Case Study Reflection on Ethics of Nursing Essay Example
Case Study Reflection Paper
Jo Channing
Case Study Reflection Paper
The case study about John and Mary and their children illustrated cultural, legal, and ethical issues that can arise in the healthcare setting. Having worked in the Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit for the last decade of my nursing career has exposed me to several situations that were also complicate by these same issues. As nurses, we often encounter patients and family members whose beliefs differ from our own. This case study was an excellent tool to help me reflect upon these differences and how we must overcome them to give a standard of nursing care that is not compromised by the barriers of contrasting cultural and ethical beliefs. We must also be aware of the legal implications of our care regarding these situations. Many parents and families from various cultural and religious backgrounds constitute the people that I interact with in the NICU where I work. How we as medical staff interact with these families can impact the extent to which our care is perceived in addition to the extent to which we can openly communicate with and teach our families. The cultural relevance of John and Mary’s situation in the case study involved actions that were driven by the family’s religious beliefs. Whether cultural or religious, the individual beliefs of a family may be unfamiliar to and difficult to understand to those of us in the health care profession. Whether or not we agree with the many beliefs of the populations to which we provide care is not where importance should be placed, rather how we choose to give care that is not only culturally appropriate but as standard as the care provided to anyone else. Because we become so accustomed to providing care in a way that is not typically challenged by cultural differences, it takes some creative thinking to understand what par our patient’s cultural and religious beliefs play in their decision making process. Trying to
Jo Channing
Case Study Reflection Paper
The case study about John and Mary and their children illustrated cultural, legal, and ethical issues that can arise in the healthcare setting. Having worked in the Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit for the last decade of my nursing career has exposed me to several situations that were also complicate by these same issues. As nurses, we often encounter patients and family members whose beliefs differ from our own. This case study was an excellent tool to help me reflect upon these differences and how we must overcome them to give a standard of nursing care that is not compromised by the barriers of contrasting cultural and ethical beliefs. We must also be aware of the legal implications of our care regarding these situations. Many parents and families from various cultural and religious backgrounds constitute the people that I interact with in the NICU where I work. How we as medical staff interact with these families can impact the extent to which our care is perceived in addition to the extent to which we can openly communicate with and teach our families. The cultural relevance of John and Mary’s situation in the case study involved actions that were driven by the family’s religious beliefs. Whether cultural or religious, the individual beliefs of a family may be unfamiliar to and difficult to understand to those of us in the health care profession. Whether or not we agree with the many beliefs of the populations to which we provide care is not where importance should be placed, rather how we choose to give care that is not only culturally appropriate but as standard as the care provided to anyone else. Because we become so accustomed to providing care in a way that is not typically challenged by cultural differences, it takes some creative thinking to understand what par our patient’s cultural and religious beliefs play in their decision making process. Trying to