preview

Ethical Issues In Nursing Profession Paper

Decent Essays

Introduction:

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."

The ICU is a highly specialized environment that has a high volume of patients …show more content…

As much as possible, I try to focus my rehabilitation efforts on patients with an acute respiratory distress syndrome and post-surgical patients. However, there are some clients that have a chronic medical conditions such as long-term SCI patients with tetraplegia and patients with complex medical conditions that are also amenable to mobilization but due to the chronicity of their medical condition, I did not include them in my early mobilization project rather I choose to provide a conventional PT treatment of range of motion exercises and proper positioning techniques. I do not see any legal issues concerning this treatment practice since a thorough ICU PT evaluation is conducted and appropriate rehabilitation recommendations within the scope of physical therapy practice are communicated to the referring physicians and other members of the multidisciplinary team. According to Partridge (2010, p. 65), physical therapists are not completely independent practitioners; they work as a team to assist using their expertise to arrived at a unified …show more content…

S42) supports the idea of early referral to physical therapy to improve the patient's cardiopulmonary function, improve muscle strength and endurance that may have an impact in optimizing the overall functional capacity of the patient.

Fortunately, physical therapy consult is part of a standing order in the ICU. The ICU physician notifies the patient, and in situations where the patient is not cognitively appropriate, a family member will be notified for rehabilitation intervention. Therefore, no further legal documentation needed such as informed consent.
Since this project does not involve the use of patient’s name or specific identifiers, patient confidentiality and privacy are preserved.

Concerning the formal process to remain ethical and legal, I was able to assist in the creation, and implementation of an acute care and ICU competency skills checklist to warrant PTs including myself working in the ICU, to be competent and skilled. These clinical proficiencies can be made possible by collaborating with nursing educators in providing instructions and training on various tubes and lines. Moreover, the respiratory therapy team leader also provides an in-service regarding the different oxygen delivery systems including the unique ventilator

Get Access