Code of Ethics for Nurses: End-of Life Case Study

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

The Code of Ethics defines the behavior standards with which physicians must comply. The AMA Code of Ethics is designed as a concise document outlining the basic duties and responsibilities of physicians.

The memoir went exactly how I thought it would be. Bette Ann Markowitz’s situation of taking care of a parent who has Alzheimer is very common; having an aging parent who can no longer fend for themselves. Markowitz is not an only child so she had to constantly consult her sibling on “what is the best option” (Moskowitz41),

Irene having dementia has had an impact on her life chances and events in her life, also with her family environment.

‘A retired teacher, Betty (65 years old), was diagnosed with Dementia. She lived at home with her husband Arthur (70 years old) who had been caring for her for several years. When she was diagnosed, No information was given to the couple. They had no relatives that they could rely on around them for support.

“I want to tell you how much I miss my mother. Bits of her are still there. I miss her most when I sit across from her” was said by Candy Crawley. This quote is displaying how Alzheimer's disease can affect an individual and that person’s family and friends. Everyone in the world desires to keep the ones closest to that individual safe. Many people do not understand how traumatizing Alzheimer's disease is or can be. No one knows for sure what causes the disease. It could have a huge, dramatic alternation on any person’s life in an instant. It can be traumatizing because Alzheimer’s has many side effects, physical or emotional, to the individual. There are several reasons to why people in the world should know more about Alzheimer's disease,

     A code of ethics focuses on the morals and ideals of the profession and provides a working framework for nursing practice. Nurses can use the code of ethics as a guide for

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 1995, the American Nurses Association started the Code of Ethics (the Code) for Nurses as a direction for carrying out nursing responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality in nursing care and ethical obligations of profession. The document is considered a dynamic document that can change with time. It has nine provisions, each with statements that provide the interpretation for the provisions according to a contemporary context. The provisions describe the practice of nursing as compassionate given unrestricted of social or economic status, personal attributes, or health issues (Provision 1). It declares the nurses' duty to promote and advocate patient's health, safety, and rights and to start, continue and improve health care environments (Provisions 2, 3, & 6).

Code of Ethics in nursing it is important to make sure the staff and patients are being respected and treated with dignity. The study of ethics has lead to basic concept such as justice and fidelity, autonomy, beneficence and nonmaleficence. It is very important to understand these concepts, because they assist the nurse with making decisions during difficult situations (ANA, 2001, p 6).

The Code of Ethics for Nurses was created to be a guide for nurses to perform their duties in a way that is abiding with the ethical responsibilities of the nursing profession and quality in nursing care. The Code of Ethics has excellent guidelines for how nurses should behave, however; these parameters are not specific. They do not identify what is right and wrong, leaving nurses having to ultimately make that decision. Ethics in nursing involves individual interpretation based on personal morals and values. Nursing professionals have the ethical accountability to be altruistic, meaning a nurse who cares for patients without self-interest. This results in a nurse functioning as a patient advocate, making decisions that are in the best

The caregiver decided to provide care to the older adult because she feels a strong desire to provide him with a good end-of-life. Providing care to her husband hasn't effected her as much as it may effect other people. She has worked with the elderly population for 15 years so when starting care with her husband she was already aware of many things she could do and may need to do. However, the caregiver does feel that some days it can be extremely exhausting. A joy the caregiver feels is the amount her and her husband have grown together and how much more she has learned about his life. She said that something she finds frustrating is when the older adult has an accident right after she gets done changing his clothes. The biggest frustration

As the granddaughter of someone with dementia and perhaps early onset Alzheimer's, the second chapter highlighted many experiences I have witness while spending time with my grandfather. This past summer, I visited my grandparents in China after four years without seeing them in person. The symptoms described in the chapter, along with the sense of loss of self, were clearly exhibited by my grandfather. He wouldn’t remember what year it was or the names of some distant family members, but he still enjoyed taking pictures with his old 2000’s camera and, thankfully, still remembered my name. My mom had warned me that he was exhibited symptoms, but I hadn’t realized their extent until seeing it in person. My grandfather had always been rather

Meet Helen, her story began 7 year ago when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Before the disease she was like every stereotypical grandmother, but once she began to develop the disease she would forget words, names and misplaced things. For the next six years she slowly declined and started to act younger and forget even more things. After the disease became too much for my grandfather to handle alone she was admitted into a facility to further her care. While in the facility she became angry, confused and sometimes didn't even remember her name. After almost a year in the facility she was placed into hospice. Hospice provided her with easier access to medications and care twenty-four hours a day. After only a week in hospice she heavily

In the last few years of my grandfather’s life, he got the Alzheimer’s disease. It is a chronic disease acting as decline of intellect and apparatus and change of selfhood. Therefore, sometimes my grandfather was sober and amiable, but most of the time he was confused and irritable. He could not recognize his family members: my grandmother, my mother, even me. He always thought we were strangers, so we could not approach him. When he was ill, I hid in my room and furtively saw him lose his temper. He sat in a wheelchair and shouted to my mother.