Applying the Nursing Code of Ethics to Patient Care

Nurses have the greatest potential for improving a patient’s well-being. As a profession, nurses need to promote the core values and code of Ethics amongst them. Nurse practitioners are required to understand and practice the specific knowledge and skills of core values such as nurse caring, advocacy, holism and professionalism to assist the patients in their critical condition (Volp 2007a). This essay will discuss the core values of responsible nursing practice and code of ethics in relation to the young patient who is suffering from paraplegia.

Paternalism

A policy or practice of treating people patients in a fatherly manner, especially by providing for their needs without giving them responsibilities. Paternalistic practices, wherein providers confer a treatment or service upon a person or persons without their consent, ostensibly by reason of their limited autonomy or diminished capacity, are widespread in healthcare and in societies around the world. Numerous issues surround paternalistic practices (Cody WK). So doctors and nurses make decision about the treatment of patients or their clients, but it is against the patient’s choices or thoughts, according to doctors and nurses, it is beneficial for the patient (Jones). On the other hand, when patient take autonomous decision then they will get some self-harm, so, conflict arises between the nurses those are on duty of the patient care and the patient’s right to autonomy. Frequently, nurses and other medical staff used the paternalistic action to resolve the problem (Jones). According to the Jones (p.379) suggested that, paternalism and autonomy as two inversely varying parameters along a spectrum of independence’. Moreover, nurses and doctors created an imbalance between...

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