Ethical Issues In Long Term Care Essay

The issue I Journaled about in the course is to reduce falls among the elderly in long term care. In writing my journals one of my focuses is that patient’s dignity can destroyed after falling multiple times by diminishing their independence. Our responsibility as nurses is to inform patients of choices, options for selection, which is why I suggested that patients should be given as much independence as possible with close supervision, and to the best of our ability, inform the patient of the consequences of the choices. Another ethical principle the book explained about is the respect for a person, it is the patients right to choose how they go along with their daily living in long-term care. They can choose not to engage in activity that

will promote safety and reduce falls. In essence, nurses provide information that is evidence-based so that a patient can make an informed decision. There are cores ethical principles that can be articulated and applied to fall and fall injury prevention programs such as autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence. Autonomy is essential to respecting a patient’s right to engage in conversation and education about available choices and consequences.

Beneficence is the principle of working in someone's best interest, in this sense, preventing harm from falls by promoting safety. Nonmaleficence allows the nursing staff opportunities to avoid actually causing harm again by, promoting safety to better integrate ethical principles into our practice. Many interventions are implemented with safety as the priority; yet, there are times when autonomy supersedes safety, for instance, patients who are cognitively with it stands on their choices and eventually ends up overestimate there limits. Today in long-term care facility bed alarm usage is considered to be a restrain and was discontinue because it was said to be the cause of most falls due to fear when activated. Purposeful rounding and maintaining toileting programs and other interventions applied to all patients, such as universal fall precautions would encourage independence in older adults at the same time respect patient’s values, wishes, and choices. One of the most difficult ethical dilemmas that arise for nurses and related health care providers is finding the balance between promoting independence and autonomy for seniors by not interfering with their life goals, but by trying to act responsibly and promote health and

safety.

Autonomy and the patient's right to choose falls prevention. (2016, December 09). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from https://www.americannursetoday.com/autonomy-patients-right-choose-falls-prevention/