The Dilemma And Ethical Issues That Nurses Often Encounter Involving Children

Nurses rely on personal knowledge and their professional skills to provide ethical care (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). In everyday practice, nurses must balance the needs of their patients against those of the organization, society and themselves. They strive to deliver the highest level of care for patients, but adjusting for limited organizational and personal resources often requires difficult decisions. This paper explores the following scenario suggested by Maville and Huerta: “You are a nurse providing home care to a mother, and you suspect child abuse after observing the mother’s reaction to her child” (as cited by Arizona State University, 2014). When faced with a moral dilemma, a competent nurse incorporates ethical, bioethical and legal considerations. In the proposed story, incorporating the nursing ethics of advocacy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and collaboration will guide the nurse towards an appropriate and legal course of action.

The case of Baby Boy Doe is an ethical dilemma because it’s an occurrence where “decision makers are drawn in two directions by competing course of acting that are based of differing moral frameworks, varying or inconsistent elements of the organizations philosophy, conflicting duties or moral principles, or an ill-defined sense of right and wrong.” (Darr, K. 2011) There were many differing viewpoints as well as moral and ethical choices on this case, the parents, nurses, physicians and hospital as an organization. In regards to the respect for person’s principle, the hospital and physicians allowed the parents to be completely autonomous. The parents were given the

Nurses are faced with ethical dilemmas on a daily basis, each situation being unique and requiring the nurse to set aside their own values and beliefs in order to properly care for their patients. Situations requiring nurses to make an ethical decision are diverse and dynamic; the values set out by the College of Nurses of Ontario code of ethics remains the same. Therefore, all decision based on these vales regardless of the setting and circumstances ensure consistent solutions. The scenario involves a woman who was admitted to the NICU due to complications during her sixth month of pregnancy. The patient indicated that no extraordinary measures should be made to save her baby; she became further detached when the baby developed a bleed

Healthcare professionals have an ethical obligation to respect patient’s wishes. Consequently, many legal and ethical dilemmas arise in healthcare in response to clinical decisions related to the needs, beliefs, and preferences of patients and families. Other dilemmas result over concerns about the integrity, competence, or actions of other healthcare professionals. Preserving human dignity, relieving suffering, equality, integrity, and accountability are essential nursing values (Kangasniemi, Pakkanen, & Korhonen, 2015). Nurse leaders have an

Today nurses in all roles participate in ethical decision making arising from mortality, relationships, and conduct issues surrounding patient care and families. This is particularly the situation with ethical issues involving pediatrics and those unable to take their own decisions. While the patients’ interests should come first, there are many other factors that come into play when providing pediatric patient care: parents’ knowledge, cultural and religious practices, and the pediatric patient’s knowledge of their disease. Therefore, it is essential for nurses to follow the American Nurses Association (ANA) code of ethics to carry out nursing responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality in nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession. In this paper I will discuss the ethical issues that deal with a fourteen year old boy with Cystic Fibrosis (C.F.). He has been faced with the proposition from his pulmonologist that he will not survive another acute respiratory distress attack and will have to intubated if his status deteriorated. However, he and his parents are not agreeing on whether or not he should be intubated if his status deteriorated with his next attack. This poses a huge ethical dilemma because as a nurse we are the patient’s advocate and need to do everything we can to make our patient comfortable as well as having the parents understand and accept the patient wants and desires.

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,

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.

Nurses are constantly challenged by changes which occur in their practice environment and are under the influence of internal or external factors. Due to the increased complexity of the health system, nowadays nurses are faced with ethical and legal decisions and often come across dilemmas regarding patient care. From this perspective a good question to be raised would be whether or not nurses have the necessary background, knowledge and skills to make appropriate legal and ethical decisions. Even though most nursing programs cover the ethical and moral issues in health care, it is questionable if new nurses have the depth of knowledge and understanding of these issues and apply them in their practice

Nursing is an all encompassing profession in which practitioners are not only proficient in technical medical functionality, they also have the obligation to remain compassionate and respectful of patients and as such are expected to adhere to pre established codes of ethics. Of these ethics, autonomy is of extreme importance as it offers patients a sense of personal authority during a time where they may feel as if their lives, or at the very least their health, is no longer under their control. Autonomy in the context of nursing allocates the patient and often their family with the final word on the course of treatment. The concept of patient autonomy is a highly variable subject in all fields of health care. It is a universal concept that varies widely in its meaning and interpretation. Autonomy in its simplest form can be defined as a state of independence or self governing (Atkins, 2006). Patient autonomy can also be defined as the ability to make once own decisions, based on one’s sound judgment. It is defined by the American Nurses Association (ANA, 2011) as the "agreement to respect another 's right to self determine a course of action; support of independent decision making." This seemingly straight forward ethical concept is rife with difficulties when one considers potential disagreements that may arise even when informed consent is provided, particularly among children or vulnerable people. Relevant research and

Nurses often encounter ethical and social dilemmas that affect individuals and families for whom they provide care. These situations may present more commonly when caring for the pediatric population. Nurses must know how to approach these issues in a knowledgeable and systematic way. Ethics involves defining the best course of action in a presented situation. Ethical reasoning is the analysis of what is morally right and reasonable. Bioethics is the application of ethics to health care. Ethical behavior for nurses is discussed in codes such as the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code for Nurses. Ethical issues have become more complex as technology has created more options in health care. Controversy arises because an obvious choice of what is right or wrong does not exist and because moral support is possible for more than one course of action. Ethical dilemmas are among the most difficult situations in nursing practice. To find solutions, healthcare providers must apply ethical theories and principles and determine the burdens and benefits of any course of action (Rae, 2009).

In pediatric care, nurses are regularly faced with situations where they must make ethical decisions that impact them and their patients. An ethical dilemma occurs when the options for a solution present both favorable and unfavorable outcomes (Burkhardt & Nathanial, 2008). In pediatric nursing, ethical dilemmas arise when there are conflicting views on how course of treatment should be perused. If a patient’s wishes conflict with others, nurses help resolve the conflict (American Nurses Association, 2001). When ethics play a role in conflicting views, personal and professional values are tested. Nurses need to be self-aware of their values in order to guide their decision-making.

Ethical issues in nursing will always be an ongoing learning process. Nurses are taught in nursing school what should be done and how. Scenarios are given on tests with one right answer. However, there are situations that nurses may encounter that may have multiple answers and it is hard to choose one. “Ethical directives are not always clearly evident and people sometimes disagree about what is right and wrong” (Butts & Rich, 2016). When an ethical decision is made by a nurse, there must be a logical justification and not just emotions.

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.

Therefore, this reason is why ethical decisions have to be made carefully. In order to know what to do in this situation, a nurse needs to investigate the matters carefully in terms of the action involved, its outcomes and the situation in which it takes place. Once the nurse has understood these points, they can make the final decision.

You must respect the patient and their choices. People are able to make decisions about their own treatment and this should be respected by the nurse, a suggested way to maintain autonomy is for the patient to write an advance directive outlining how they wish to be treated. You can also provide education on the benefits of pain relief but at the end of the day it's the patients decision.