Ethical Issues in Mental Health Nursing
Professional Accountability
Analysis of a dilemma in practice
“Sally and the Health Visitor”
Dip HE Mental Health Nursing
Word count: 1,957.
Contents page
Introduction | 1 | Autonomy | 1 | Beneficence | 3 | Nonmaleficence | 4 | Justice | 4 | Conclusion | 5 | Bibliography | 6 |
Introduction
This discussion paper will look at the ethical issues surrounding decision making as nurses, in a given scenario (Sally and the health visitor). Ethics is defined by Johnstone (2008) as “A way to think about, judge and examine how to tackle moral life. It should help define what we ought to do, by considering and reconsidering actions”. This will be tackled using the ethical framework set out by Beauchamp and Childress (2009), this framework will give the structure to the complicated argument above.
The ethical areas of discussion will be Autonomy, Beneficence, Nonmaleficence and Justice; this paper will also look at Deontological and Consequentialism theories. The discussion paper will conclude with the safest outcomes and decisions the health visitor would make.
Nurses and other professionals, such as midwives and health visitors make decisions everyday and often they face the argument of what is ethical practice (Ulrich et al 2010). Ulrich et al (2010) cites Florence nightingales (1859) nursing notes, where she discusses ethical duties of confidentiality, communication, and the centrality of meeting patients’ needs, this reflects the same moral and ethical issues nursing professionals face today. Georges and Grypdonk (2002) state that nurses often fail to recognise the moral elements of complex situations, and they often lack the skills to effectively resolve moral dilemmas. It is therefore important that nurses are equipped with the skills and knowledge to understand ethics within their practice. Schlairet (2009) comments that the role of a nurse in ethical dilemmas is often seen an advocate by some, Vaarito et al (2005) explained advocacy as assisting
Analysis of a dilemma in practice
“Sally and the Health Visitor”
Dip HE Mental Health Nursing
Word count: 1,957.
Contents page
Introduction | 1 | Autonomy | 1 | Beneficence | 3 | Nonmaleficence | 4 | Justice | 4 | Conclusion | 5 | Bibliography | 6 |
Introduction
This discussion paper will look at the ethical issues surrounding decision making as nurses, in a given scenario (Sally and the health visitor). Ethics is defined by Johnstone (2008) as “A way to think about, judge and examine how to tackle moral life. It should help define what we ought to do, by considering and reconsidering actions”. This will be tackled using the ethical framework set out by Beauchamp and Childress (2009), this framework will give the structure to the complicated argument above.
The ethical areas of discussion will be Autonomy, Beneficence, Nonmaleficence and Justice; this paper will also look at Deontological and Consequentialism theories. The discussion paper will conclude with the safest outcomes and decisions the health visitor would make.
Nurses and other professionals, such as midwives and health visitors make decisions everyday and often they face the argument of what is ethical practice (Ulrich et al 2010). Ulrich et al (2010) cites Florence nightingales (1859) nursing notes, where she discusses ethical duties of confidentiality, communication, and the centrality of meeting patients’ needs, this reflects the same moral and ethical issues nursing professionals face today. Georges and Grypdonk (2002) state that nurses often fail to recognise the moral elements of complex situations, and they often lack the skills to effectively resolve moral dilemmas. It is therefore important that nurses are equipped with the skills and knowledge to understand ethics within their practice. Schlairet (2009) comments that the role of a nurse in ethical dilemmas is often seen an advocate by some, Vaarito et al (2005) explained advocacy as assisting
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