Justice
Laura Bartles
Blue Ridge CTC
Introduction to Professional Nursing
NURS 105
Elizabeth Viens Rini
April 22, 2014
Justice
The term “justice” has a wide variety of definitions but, in the nursing world it is an ethical principle that is defined as: the equal and fair distribution of resources. No matter who they are, every person has the right to any and all means of medical treatment (ANA, n.d.). In order for justice to be achieved, a patient should be given fair, impartial care and having their rights as a citizens upheld (Feinsod & Wagner, 2008). Although the in knowledge of AIDS and its disease processes have grown exponentially over the decades, there are still cases of discrimination against those infected with the disease.
Summary of Clinical Situation
(Allen et al., 2000) The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a clinical situation that requires the ethical principle Justice to be implemented. AIDS can be transmitted by sexual activity, intravenous (IV) drug use, and passed from mother to child. Due to the judgments and fears from the general population and some healthcare professionals, patients who have this disease may find themselves suffering from discrimination in many ways of their lives. This discrimination comes from the stigma placed by the factors in which AIDS is mainly spread. These factors are poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, prostitution, human-trafficking, which create the labels like the “drug user” or “homosexual”.
AIDS discrimination is a bit more complex than that against patients with other diseases. Although years of education has decreased the discrimination in the clinical care setting toward patients with AIDS, prejudice stills occurs. Twenty-six percent of patients with AI...
... middle of paper ...
...be pathway to autonomy by supporting a person’s entitlement to make decisions about their own health and health care (Feinsod & Wagner, 2008). It is a person’s right to know when they seek medical treatment it will be delivered with no bias or discrimination. This can be achieved by continuing AIDS education in health care facilities and to their staff. The education would also benefit society. The health care community has an ethical duty to do whatever is needed to ensure that all patients, including those with AIDS, gain from the most current treatments. Nurses have many roles in patient care. Expanding some of those roles, in order to determine the various aspects of a patient’s life, to help organize services to start/continue the most current treatment available to AIDS patients, may assist in minimizing the fear of discrimination in the clinical setting.
The first provision of the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) “Code of Ethics” states, “ The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.” The second provision states, “The nurse’s primary commitment is the patient, whether the patient is an individual, family, group, or community” (Fowler, 2010). As nurses we need to respect the autonomy and allow for the patient to express their choices and concerns. We also need to provide them with support by giving them knowledge and understanding so they
The ANA position statement, The Nurse’s Role in Ethics and Human Rights: Protecting and Promoting Individual Worth, Dignity, and Human Rights in Practice Settings pertains to the nurse’s role of standard care of patients in a practical setting. The statement describes the purpose on how human rights and values should be upheld. The values that are outlined in this statement are individual worth, dignity and human rights. This is important because it provides a framework of how to provide the best care to the patient. The nurse’s role is to promote and protect human rights in a practical setting, by being a patient advocate that acts on the behalf of the patient in meeting their needs. The advocacy that the nurse offers comes from a trusting
Nursing is definitely a great discourse community. But you’re probably wondering, what is a discourse community? Well John Swales, who is a professor of linguistics and co-director of the Michigan corpus of Academic Spoken English at the University of Michigan, wrote a book called “Genre Analysis” that explained what discourse community is and the characteristics for identifying what takes part as a discourse community. Swales defines discourse community as centrifugal; In other words, it tends to separate people into occupational or specialty-interest groups (Swales, John. “Genre Analysis” Writing about Writing. Wardle, et al. 220). So basically he’s saying that it is a group of people who communicate about similar interests that they have in common with each other. With that said, Nursing does count as a discourse community because it’s a field of people who share similar interests, value, and goals in their lives. Discourse communities takes place all around the world and plays an important role in communication. There is no way others can understand others without the use
The provision 8 of the American Nurses Association (ANA)’s Code of Ethics highlights that nurses collaborate with other health care professionals and the local and global community in promoting health. Nurses are committed in fostering the health and well being of individuals and the community. This also includes the broader health needs such as, world hunger, pollution, equity in health care, and human rights. Nurses are also responsible in keeping themselves updated with the health conditions of the community (Nursing World, 2001).
Even after the disease and its modes of transmission had been correctly identified, fear and ignorance remained widespread. In the mid 1980s, “AIDS hysteria” became a well known term in the media and public life. For example, a magazine published details about how extensive AIDS/HIV related discrimination became. “Anxiety over AIDS in some parts of the U.S. is verging on hysteria,” the authors wrote; they later published this disturbing example:
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.
Licensed practical nurses (LPN 's) fill an important role in modern health care practices. Their primary job duty is to provide routine care, observe patients’ health, assist doctors and registered nurses, and communicate instructions to patients regarding medication, home-based care, and preventative lifestyle changes (Hill). A Licensed Practical Nurse has various of roles that they have to manage on a day to day basis, such as being an advocate for their patients, an educator, being a counselor, a consultant, researcher, collaborator, and even a manager depending on what kind of work exactly that you do and where. It is the nursing process and critical thinking that separate the LPN from the unlicensed assistive personnel. Judgments are based
The stigmatization and discrimination that goes hand and hand with a positive diagnosis of HIV/AIDS is overwhelming. FreeDictonary.com defines discrimination as the “treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice.” In essence, discrimination is about actions and stigma relates to beliefs and attitudes. Both however are built up on negative views of a person just because they are apart of a specific group. All over the world, there are well-documented cases of people living with HIV that are being denied the right to health- care, work, education, and freedom of movement, among others. (UNAIDS 2005) This stigma and discrimination exist globally, although it appears differently...
“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival” (Aristotle, n.d.)
The following essay is a reflective paper on an event that I encountered as a student nurse during my first clinical placement in my first year of study. The event took place in a long term facility. This reflection is about the patient whom I will call Mrs. D. to protect her confidentiality. Throughout this essay I will be using LEARN model of reflection. I have decided to reflect on the event described in this essay since I believe that it highlights the need for nurses to have effective vital signs ‘assessment skills especially when treating older patients with complex medical diagnoses.
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.
I believe that Nursing is a profession that is unique to the individual. My reasons for choosing such a profession is due to the fact that I have a desire to help others. Growing up with a very sick parent of whom I traveled back and forth over the years to many physician offices, lead me to develop my career path at an early age which was nursing. I watched the many doctors and nurses providing care to my mom in such a compassionate way, and as a result of the kindness they showed my sibling and me, I was very much aware this was as some may say, “my calling”. I had a conversation with my mom and told her that one day I was going to be a nurse so that I could care for her in the same manner that I saw the nurses and physicians caring for her. I wanted to
In order for nurses to practice ethically they must understand the meaning behind each professional value. The first value is human dignity. With each patient we encounter we must show them respect as individuals. It does not matter what the medical condition is, race, ethnicity, culture, religion or gender of the individual. The dignity of a person must be protected. As nurses we must respect the uniqueness of each individual we care for, as this is a fundamental right of all humans. A person with dignity feels a sense of self-worth and as nurses we must do our best to help our patients maintain that feeling of worthiness.
From the moment scientists identified HIV and AIDS, social responses of fear, denial, stigma and discrimination have accompanied the epidemic. Discrimination has spread rapidly, fuelling anxiety and prejudice against the groups most affected, as well as those living with HIV or AIDS. It goes without saying that HIV and AIDS are as much about social phenomena as they are about biological and medical concerns. Across the world the global epidemic of HIV/AIDS has shown itself capable of triggering responses of compassion, solidarity and support, bringing out the best in people, their families and communities. But the disease is also associated with stigma, repression and discrimination, as individuals affected (or believed to be affected) by HIV have been rejected by their families, their loved ones and their communities. This rejection holds as true in the rich countries of the north as it does in the poorer countries of the south.
All people should not treat people with AIDs differently because at the end of the day they are all the same. Like for example, this story about a young boy name Ryan White. He had hemophiliacs and had a blood transfusion, which has caused him to have