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;…
Ilene, many of the ethical dilemmas faced by nurses could be eliminated if people would take the time to let their family know what interventions they would want in situations like this. End-of-life planning and advanced care directives will increase the quality of life of a dying patient, ease the ethical decisions having to be made by family members, and will ensure that personal wishes will be abided by (Eggertson, 2013, p. E617). Many people talk about what they do and do not want but never write them down. This leaves the family, doctors, and other health care members second-guessing the wishes of the patient whenever they are too ill or sick to make decisions themselves. If your patient had made these decisions earlier and made it…
Faced with ethical and legal decisions on a daily basis, nurses must at times make some pretty tough decisions including how to proceed with care for an incapacitated patient with no advanced directive or how to proceed when called upon to testify against a current employer. The American Nurses Association Code of Nursing Ethics is one of the main tools available for the nurse to utilize when it comes to making these tough decisions. The nurse may apply personal values as well as societal values to these cases in order to come to a sound, ethical decision. The nurse also carries a legal responsibility to their profession, workplace, patients, and self. Ethical and legal decision-making are complex but after a thorough assessment, the nurse can continue to make an ethically and legally sound judgment on how to proceed.…
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 nurse is constantly during the shift trying to maintain patient safety and comfort. Pain is a major area that is often mistreated. Being the fifth vital sign, pain plays a important factor in the care of an individual. Due to the subjectivity of pain, assessment and treatment are influenced by bias and emotions (Jiménez- Herrea & Axelsson, p. 555). There have been many instances, where nurses I have worked with question the reality of the patient’s pain. However, ethically you are supposed to advocate for the patient and allow them to be as comfortable as…
Within the health care field, effective leaders possess the ability to improve situations, act as patient advocates, and perform leadership roles as moral agents. As a developing professional nurse specialist, it is important to use clinical expertise based on the concept of evidence-based practice to advocate for both patients and staff. The purpose of this paper is to consider an ethical dilemma in the field of nursing and analyze the moral, ethical, and legal implications utilized in the situation.…
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…
As a nurse being empathic to the patient is part on my job as professional in as a humain.Nurses are almost always with the patience,sharing their suffering their feeli ngs…
Up holding the patient’s wishes to the best of the nurse’s abilities can seem fairly straight forward. Often, there are situations where this could be hindered by the family, who also have good intentions to protect the patient. Although the nurse may feel strongly to advocate for the patient, in these situations, it becomes difficult to ignore the request of the family who know the patient and have their best interest at heart. This creates an ethical dilemma as to how to approach the situation because there is no clear answer to what would be best for the patient.…
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?…
In my nursing career I have worked at two hospitals, both run by the Sisters of Mercy. This is a conscious decision on my part because my belief system regarding the way we should care for others, mirrors their mission very closely. I believe it is my moral obligation to help anyone who needs help, regardless of their own personal belief system, whether or not they are a citizen of the United States, or their ability to pay for services.…
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.…
For the purpose of this assignment, ethics in relation to nursing will be discussed. "Ethics; A code of principles governing correct behaviour, which in the nursing profession includes behaviour towards patients and their families, visitorsand colleagues" (Oxford Dictionary of Nursing 2004).…