In conclusion, respecting a patient when doing nursing care and maintaining their dignity is very important as it affects their health outcomes and help maintain and improve the standards and principles of nursing practice. Furthermore, the ANMC has formulated domains, specifically the Professional Practice domain, which guides nurses in their practice to provide holistic and quality nursing care that is done with respect and dignity. As a future registered nurse, I know that I need to be aware of this issue so that I can be considered a competent nurse. To do this, I need to be sensitive in carrying out my nursing interventions adequately and respectfully so that I can help maintain their dignities. Finally, I believe that the proper way to care for patients with respect and dignity is to take care of them as I would like to be taken care of.
As nurses we must treat patients as a whole which includes the mind, body, and spirit. We must not look at our patients as a disease process which is the ultimate way to dehumanize an individual. Nurses will at some point in their career face ethical dilemmas, but it is important to talk to the patient and to listen to their wishes. Although neither choice may be desirable the nurse needs to choose the option that best meets the patient’s needs. This film beautifully portrayed one of the biggest ethical dilemmas that a nurse may face in her career.
This implies that health care providers must ensure that patients make informed decisions through providing them with necessary information regarding their care. For instance, a nurse should provide the patient with documentation of his/her diagnosis, probable treatment options, and the best care practice and leave the patient to make independent decision. The second ethical principle is confidentiality through which health care providers cannot disclose a patient’s health care information that is obtained in a professional way without the consent of the specific patient. This is primarily because patients are likely to lose trust in the health care providers if sensitive information is not protected. However, this secrecy may be ethically broken, especially when there is a potential of harm to someone else.
Fundamental Elements of the Patient-Physician Relationship The following are some the values for the medical profession: 1. Beneficence: doctors should do well. They ought to attempt to heal others and to greatly improve the situation off; 2. Non-misbehavior: doctors shouldn't do hurt. They ought to practice medication painstakingly and honestly and, when beneficence is unthinkable, they ought to still attempt to minimize hurts.
This is considered by its advocates to emphasize relationships over abstract principles and therefore to reflect the caring relationship in nursing more accurately than other ethical views. Themes that emphasize the dignity of the patient by promoting a respectful and caring attitude from nurses are also commonly seen. According to Baille Let al., (2008) Nurses have an obligation to defend the dignity of those in their care. Rumbold, G (1999) emphasizes on the ability of the nurse to respond to vulnerable patients by providing dignified care which is a key concept in the field of nursing. This goes hand in hand with the standard ethical theory of respecting dignity for people and their autonomous choices, enabling them to make decisions about their own treatment.
Nurses are not able to advocate for their patients. Therefore, it is not a safe environment while even nurses’ attempt to fix it did not make any difference. “Acquiescing and accepting unsafe or inappropriate practices, even if the individual does not participate in the specific practice, is equivalent to condoning unsafe practice. Nurses should not remain employed in facilities that routinely violate patient rights or require nurses to severely and repeatedly compromise standards of practice or personal morality” (code of ethics, 2011). Since in this case nurses might have a hard time finding another hospital in their community, they should find another solution instead of quitting their job in this
We, as nurses, can educate and inform, but eventually it is the patient’s right to refuse or accept treatment. This writer feels that when good morals and character are in place, the best possible ethical decisions can be made. These decisions are not necessarily right or wrong, but the best choices for the patient and their care based on the patient’s right to
The nurse may not be able to follow the principles of beneficence and autonomy at the same time because respecting patient autonomy means the nurse is not able to fulfill the obligation to “do good” for the patient. However, in this case, if the patient was competent the principle of autonomy would take priority. Abortion is another example of an ethical dilemma faced in the medical profession. For instance, some doctors are against abortion, yet there are certain others who have no problem at all doing it.
Truth telling can prove to be detrimental to the patient or the family. By using good ethical decision-making, the patient and family will be able to prepare for the future and no what steps to take next. Justice is another principle that can be applied to my career in nursing. Justice is a principle that is based on equal and fair distribution of resources that are available to the community. For an example, if the hospital or clinic that I am working in decides to offer a no-cost medical service to the community, justice would require that a fair and unbiased method for choosing who receives the benefits be used.
Behaviors which reflect altruism are showing an understanding of cultures, beliefs, and perspective of others, advocating for patients, taking risks on behalf of patients, and mentoring other professionals. Autonomy according to Taylor is the right to self-determination (2008). The nurse must respect the patient’s rights. The nurse should listen and act according to the patient’s wishes and needs not bullying him into cooperating with his treatment plan. The nurse shows such value by planning care in partnership with patients, honoring the right of patients to make decisions about healthcare, and providing information so that patients can make informed choices.