Ethical Dilemmas Of An Ethical Dilemma

between two sets of human values, both of which are judged to be “good” but neither of

People from all walks of life face many ethical dilemmas. These dilemmas have consequences. Our worldview determines how we deal with these dilemmas, and guides us to the right decisions. In this essay, I will examine an ethical issues through my Christian worldview. I will also present other viewpoints, and compare them to mine.

According to Beauchamp and Childress, the principle of autonomy asserts that a capable and competent individual is free to determine, and to act in accordance with, a self-chosen plan (Beauchamp and Childress as cited in Keating and Smith, 2010). Determining a patient's competence is critical in striking a proper balance between respecting the autonomy of patients who are capable of making informed decisions and protecting those who are not fully capable (Appelbaum, 2007). Tagging children incompetent solely on the basis of their age and not involving them in decision making regarding their health is violation of children's human right. Obtaining consent from parents, rather than children, negates one of the most important principles of medical ethics, which is patient autonomy. Nurses are obligated to promote the health of children by embracing children's right. Nurses' duties which stem out of respect for autonomy include both duties to ensure children's self determination is respected and to refrain from practices that interfere with the children's right of decision making (CARNA,

Throughout history there has been many ethical dilemmas that have resulted in change, and many that have still not been resolve. These dilemmas often result in controversial issues arising, and both sides of the spectrum arguing as to which proposed idea is the morally correct one. Today, there is an enormous controversy in the ethical dilemma involving child care. This issue revolves around whether the views of the parents should be upheld when their child is in danger medically. To further assess the impact of this ethical dilemmas, a case study involving the treatment implemented on a child by a physician while opposing the views and wishes held by the parents will be analyzed in terms of the ethics of the situation, the stakeholders, values,

The ANA code of ethic states that patients have the inherent right for self-determination thus guaranteeing patient’s their right to make their own decisions regarding their health (Association, 2001). This right to make autonomous decisions has been passed to parents if the patient is a minor. The mothers’ decision to side with her daughter saying that she is mature enough to make her own healthcare decisions raises further questions on the teenager’s ability to make appropriate

In nursing, it is not uncommon to encounter situations where nurses must make ethical decisions based on legal and ethical principles. These situations often are seen in pediatric nursing when there are conflicting views between the parents and their child. For example, Mike is a 15-year-old boy who has been diagnosed again with acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) and is to continue another taxing round of chemotherapy. Mike confines to his nurse he would like to discontinue treatment. Meanwhile, his parents are adamant that treatment continues. The nurse must make the decision whether to terminate or continue with Mike’s chemotherapy.

Nursing as health care provider every day facing multiple challenges in decision making to provide a good care, that parallel to ethical competency which reflect nurses critically best ethical behavioral practice (Cannaerts, Gastmans & Casterle, 2014). Furthermore, nursing ethics teaching nowadays appear highly importance, because of many argumentative and debatable issues in clinical practice become a challenge for nurses to make a balance decision with patient care.

The following assignment will discuss the legal process of consent, and the refusal to treatment of an adolescent under the age of 18 years. According to the NMC code (2010), all nurses and health professionals have an obligation of duty to gain consent from their patients before any treatment or care is given (NMC, 2010). People have their own rights to accept or decline to treatment, and professionals should uphold individual’s rights in being fully involved in the decision making process (NMC, 2008). This assignment will discuss the moral principle autonomy, and capacity, in relation to the case of Hannah Jones.

Nurses are faced with an ethical dilemma in whether or not an adolescent has the mental capacity to consent for treatment. Although law is not clearly defined, “As a general rule, health care professionals should always do what they believe to be in the best interest of the minor” (Sirbaugh & Diekema, 2011, p. 428). Therefore, healthcare professionals should always act in the best interest and wellbeing of the patient. In addition, nurses should also be knowledgeable of state and federal laws related to adolescent’s ability to consent to treatment and be prepared to face these ethical

The human population below the age of 18 is children, who are also termed as minors. They have equal rights in healthcare decision making as adults. And it is not a privilege, but rather a right. Children rights are human rights that are basic standards to which every person is entitled in order to survive and develop in dignity (UNICEF Canada). These rights are included but not limited to make to make decisions in their health, privacy and confidentiality of health information, respect for their values and belief and right to be informed about their rights (Van Daalen-Smith, 2007). However, children are vulnerable and thus their rights can easily be violated at any time. So, many international organizations, including the United Nations (UN), have set forth rights regarding children’s autonomy in health care and recommended for effective implementation. Health care practitioners also have a duty to protect these rights. Because children have rights to have a say in decisions that affect their lives, it is an ethical and moral obligation for nurses to safeguard, advocate and respect their rights in healthcare decision making.

This essay aims to discuss the legal and ethical issues in nursing practice about gaining consent and why it is important.

Although children have the rights to self choice, privacy and confidentiality, right to get health information, due to vulnerability, silence and dependency, children’s rights might be violated at any time. So, nurses, as care providers, have moral and ethical responsibility to advocate for their rights, preserve dignity and respect autonomy (Canadian Nurses Association [CAN], 2008). I believe that nurses understand the children’s feelings, needs, wishes, beliefs and values better since they work with them around the clock and they always stand in the front line in the healthcare setting. Moreover, innate qualities of nursing profession are to respect human rights, cultural rights, the right to life, choice and dignity and the right to be cared with respect (Intentional council of nurses, 2012). Health care and health care decision making are correlated. Nurses are directly involved in informed consent. In this way, children’s rights in health care decisions are directly relevant in nursing

Within healthcare, a universal understanding of the fundamentals of professional practice are completely essential to ensure that customary care is upheld at the highest standard. The care provided within any nursing situation must abide by the NMC’s Code of Conduct (2015) regulation but it must be considered, as well as this, moral reasoning also plays a role in the care provided by each individual. The Kohlberg Theory (Kohlberg, 1981) underpins such “moral reasoning.” Moral reasoning bases its theory around Piaget’s theory of acquisition in children (ref.) and so suggests that by the age of 12 years old onwards an individual has a “post-conventional” view intending that the person then has the ability to make decisions based on ethical and moral understanding and so has a sense of social responsibility of what is right and wrong (Boyes, 2015). Because of such reasoning, it can be assumed that any person deemed fit in a nurses role should be able to set aside their own values and show empathetic understanding in order to act within the best interests of the patient (NMC, 2015, section 4). The professional practice of nursing upholds four key components standing to regulate care, these being: Ethical reasoning, Professional Code of Conduct, Interpersonal and Communication skills and also Law and Regulation in which has been passed within the United Kingdom aid the preservation of professional practice. This essay looks to analyse these four components explicitly whilst also

“Nearly all healthcare clinicians have or will encounter ethical dilemmas during their clinical operations. Consequently most of them get not training on how to solve the situation. The clinical professionals should be trained on how to resolve ethical dilemma cases, since they are vulnerable to this kind of cases. Ethical dilemmas affect the psychological decisions one makes since they dread transgressing on other imperative moral decisions. Cases of ethical dilemmas affect almost every person regardless of their class or status in the society. Ethical dilemmas in clinical organization affect both the executives and their subjects’ indifferent levels. The heads find themselves perplexed by some ethical issues in their operations, the same way their juniors would experience ethical dilemmas in their standards,”(Welch, 2001, p.1). In situations where life and death is involved, prompt decision should be considered whether one party is hurt but it must be in the best interest of the outcome. Always positive outcome is promoted or considered in an ethical dilemmas. There are many ethical dilemmas that happen in our day to day working lives as nurses but how we tackle the situations matters most. Being diligent and neutral as a health care worker is very important because you are not the judge but helping to resolve the situation.

Ethical dilemma (ED) can emanate from any perspective of our lives be in the personal or professional front. An ED is a decision-making problem between two or more undesirable outcomes (Marquis & Huston, 2015). As a case manager (CM), I find myself facing it on a daily basis, due to a responsibility to multiple stakeholders such as the employer, insurance, physician, and of course, the patient’s well-being should be the priority. Below is an example of an ED.