Consequentialism In Nursing Essay

1. The wedge principle warns against undertaking certain actions because it will open the door for larger undesirable actions—when the wedge is in place, the object can be more easily moved. It is also called the camel’s nose principle on observation that the moment the camel’s nose gets inside the tent, the rest of the body will follow. In healthcare, many disagree about the use of euthanasia, even with consent from patients and their family. When allowed, euthanasia can lead to more severe actions that will significantly hurt the people involved. Ethical mistakes tend to replicate themselves (Baylis 21). One minor mistake can lead to another.

2. Therapeutic privilege is that which permits a provider to withhold information from a patient when he feels that disclosure of such information will affect the patient psychologically. The said privilege also applies to avoid having a patient refuse a medical procedure which the doctor believes is in his best interest. Patients have a right to information about their health and treatment. However, a doctor may be compelled to not tell everything to a patient if

Consequentialism is a principle suggesting that the morality of an action is based on its consequences. The end justifies the means, hence an action that produced good results in the end can be considered as ethical. The theory helps provide an empirical solution to many ethical issues in healthcare. Some medical professionals see the morality in making decisions based on the weighted benefits and harms of a procedure to the patient. Deontologism, on the other hand, contends that an act is morally good only if it is good in itself. The theory holds that some acts are morally obligatory regardless of their effects to the entities concerned. An action should be consistent with the universal law in that it should be right from every angle. White lies, for instance, are still lies and, therefore, are wrong no matter if they are done with a good intention in