The free dictionary defined ethical code as a system of principles governing morality and acceptable conduct. However, it was noted that no code can provide absolute or complete rules that are free of conflict and ambiguity. Because codes are unable to provide exact directives for moral reasoning and action in all situations, some people have stated that virtue ethics provides a better approach to ethics because the emphasis is on a person’s character than on rules, principles, and laws (Beauchamp & Childress, 2001). The core ethical principles in nursing are;…
The Colorado Board of Nursing states that all registered nurses are to “Act as patient advocate” ("Colorado RN Scope of Practice," p. 1). This role requires a nurse to help ensure that an individual patient’s wishes are heard and respected by those providing care and interventions. It isn’t always easy to represent the patient’s wishes to a physician and family, especially when they may result in the end of a life. It is important to always educate the physician and family on any advanced directives a patient may have made, especially when the possibility of mental confusion may currently exist.…
In her current and only professional practice, there are not many moral or ethical dilemmas she comes across. Actually, she can not think of one instance. In nursing school, however, she had a community rotation where she was supposed to go to a clinic where abortions were performed and she may have been asked to assist in one. This was both a moral and ethical dilemma that went against all that she believed in. This is a huge controversial subject and this writer soon learned that a nurse could refuse to participate in an abortion but could not refuse to care for the woman before or after the procedure. This writer was able to avoid even being asked as on her assigned date, a snow emergency had been…
In the United States, privacy and confidentiality are the basic rights of the society enshrined not only in professional practice codes of ethics but also in the constitution. Hence, nurses and for that matter, all health care professional have a legal, moral and ethical responsibility to protect patient's privacy.…
However decision making is essential for nurses to participate in order to focus on ethical and moral issues and note situations that appears to be dilemmas with the help of professional and ethical competence (Tschudin, 2002). Moreover unprofessional ethical practice may result to litigations if care was deemed not to be professionally sound.…
The profession of nursing must have high values and ethics, but how does a nurse make that tough ethical decision. Ethical decision making is defined as “The process of choosing between actions based on a system of beliefs and values” (Black, 2014, p. 347). The nurse has to go through a process to come to the most ethical and just decision based on their facility and their ethics.…
Advance Directives are a type of blueprint for individuals to map out their plan of care in case they become mentally unable to make decisions. Two highly published cases involving women who lacked decisional capacity started the ball rolling for what became known as the Patient Self- determination Act of 1990 (Odom, 2012). This act required medical professionals to advice patients of their rights once be admitted as a patient. There are moral, ethical and spiritual factors that come into play when a patient is making end of life plans and keeping the family informed will help with the caring through of those decisions even if the patient can no longer make their own choices. As Nurses it our job to educate and inform the patient of these rights and what choices they have in making these types of decisions. We must obtain written consent and document as much information as possible so that a patient feels we are making choices in their best interest.…
The significance of the profession ethic of nursing care in North America in the early 1900s was recognized as a nurse leader. Overall, the emphasis appeals on ethics about the nature of nurse’ day-to-day commitments to others including issues such as the vulnerability of ethics, respect and dignity (Doane 2009). Some ethics, for example dealing with patients with their proper titles or names, which may be related to manners and courtesy, however, this kind of behavior is more properly understood as a etiquette, that is relevant rules of behavior and social norm (Holt, 2012). In giving nursing care, nurse involved in relationship with the patients and their families, and, in general, it is involved in the more continuous interaction with them…
I agree with you opinion especially how it closely relates to and guide nursing practice. I didn’t have too many thoughts about ethic when I was still a nursing student. With more experiences I found ethics are so empowering in making judgements/decisions in nursing care. I always ask myself: am I being truthful to my patients? Am I respecting their wills? Am I being fair to all our patients?…
There are also patients who are not able to speak for themselves and do not have an advanced directive that can carry out the patient’s wishes. This is another major barrier that could mean life or death for a patient. An advanced directive is a legal document of the person who is to make the decisions for the patient’s end of life care. If there is no advanced directive, the decisions are made according to the state statue. The closest relative available may be appointed to make these decisions. As an APN we must encourage the patients and their families to prepare before these emergency situations occur (Hamric & Delgado, 2009).…
Prior to this assignment, I thought that medical ethics meant to practice nursing as a prudent nurse would practice, in a socially acceptable way. Ethical behavior is one doing what is right rather than what is wrong. I knew that all medical professionals had to comply with patient confidentiality, but I did not realize that all medical professionals, including writers, were held accountable just as if they were providing bedside patient care. I never considered medical writing before and never wrote medical information, other than charting. Charting is a big part of patient care, so naturally I understood the ethical responsibilities that were associated with charting. I also knew that research professionals were also held to high ethical standards because of their interaction with medical patients. After this assignment, I realized I knew less than I thought I did about medical ethics. I learned that all medical professionals, regardless of their position, are held to a high ethical standard.…
S.Z, a 65 year old Hispanic male, is being discharged from hospital after being admitted with a blood sugar of 589. He has been seeing a curandero to manage his diabetes mellitus type II, hyperlipidemia, and osteoarthritis. He has not taken his prescription medications for these chronic conditions, but instead takes traditional medicines the curandero tells him to take. His daughter approaches the nurse with her concerns over her father’s heath and asks the nurse if her father’s discharge orders can be cancelled; the daughter would prefer the doctor write orders for her father to be admitted to a nursing home.…
New York State Department of Health. (2008). Patient 's Bill of Rights. Retrieved June 19, 2008, from http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/hospital/english2. htm#patients…
Thank you for sharing your story. You can become morally distress when you have unfair patient assignment and staff shortages. It was not fair to the patient as well as the nurse for having neutropenic patient and contact isolation patient at the same time. According to the Chinn and Kramer (2010) “emancipatory knowing realizes nurses that there is something wrong with the way things are and that it is possible to change what is for the better” (p.66). Similarly, in this situation, you voiced your concern to the charge nurse. You identified that main barrier to this situation was short staff. Once you knew that there was not going to be change in the patient assignment, your priority was to provide best care to the patient. Thus, you assessed…
- Making choices that are best for the individual or society at certain times and in particular situations and then evaluating such choices and outcomes.…