsafe nurse-patient ratio, but the nurse should be aware when to utilize this resource to protect patient safety and her for liability is compromised due to staff shortage. In this situation, nurse staffing in an ongoing problem and Sue should discuss with the management to employ the policies such as the Nurse Reinvestment Act, the Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act, and mandated nurse-patient ratio (Martin, 2015). Also, the Guide for the American Nurses Association (ANA) Principles for Nurse Staffing should be utilized in this situation (Cherry & Jacob, 2014). Secondly, Sue’s stress is to provide quality care to indigent patients who are uninsured or underinsured. The uninsured population cannot afford preventative care, and by the time they come to the hospital, the acuity level is high, and treatment is expensive. Many facilities have policies regarding indigent population care. Some facilities have charitable policies to pay medical bills for uninsured or underinsured patients. Sue also needs to be aware of any policy related to lowering
Every nurse will be faced with a decision making dilemma at some point in his or her career. Being familiar with the nursing code of ethics, what is ethically and morally expected in society and how to approach the situations can help make dilemmas less of a nightmare. “The purpose of nursing ethics is to inspire questions and examine what would be the ethically right action in health care situations demanding a choice between at least two undesirable alternatives” (Toren & Wagner, 2010, p. 394). There are many different ways one can approach a situation to reach a resolution, finding a method that works best with the situation at hand is ideal.
Davis, Shoni, Vivian Schrader and Marcia J. Belcheir. "Influencers of ethical beliefs and the impact on moral distress and conscientious objection." Nursing Ethics (2012): 738-749.
The ethical principles that apply to this case include respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, veracity, and fidelity. Ethical principles are set to guide nurse’s actions in an ethical situation, therefore it is essential that nurses understand them so they are able to apply them appropriately (Burkhardt et al., 2014).
These articles have many similarities when discussing the issue of staffing shortages. For patients, their loved ones and the general population, they don’t understand the ramifications and strain that staffing shortages have on nurses. People expect and deserve complete, competent and safe care when they are patients. These articles bring to light all the struggles that nurses have to deal with. Nurses are fearful that they will make mistakes, will harm patients, and will harm themselves. (Bae, 2012; Erlen, 2001; Martin, 2015) Overtime can be overwhelming and exhausting, which can lead to errors being made. (Bae, 2012; Erlen, 2001) These articles perceive that it may be beneficial for nurses, patients, and healthcare facilities to decrease the nurse-to-patient ratio, however, this option is not always
The ethical situation in question is a culmination of intolerance, ignorance, cultural insensitivity, and failure to follow hospital protocols and procedures. The location of the facility in which the ethical dilemma took place is a small, rural hospital in the Midwest of the United States of America. A new male patient has been admitted and he is currently a practicing Muslim. The facility does not have a large Muslim population and does not have any cultural protocols in place to accommodate the Muslim religion.
The term nursing ethics means that the nurse has an obligation judge what is right and wrong in her or his duties as guided by the profession or the moral principles that govern the profession and as prescribed by the professional body. Nursing ethics initially encompassed virtues that were desired in a nurse. At the time, these virtues included physician loyalty, commitment to high moral character and obedience. Evolvement of nursing profession gradually made nurses embrace patients’ advocacy. As patient advocates, nurses work as part of an interdisciplinary team to provide patient care. Nursing ethics have kept pace with the advancement of the nursing profession to include a patient-centered focus, rather than a physician-centered focus.
Ethics and integrity are essential parts of the nursing profession since they provide nurses with the capacity for weighing in on the impacts that their actions may have on the profession (Guido, 2014). However, maintaining high levels of ethics and integrity may create significant challenges for nurses some of which impact on their position as healthcare providers. One of the key challenges that nurses experience as part of their profession is increased cases of ethical dilemmas some of which impact on their abilities to make decisions based on the interests of their patients. The nursing code of ethics indicates the need for nurses to ensure that the decisions or actions they take reflect on the interests
To understand ethics in the nursing field, you must first know what ethics is. A general explanation of ethics is the beliefs, values and morals that an individual has. These may not be that same for everyone and some may disagree with each others ethics. Ethics is dealing with what is right and what is wrong everyone has different views regarding what is. A nurse must understand and be clear about ones own beliefs, values and morals, before understanding others and being able to deal with the difference that one will encounter in the nursing field. Ethics in nursing, (Concepts pg.220), “The nurse is someone who has internalized the concept of what it means to be a human being and accepts personal responsibility for relationships with other human beings. A nurse has an obligation to do good and not harm anyone and is committed to providing the same high-quality level of nursing service to all human beings”. Ethics in nursing can be hard to differentiate between the law and the code of ethics. There are committees and groups that are put together to help make the Nursing Code of Ethic...
Nursing code of ethics was developed as a guide in carrying out nursing responsibilities in a matter consistent with quality in nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession (ANA, 2010). The term ethics refers to the study of philosophical ideals of right and wrong behavior (Olin, 2012). There is a total of nine provisions however, throughout this paper I will discuss provisions one through four. These provisions would include, personal relationships, primary care, nurse commitment, safety, patient rights, responsibility and accountability of the patient.
The word ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos, which means character (1). Being moral always fills a nurse with morals respects, guidelines of good judgment and expert lead. There are three essential obligations for nurses, among many other which are the duty of autonomy, confidentiality, and obligation of care to all patients (2). There are professional duties with becoming distinctly legitimate obligations if any law and policies are ruptured in between professional practice. In 2001, a review found that there was an apparent requirement for more guidance on moral predicaments inside the medical professionals, subsequent to expanding legal cases and open request (3). Medical attendants ought to withstand to regulatory law and statutory law while managing the nursing practice.
Registered nurses abide by a code of ethics as set forth by the American Nurses Association. Some of the ethics nurses live out are: commitment to the patient, practice with compassion and respect, accountability and responsibility for owns actions and collaborating with other health care providers (Code of Ethics for Nurses, 2015). Nurses practice the code of ethics on a routine basis by employing the six fundamental concepts established by the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN).
Various factors are associated with the development of ethical dilemmas, including advances in medical technology, increased life expectancy, the high cost of healthcare in an environment of limited resources, lack of time to provide care and conflicting values and cultures among patients, nurses and other healthcare professionals. All of which, including the growth of the nursing profession, have brought an increase in the nurses’ participation in human rights and life and death decision-making situations (Kim et al.,
Choose a potential barrier to ethical practice that you may face in your chosen advanced practice nursing role.
Nursing ethics refers to moral judgment and standards of conduct. Nurses should have the ability to provide safe and compassionate care.
Nursing is defined as simply caring for an ill or injured individual. It takes years of schooling to become a nurse, but patience, compassion and the ability to care are needed to be a good one. Although Nursing seems like an excellent profession, it is believed that “the ability of the health system to deliver consistent quality health care continues to be debated on a national level, and nursing’s moral obligation is not only to be a part of the debate, but also to advocate for communities and as individuals deserving quality health care” (Pope, B., Hough, M. C., & Chase, S. 2016). It is highly important that the professionals in the nursing field keep an ethical and moral perspective within the community. It also takes having respect for