A Nurse's Role In Ethical Dilemmas

Ethics Theory Paper
New technology and treatment options have created the potential for more ethical dilemmas to arise. Because of this fact it is crucial for healthcare providers to be able to navigate the murky waters that ethical dilemmas can create. In order to improve the quality of patient care in ethical dilemmas, nurses need to develop moral and ethical reasoning skills. (“What Do I Do Now?,” 2013). Every person is born with a moral code which enables them to distinguish between right and wrong which assists healthcare providers in deciding the best solution in a dilemma. Along with our moral code the American Nurses Association created the Code of ethics and each organization has organizational ethics that were created to help nurses
The ethical dilemma that will be discussed happened recently. The patient V.W. was diagnosed with a stage four glioblastoma tumor less than six month prior to being admitted to the oncology unit. Most patients who are diagnosed with glioblastoma, have poor prognosis and in this case the situation would be the same. The patient was no longer alert and oriented, could not speak and was lethargic most of the day. The patient would only wake when she appeared uncomfortable and would grimace. Upon admission, the patient was diagnosed with pneumonia and sepsis. The patient was hooked up to an EEG for a potential seizure episode. She was unable to eat because of mouth sores, unable to follow commands and there was a high risk for aspiration. When attempts were made to provide the patient with fluids, the patients work of breathing would increase and her oxygen saturation levels would drop due to the fluid building up in her lungs. Next, the providers considered placing a jejunostomy tube to give enteral nutrition, except it was determined she was not stable enough to live through the procedure. Because of the patient’s current state, the patient would not live much longer even with antibiotic treatment and oxygen support. The patient had no advance directives in place, which unfortunately took away her autonomy to have control over what she would want in this
One of these theories is the theory of natural law. Natural law is said to be embedded in the world and were naturally made laws for humans. To behave rationally is equivalent to acting morally which would be to act in accordance with the natural laws (Pence, 2017). A lot of times in ethical dilemmas healthcare providers get caught up in their emotions and want to follow what their emotions tell them instead of what is ethically correct. Natural law is not about following one’s feelings, it is about following the rules that were laid down and accepted by cultures (Pence, 2017). All people accept that humans have the right to live and die because of this fact humans do not have to undergo all medical treatments that are available. All humans have autonomy and they have the right to refuse treatment and some treatments may be morally extraordinary. Embedded in the theory of natural law lies the doctrine of double effect. The doctrine states that if both evil and good come from an action then the evil is forgiven, “(1) if the action was good … (2) if the good followed immediately [after] the cause as did the evil, (3) if only the good effect was intended, and (4) if there was as important a reason for performing the action as for allowing the evil effect” (Pence, 2017, p.14). The choices healthcare providers make can yield both good and evil results but the rationale behind the choice