Comparing The Core Values Of Responsible Nursing Practice And Code Of Ethics

As a registered nurse practicing in the state of California I am responsible for practicing within my states legal regulations and nursing scope of practice. My concern for the welfare of the sick and injured allows me to practice ethical provisions of nursing. These are required if I am to carry out competent and effective nursing care. Nursing encompasses the prevention of illness, the alleviation of suffering, and the protection, promotion, and restoration of health in the care of individuals. Therefore, as health care professionals we must be familiar with the different philosophical forces, ethical principles, theories and values that influence nursing. At the same time, we must be respectful to our patient’s

Ethical practice is another component of the social contract of nursing which is a reflection of the values, beliefs and moral principles of the nursing profession. The American Nurses Association (ANA) has established the “Code of Ethics for Nurses” which serves as a “guideline” for the nursing profession in which clinical judgements and

The topic of ethics is prevalent in health care and addresses a broad range of topics in nursing. In almost every interaction with a patient there could be a situation that may bring up the question of ethics. Fortunately, there is the realization that placing the nurse in the care of a patient, may put the medical personnel in an environment where the ethics are questioned. There are whole departments dedicated to advising nurses in these situations. There are also ethic committees to help guide you when you find yourself in a situation that may question your practice or circumstances.

Deontology is an ethical theory concerned with duties and rights. The founder of deontological ethics was a German philosopher named Immanuel Kant. Kant’s deontological perspective implies people are sensitive to moral duties that require or prohibit certain behaviors, irrespective of the consequences (Tanner, Medin, & Iliev, 2008). The main focus of deontology is duty: deontology is derived from the Greek word deon, meaning duty. A duty is morally mandated action, for instance, the duty never to lie and always to keep your word. Based on Kant, even when individuals do not want to act on duty they are ethically obligated to do so (Rich, 2008).

Nurses are facing many legal or ethical dilemmas in their career. Nurses should combine knowledge of ethical and legal aspects of health care and professional values into nursing practice. It is very essential to know what kind of dilemmas nurses may face during their profession and how they have been dealt with in the past.

Provision 8.1 of the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics denotes that health is a universal right. The provision states, “the nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public to protect human rights, promote health diplomacy, and reduce health disparities” (Lachman, Swanson, & Windland-Brown, 2015, p. 365). From chapter 1, the ethical theory that best fits provision 8.1 is utilitarianism. The ethical theory of utilitarianism theorizes “one should act so as to do the greatest good for the greatest number” (Baillie, McGeehan, Garrett, & Garrett, 2013, p. 4). This theory promotes a universal method because it signifies that even if a decision is made and does not benefit every single person; however, benefits most

Healthcare provider’s perception and judgment in the patient’s well being as well as taking into account the right of the patient in every action is one of the key elements in nursing practice. International Council of Nurses (ICN), (2006) states “The nurse at all times maintains standards of personal conduct which reflect well on the profession and enhance public confidence” (p. 3). Furthermore, nursing action guided by theory and principles of moral and legal

There are nine provisions included in the ANA code of ethics. The provisions can be broken into three categories. The first category is the nurse’s ethical responsibilities to her patient which is provisions one through three. Second is the nurse’s obligation to herself, provisions four through six. The third ethical requirement for nurses is related to their relationship to the nursing profession, community, nation, and world overall. This focus is summarized in provisions seven through nine [ (American Nurses Association, 2013) ].

Truth-telling is an important issue within the nurse-patient relationship. Nurses make decisions on a daily basis regarding what information to tell patients. The specific issue in question is whether a nurse should abide by the Code of Ethics for Nurses by revealing the truth to the patient or refrain from telling the truth to the patient because they are respecting the wishes of the patient’s family. Nurses and health care professionals should always tell the truth to their patients unless the patient forgoes their rights to autonomy or cannot think for themselves. By providing the patient with the truth, they allow the patient to come to terms with their conditions and give them the options for further treatment.

There are five principles to ethical nursing. The first principle, nonmaleficence, or do no harm, it is directly tied to a nurse's duty to protect the patient's safety. This principle dictates that we do not cause injury to our patients. A way that harm can occur to patients is through communication failures. These failures can be intentional or as a result of electronic or human error. Failing to convey accurate information, giving wrong messages, and breaking down of equipment, can cause harm to patients. Some of these communication problems may certainly occur whether a patient is at a neighborhood clinic or 500 miles away, but distance and high reliance on electronic technology make close examination of communication and ethical

The nursing code to ethics sets forth the rules that carry out the responsibility for nurses and also the ethical obligation nurses have for themselves and for the patients in their care. Within the code of ethics for nursing, there are four other ethical theories used including the Social Contract theory, Cultural Relativism, Categorical Imperative, and Virtue ethics; the first one I will discuss is the Social Contract theory.

As the nurse, I would be inclined to tell my patient the results. Being an adult, she is in charge of her own medical decisions, unless deemed unfit by a doctor. Since none of her children are the documented Medical Power of Attorney, and therefore do not have a legal say in her care, I would like my patient to have as much autonomy in her health care as possible. Even though the patient is aphasic, she is still mentally aware and conscious of what is happening around her. I would explain to the family that I understand their reasons and concerns, but legally their mother has a right to know. Withholding this information, would affect her decides to be medically treated, or not treated based on the test results. Although the family believes their decisions are beneficent for their mother, my job, as the nurse is to maintain focus and veracity on my patient’s best interest, ensuring she has all the information needed to make an informed decision on how she wants to move forward.

character to the previous one. Whereas the first standard gives extreme importance to the patient's autonomy, the second standard extremely emphasizes on the outcome of a competent decision. It deals with the best interest of the patient. This standard mentions that a decision has to be reasonably and rationally justified. If a patient's decision fails to meet these criteria, the decision should be rejected immediately. Then appropriate steps should be taken. Contrary to what the first standard relies on, this standard heavily puts emphasis on the patient's well-being and gives minimal importance to his autonomy. Such standard grounds are based on rationality, but they fail to understand the importance of the patient's values and beliefs related to cultural ethics, religious values or social morality. Thus, the balance is lost.

In the scenario, the physician’s action violated the principles of non-maleficence, beneficence and autonomy. First off, the principle of non-maleficence is violated as physicians should strive not to harm patients. For case A2, the doctor allowed the patient’s serious condition to worsen while knowing that the disease is treatable, only for the sake of observing how the disease progresses. The doctor blatantly places the patient in harm simply to fulfil his own curiosity and research progress, rendering his actions considered to be violating the principles of non-maleficence. Second, the doctor also violated the principle of beneficence. As a doctor, we should do what is best for the health of the patients, treating patients in the ways

This is a great source that covers key elements on competency and integrity in today’s nurses. The author guides and supports the nursing practice by involving the Code of Ethics. This article focuses on how ethics in nursing and illustrates how the Code of Ethics is used in a variety of healthcare settings. The article talks about how the Code of Ethics started, discussing most modern issues, and how its development continues. The article is interesting to consider that this document is a useful resource in the healthcare