Ethical Issues In Nursing Practice Essay

“Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and forgiving heart one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them.” Nursing is more than just doing assessments and giving medications; it is going beyond that to know what is right or wrong, what can and cannot be done, and what is considered harming the patients rather than doing them good. In nursing, there is a fine line between what is considered to be negligence and beneficence. According to Marquis (2017), “Ethics is the systemic study of what a person’s conduct and actions should be with regard to self, others human beings, and the environment (pg. 83), on the other hand, it does not necessarily mean that their

Disclosing patient information to a third party, without a patient’s consent or a court order is considered a breach of confidentiality. Legal liability for a breach of confidentiality covers a broader spectrum than ethical guidelines, which lend to doing what is morally right. Confidentiality in nursing comes with an ethical need for creating rapport with patients. Trust established facilitates increased communication and comfort for discussing personal information. There are some exceptions in terms of patient confidentiality; they are ethically and legally justified as a result of social considerations that are overriding. For example, exceptions are made upon

Every day we are faced with a moral decision to provide high-quality, reasonable care for our patients. We are entrusted by our profession, colleagues, and other healthcare providers to act professionally and put the interest of our patient first when providing rehabilitation intervention. In this discussion assignment, I will be sharing with you the ethical challenges that I encounter as a physical therapist (PT) in the intensive care unit (ICU) while providing an early mobilization program and also this is a Segway to my project titled “Evidence-based Approach to the Benefits of Early Mobilization in the Intensive Care Unit: An Education In-Service."

Ethical principles are a crucial component of nursing care as they reflect a commitment to take the best decisions for the patient's recovery and wellbeing. Some of these aspects are autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and fidelity, as well as the principles established by the ANA's code of ethics of advocacy, responsibility, accountability, and confidentiality (Potter, Perry & Stockert, 2016). In this sense, nurses are required to act by following and meeting the expectations of these behavioral standards. For example, it is important to inform the client about every risk and benefit that could be obtained from nursing interventions, and is the nurse's responsibility to make sure they understand before consenting. The nurse must

Nurses are faced with many ethical and legal issues, such as protecting and maintaining the patient privacy and confidentiality. “A dilemma can arise when confidential information is requested by family members or friends of the patient” (McGowan, 2012, p. 61). As nurses during our pinning ceremony we took the “the Nightingale Pledge promised to do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affair” (McGowan, 2012, p. 61). Protecting and maintaining patient confidentiality is a serious matter and you can be fined and faced with federal charges, if you are found guilty.

During this week’s clinical, we discussed a situation where a man did not want to tell wife he had HIV; this would be considered an ethical dilemma.

Ethics is an integral part of the foundation of nursing. Nursing has a distinguished history of concern for the welfare of the sick, injured, and vulnerable and for social justice. This concern is embodied in the provision of nursing care to individuals and the community. Nursing encompasses the prevention of illness, the alleviation of suffering, and the protection, promotion, and restoration of health in the care of individuals, families, groups, and communities. Individuals who became nurses are expected not only to adhere to the ideals and moral

Palvalko describes the challenges of a professional nurse in eight dimensions. The fourth dimension states that “a profession has a code of ethics (Zerwekh, 2015, p.196)”. In this profession, nurses must make ethical decisions every day to protect the welfare of not only their patients but also themselves. There are nine provisions stated in the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses that are in place to protect nurses and patients. These provisions include rights of the patient like respect, compassion, dignity, and protection. It also calls for nurses to be advocates and have integrity (Zerwekh, 2015). This essay will describe how a nurse working in the Guantanamo Bay prison exercised

The same history can be understood differently by the different point of views, and investigation of each piece will lead to understanding of the big picture (McDonald & McIntyre, 2014).

The most well-known controversial issue about hospital ethics pertains to withholding, or proceeding with, treatment for children. Every day, thousands of children are forced to undergo unnecessary procedures that not only lengthen their lives by a little, but cause them immense pain. Whether or not the child is withheld, or followed through, with procedures is mainly decided by the parents, with little decision from medical staff. Even though a decision is always made, both parents and medical staff are left wondering if their decision was the right one. Wondering if there could have been a better procedure that would have shown a better prognosis. Deciding from what is right and wrong for the patient is the main ethical issue that is flooding hospitals around the world.

Aldo Leopold said “Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching even when doing the wrong thing is legal”. As healthcare providers, our patients place a great deal of trust in us to practice ethical medicine (Battie, 2015, p. 505). We, as nurses, have access to intimate parts of patient’s lives, and are looked upon to help educate patients in their decisions towards appropriate healthcare. Guided by a code of ethics, nurses serve to protect, prevent and avoid ethical harm to patients, while having the responsibility to strive for better preventative healthcare as opposed to illness centered care (Kangasniemi, Pakkanen, & Korhonen,

All patients have both a right to treatment and a right to refuse medical care. “Health care laws grant patients the right to control their own care, even in the face of a medical crisis” (FindLaw, 2016). Client’s rights sometimes become a dilemma or debate within health care. Professionals often have to choose a right or wrong, which can vary from nurse to nurse. Frequently, the concern involves patient refusal of: a medication, a simple treatment or procedure, or a cultural issue. While refusal generates concerns, they are not always life threatening. For instance, an elderly patient refuses to eat, but the nurse recognizes the consequences will impair the patient. The question is “Does the nurse have the “right” to make the patient

In regards to our roles as nurses, the moral codes and values that govern our ability to effectively deliver propitious and compassionate care to our patients disregarding race, background, differing views, and age are of unconditional significance. The ultimate goal of every healthcare learning facility is to equip future caretakers with the core moral and functional principles that would ensure impeccable performance of the provider down to even the most diminutive echelon. To become caring providers not just in practice, but in who we are as individuals in society. However, with that being said, perfection is something almost ethereal in nature, but throughout our attempt to pursue it, we are able to capture greatness. The issue however

Thank you for shearing a few of your key values with our group. As you mentioned, at times it is difficulty to recognize and intentionally implement values into patient care amidst hectic patient assignments. However, I believe true values are often incorporated routinely and over time may be done subliminally. Moreover, in order to consistently implement care and practices congruent with one’s ethics routinely and even with little thought at times, they must cognizant of them and reevaluate them frequently.

One day, Humphrey the rat, surfaced from his nest inside the small willow tree. He found himself bound at his neck by Freddy the cat. Humphrey pleaded with the Freddy to let him go, and Freddy finally let him go seeing that he just had a big meal. Weeks passed by and Freddy found himself trapped in a net that his owner left out. His owners would not return for some time so Freddy was there until he was freed. But here comes Humphrey out of his tree to see Freddy in the need of help, promptly he started gnawing through the net, which then set Freddy free. I know you are wondering what the purpose of this story is. Well the moral of the story is that there are times where you need to decide when to do the right thing despite what you desire