Code Of Ethics And Ethical Issues In Nursing

Sule stated that, “The Patient Bill of Right adopted by American Hospitals Association states that ‘a patient possesses the right to be informed of the medical consequences of his or her actions and decisions and refuse treatment to the extent permitted by the law’. However, this is true only if the patient is in position to understand the consequences of his treatment. Incompetent, senile patients neither have the correct judgment regarding which treatment is appropriate for them, nor are they in a state of understanding the implications of their treatment. In such case, their willingness to grant or deny consent cannot dictate the course of treatment.” Problem with the Act is being able to find that the patient component enough to make such a call. Another issue that Sule stated was on confidentiality and autonomy. According to Sule, “This is another ethical issue erupting from the conflict of patient's rights and professional ethics in nursing job and profession. The Patient Bill of Right makes it mandatory for the medical practitioners to reveal the form and extent of the ailment along with the course of treatment to be undertaken by the practitioners. However, this law of autonomy clashes with the nursing ethic that the professional should maintain high degree of confidentiality regarding the patient's health and treatment.” This can cause conflicting issues in the NP’s

Patient informed consent refers to the situation where the patient is fully informed on the consequences of their health care decision after which the patient gives the decision. For there to be informed consent, there are five elements that must be discussed. The first is the nature of the patient's decision then the applicable alternatives to the proposed intervention. Third are the risks, benefits and uncertainties associated with each of the alternatives. Fourth is the assessment of the patient's understanding and last is the acceptance of the intervention or an alternative by the patient. Before the patient's consent is considered to be valid, the patient's competency to make the decision must be addressed. The criteria for evaluating the patient's competency is clearly stated in section 3 of the 2005 Mental Capacity Act which states that provided the person is able to understand, retain and use information provided and to communicate their decision in any way such as talking or sign language, they are competent to make a decision. If a patient is treated against their refusal to consent, it amounts to the tort of battery or can also be considered the crime of assault. In addition to this, laws that touch on human rights reinforce the importance of the protection of the physical integrity of the individual in terms of their right to respect of their private life. Therefore, refusal of medical treatment is a human right.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) states that all nurses must support a patients’ rights to be involved in decisions about their own care, it is extremely important to give sufficient information to

This assignment will be analysing the Adult Nursing Case Study based on Mr Smith. This can be found on Blackboard and the Moral Dilemma is concerning a 67 year old gentleman admitted onto the Medical Admissions Unit (MAU). Mr Smith, suffering a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), denied consent to the treatment that could potentially improve his health. The Multidisciplinary team and his family members tried to stress the importance of the treatment however he further refused. The medical staff chose to bypass Mr Smith’s decision and treat him anyway. They did this because the doctors came to the conclusion that he did not have the capacity to make that decision. His decision is supported by the Mental Capacity Act 2005, which states if the person

This model can help reduce the impact of illness for children and families by encouraging all family members as well as health care workers to work together to achieve the best outcomes for their child (Arango,2011). According to Kuo et al. (2012), the main point of this model is respect and dignity, information sharing, and participation. Firstly, a nurse must listen and respect the patient and caregiver for their background, culture, values, and beliefs. Providing the welcoming, assessable and responsive care to Anne and her family. Protecting privacy during consultation and treatment time for Anne and her family. The nurse should not make any assumption about Anne or her family’s beliefs (Wilfred et al., 2012). The nurse need to find out what Anne and her family know about health problem and treatment. This is because planning and delivery of care will be affected by the patient and caregiver’s perspective, therefore, a nurse should be understanding Anne and her family’s concerns and put them into treatment and care with appropriate support for her and her family members (Wilfred et al., 2012). By doing this the nurse will have the benefit such as gaining the greater trust and respect from Anne and her family. Secondly, the nurse should share all the useful information for patients and their families. Anne is under age to

This assignment will explore an encounter between a student nurse, a qualify nurse, a doctor, a physiotherapist as well as other multi-disciplinary team. The main purpose of this case study is to critically analyse and discuss the ethical, legal and professional implications that may arise when dealing with patients and patient’s family. The essay will especially focus on ethical principles, statue law, duty of care and professional values under the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2008) as well as the Code of Conduct and the importance of multi-disciplinary team (MDT) working in health and social care settings. In the United Kingdom all nurses and Midwives are governed by a professional body called Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). In order to protect the patient confidentiality, in accordance to (NMC, 2008) the patient alone will be given the pseudonym “Eve” throughout the case scenario.

Practicing in the pediatric unit is sometimes challenging to nurses due to the numerous ethical issues that do arise in the unit. Some of these ethical issues lead to dilemma and nurses are often caught in a situation where they have to make difficult decisions. However, nurses are required to apply critical thinking and use the existing American Nurses Association (ANA) code of ethics to govern their decisions, ensuring that they are ethical and legal. Failure to mediate appropriately may result in a violation of the code of ethics and a violation of patients’ rights.

The aim of this essay is to explore the legal, ethical and professional issues related to Sam in the scenario. Sam is an 80 year old gentleman with dementia and he was very confused when admitted to the hospital due to head injury following a fall (see appendix). It also highlights the professional qualities of a nurse to maintain a therapeutic interpersonal relationship when dealing with the patient in an acute care setting. Carvalho, Reeves and Oxford (2012, p.3) suggested that a good knowledge of the law is an essential factor in many professions especially in a health care setting. As Sam is a confused state, this essay will mainly explain about the informed consent and mental capacity act which are the two most relevant areas associated

If Lisa has been fully counseled and educated about all facets of terminating her pregnancy because her fetus has been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), the nurse’s role is to support Lisa’s decision. The American Nursing Association Code of Ethics (2015), Provision 1.4, The Right of Self-Determination, states that in order to fully distinguish a person’s dignity, it is necessary to respect their right of self-determination. This provision additionally states that it is the responsibility of the nurse to educate the patient accurately and verify that the information is understood. After which, the patient has the right to make their decision without “duress, undue influence or coercion” and be supported “throughout the decision making and

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.

In this scenario, Mrs. M is a 75-year-old female widow who has recently suffered a fall at home and has been experiencing some declining health. Mrs. M has completed treatment for multiple fractures she sustained during the fall. She has followed the plan of care and treatments her physicians prescribed and has agreed to assistance at home. Mrs. M is willing to accept assistance, but her new physician seems to be set on his decision that she is not able to make a rational decision and should seek a permanent residence at a nursing home.

The first phase of the nursing process is the assessment of the current needs/problems presented upon Mr. Smith’s arrival to hospital. The initial assessment requires the nurse to gain consent in order to gather any information such as his contact details as well as the contact details of his next of kin who in this case his is wife Susan and also the details of his GP, any known allergies he may have and any medications he may currently be on, whether he has dentures as well as his weight and BMI. During this phase, communication with the patient and family is essential to ensure that correct information is obtained so that a proper informed decision concerning his care can be made. In this case there may be some barriers that may effect the assessment process and that is the speech of Mr. smith is sometimes slurred, therefore he may need his wife to answer some of the more complex questions that require more than a yes or no answer. Nurses need to choose their words carefully so that they match the patient’s ability to understand them avoiding the use of medical jargon (Kraszewski & McEwen 2010). The dignity of the patient must be maintained at all times through all phases of the nursing process and a comfortable environment is essential-preferably in a private room or if not ensuring that the curtain is drawn out of respect for the patient (Barnes

Although the nursing profession is based on caring for patients, there are scenarios that arise that test the nurse’s ability to make decisions that are beneficial for the patients. There can be situations that are simple and the decision is clear. However, there are scenarios that many nurses encounter that challenge their personal, professional, ethical values and principles along with addressing laws. It becomes a mental battle to decide which value and principle is the best option to base their decision for an optimal outcome. The scenario that creates an ethical dilemma is a patient named John who was admitted to the unit. He is a person with schizophrenia who has had many relapses, but they are starting to become less frequent. When he goes into a relapse he becomes paranoid and refuses to see his parents. He has written an advance directive that defines which medications he wishes to receive during his relapse, while also wanting his parents to be notified. There is a new physician on the unit that is refusing to use the medication that John has requested. She has also said that anyone who notifies his parents will have a complaint filed against them since it violates the patient’s rights to contact the parents.

According to Elder et al.(2005), as Belinda is only 15 years of age she must have her parent’s consent to receive any form of medical intervention. In this case Belinda’s parents have sought help for their daughter and she is not currently being treated under the Mental Health Act 1992. In the pursuit of a therapeutic relationship with Belinda, the concept of confidentiality between patient and nurse and its implications would need to be discussed (EPPIC, 2001). EPPIC states that anything discussed between patient and nurse must be kept strictly confidential unless consent for disclosure is given by the patient. However, it would need to be made clear to Belinda that should she disclose any information that led the nurse to have immediate concerns about the potential safety of Belinda or others, then the nurse is morally obliged to pass that information on. Elder et al. (2005) assert that within the bounds of the

The nursing code of ethics has a very standard definition. It is the base on how nurses should guide themselves in conduct by making the right decision regarding ethical issues. According to the National Student Nurses Association “students of nursing have a responsibility to society in learning the academic theory and clinical skills needed to provide nursing care” (2003). In the clinical setting nurses have a lot of responsibilities while caring for an ill patient, they have the obligation to practice their profession with compassion, love, and respect the uniqueness of each patient, as nurses we are not supposed to deny care to a patient because of their economic status, their skin color, race, or the nature of health problems, we are