The Nursing Code Of Ethics Essay

Patients have the right to self-determination and individuals should have control over their own lives. With respect for human autonomy comes respect for patient rights. Apart of the nurses job is to promote, advocate and protect the rights, health, and safety of our patients. Patients have the right to determine their health needs, make informed decisions, and the right to information regarding their treatment and also the refusal of treatment. Nurses are obligated to know the rights of a patient and to make sure the patient understands their treatment plan. Supporting patient autonomy includes making decisions in the best interest of the patient, considering their values and recognizing differences between cultures. In the treatment

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

The history of ethics has been around for a long time. Nurses have an ethical obligation to care for patientsand do no harm. Ethical conflicts and dilemmas occur every day in the health care world. “Ethics is defined as the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession”(FARLEX, 2011).The nurse should have the adequate skills and experience to provide great care to the patient. Nurses should always accept their moral and responsibilities that come along with their job and

While the nursing profession is fulfilling, it is not without challenges. Nurses are faced with a multitude of ethical dilemmas in clinical practice on a daily basis. According to Fant (2012) no matter where nurses function in their diverse roles, they are faced with ethical decisions that can impact them and their patients. Some examples of moral issues that nurses encounter in contemporary nursing practice and research include but not limited to: refusal of treatment, scarcity of resources, disagreement with caregivers, treating patients with impaired decision-making, futile treatment decisions for cancer patients, end-of-life decisions, advanced treatment directives, and euthanasia (Leuter, Petrucci, Mattei, Tabassi, & Lancia, 2013).

Nursing profession provides an opportunity to make a direct impact for the common good of humanity; it is a tough and stressful job. Nurses face ethical challenges on a daily basis regardless of where they practice. They have to

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

Ethics is an essential aspect of health care practice and those working in the nursing profession are often subject to frequent ethical dilemmas. It is essential for all nurses to be aware of the importance of ethics in health care and to practice within the ethico-legal parameters that govern the profession. However, while this is relatively easy in theory, ethics is not a black and white subject and often one’s culture, upbringing, attitudes and beliefs can influence what one views as ethical and this can therefore influence practice. This report will discuss the importance of ethics in nursing practice. The definition of ethics will firstly be presented followed

As one of the cornerstone documents, the Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretative Statements helps to guide the ethical decisions of young and old nurses today (Finkelman & Kenner, 2014, p. 22). Nurses will encounter many different ethical dilemmas in the healthcare field and must be prepared. A few dilemmas include active euthanasia, influenza vaccinations, maintaining an ethical environment, keeping patients healthcare information confidential, and continuing education.

Describe a time when you witnessed an effective advocacy on behalf of a patient or population.

With the advances in medicine, hospitals need a way to monitor the ethical behaviors within that institution. Ethical committees are an interdisciplinary group who volunteer their time and expertise to the hospital, so that a fair and consistent process is used to resolve ethical dilemmas. One role of the committee is to provide ethical consultation at the request of clinical staff, the patient, or the patient’s family. They also look at the ethical implications of hospital policy and work with developing and changing existing policy. Additionally, they provide education on ethical issues (Pearlman, 2013). They ensure patients are placed at the center of their care and provide an avenue to discuss and address moral concerns.

The problem this paper focuses on is whether prioritizing interventions based on the seriousness of care needed may lead to nurses overlooking, neglecting or postponing some interventions. The significance of this problem is that overlooking certain care can increase the danger of adverse patient outcomes and endangers the safety, quality, and self-worth in care (Stavros, 2015). Health care providers face moral challenges when determining ranking the seriousness of the care needed and creating a plan of action that focuses on the immediate care needed first. One issue that may attribute to these challenges is staff shortages that obligate nurses to have more patients than they can handle, resulting in insufficient patient care. A study done by Stavros (2015), classified four matters that illustrate the ethical factors that establish standards of care as being shaped by medical attitudes, requirements, and evident responsibilities. “The majority of the synthesized studies, support that nurses may feel that the holistic and humanistic care, although desirable, is not a realistic goal, within the limitations of the scarcity of resources” (Stavros, 2015). The

Working in the nursing profession, nurses must be prepared to assess and support the diverse needs of the patient and their family. Every nurse, regardless of his or her specialty, encounters ethical challenges. However, public health nurses may face unique challenges in their distinct focus on the health of the population in addition to individuals (Haugh & Mildon, 2005). In this research paper, I will consider two case studies from the perspective of the nursing code of ethics, personal and societal values, and the legal aspects and responsibilities of the nurse.

If the nurse fails to solve the ethical dilemma, he/she will face moral distress which can decrease his/her performance in clinical practices thus endangers patient’s safety (Cohen and Erickson, 2006). Therefore, in these crisis situations, ethics come into action to help nurses to make the right decision.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) established the code of ethics for nurses to serve as a foundation for practice and nursing standards. Nurses that enter the field are educated on the code of ethics and its provisions that make up the balanced foundation that is used to this day. The code of ethics is to be honored by every nurse, and every nurse should know their ethical obligation to their patients (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2015). This approach encompasses how to deliver safe patient care and sets a guideline for the nurse to carry out duties in a professional, responsible, and ethical manner (ANA, 2015). Nurses have a trusting relationship with patients, family members, and even the community. Accompanying this relationship comes other responsibilities and ethical issues that can arise at any time. Nurses are required to make rapid decisions and think quickly, but when faced with a dilemma nurses should still refer back to the code of ethics in their practice to provide optimal care and prevent any malpractice errors (ANA, 2015). The purpose of this paper is to identify ethical concepts from the weekly readings that are discussed in the code of ethics; and analyze a personal experience to identify ethical concepts that support or challenge ethical principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence, honesty, justice, and respect for autonomy.

Although the code of ethics sound straight-forward and easy to follow, nurses encounter numerous unprecedented situations on a daily basis which compel them to let go off their stand on ethics. Hence, even if the ultimate aim is to follow the best healthcare practices and offer equally good treatment to the patients, these ethics define working attitude for a nurse and also aid in initiating strong decisions in critical