HLSC 220 Health Care Ethics | Assignment
Added on 2020-03-16
11 Pages3028 Words495 Views
Running head: ETHICAL ISSUES IN NURSINGETHICAL ISSUES IN NURSINGName of the StudentName of the universityAuthor’s note
1ETHICAL ISSUES IN NURSINGIntroductionEvery profession is entitles with certain codes of ethics. In order to practice nursing withcompetence and integrity, the nurses should posses several key elements for nursing like anaccreditation process for education and relevant code of conduct. Every nurses should haverespect for the patients, should protect the integrity and dignity (Beauchamp, 2016). They shouldbe able to create a conducive environment for the building the mutual trust between the clientand the midwives. Nursing ethics also involves fair and equable treatment for the patientirrespective of the socio economic status or the cognitive condition of the patient (Beauchamp,2016). This essay focuses on a case study of a patient Sam, a drug psychotic. The followingpaper will focus on the nursing standards that have been breached and the paper will alsocritically analyze the codes that have been breached. The essay further discusses the use ofalternative care methods to preserve the nursing ethics.DiscussionThe following case study concerns about Sam, a 21 years old man, who had beenadmitted to the hospital for acute abdominal pain. It was reported that the man had multiplehistories of hospital admission due to drug related psychosis. Camilla, a nurse working in asurgical unit was assigned to care for Sam. Sam was showing was agitated throughout thesession and was not allowing Camilla to check his vital signs. Sam is found to be verballyabusing and pushing Camilla. The medical team thus ordered Sam to be applied restraint to saveother patients and staffs from getting injured. Julia, who was in charge of Sam preferred to keepSam in restraint, and she also finds investing time for patients like Sam is mere a waste of time,as there are not enough staffs rostered to be worried about him. The first codes of ethics thathave been breached in this case study is that, although Sam was showing agitation he should not
2ETHICAL ISSUES IN NURSINGbe harmed at any cost. Second ethical issue that has been found to be breached in this case is thestatement made by Julia, who considers the treatment for Sam to be a waste of time. Thedifferent ethical virtues of Principlism includes beneficence, Justice, Non maleficence andRespect for patient autonomy, respect for human dignity, Honesty and respect for the dignity ofthe patient, respect for the confidentiality in patient (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2013).The principles that have been breached in this case were beneficence, Nom maleficence,respect for patient dignity and Justice (Lin, Watson & Tsai, 2013). It is evident from the casestudy that the Sam was applied restraint such that he doesn’t inflict harm on other patient andclinical staffs and maleficience indicates that no patient should be harmed at any cost (Lin,Watson & Tsai, 2013). Secondly it can be said that nurse Julia, expressed discontent onproviding time for Sam, as she found it to be wastage of time, which breaches the principle ofproviding Justice to every patient and which emphasizes on the fact that every patient are boundto get equal level of care (Lin, Watson & Tsai, 2013). The third ethical principle that had beenbreached in this case study is the Autonomy of the patient. As per the principle of Autonomy, ifanything is done to a patient without his consent , even if the entire intent is for the betterment ofthe patient, leaving the patient out of decisions violate the ‘self’ of the concerned patient(Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2013). As per the professional code of ethics for the nurses in Australia, nurses should be able togive quality nursing care to all the patients, they should be able to value respect and kindness forself and other people (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2013). A nurse should be able to provide a type ofcare that is culturally safe for the patient. It is the duty of a nurse to ensure that not only she, buther colleagues should also devote them in the delivery of care to the people (Burkhardt &Nathaniel, 2013). Nurses value the diversity of the people and should be able to provide
3ETHICAL ISSUES IN NURSINGappropriate care to people of different cultural groups. In this case study can be seen the nurse incharge is disgusted with Sam’s illness. A proper nurse should be able to provide a nondiscriminatory care to the patient. They should be able to rule out the prejudices like race,cognitive and psychosocial problems, disability, social and health status (Butts & Rich, 2015).Another code of ethic associated with this case study is that a nurse should be able to produce aneconomically, socially and ecologically sustainable environment that can mitigate the harmfuleffects of these factors on health and give a safe care to Sam. In the following case study it canbe seen that the patient was applied restraint. Although, the decision taken can be for thebetterment of the other clinical staffs, but it erodes the dignity of the concerned patient (Butts &Rich, 2015). The beneficence is the ethical principle that involves good conduct of the nurses. Thisprinciple addresses a type of care that is best suitable for the patient. To apply beneficence tonursing, sometimes nurses have to take up harsh decisions (Beauchamp, 2016). Nurses should becareful that in the hurry of taking care of the patient, they do not insert what the patient shallperceive to be the most good (Beauchamp, 2016). In this case study it can be seen that Sam doesn’t like to be examined or to be kept in restraint.Camilla has expressed doubts that putting Sam at restraint would worsen his conditions whichindicate that she prefers to practice beneficence in nursing. The second principle of ethic is associated with non-maleficence which suggests thatpatient should not be harmed at any cost (Chadwick & Gallagher, 2016). Non maleficencenormally involves four parameters- It should be made sure that the act is not intrinsically wrong,it had some underlying good effect. From the case study it is clearly evident that since Sam was
End of preview
Want to access all the pages? Upload your documents or become a member.
Related Documents
Case Study in Nursing Ethics (pdf)lg...
|9
|2634
|70
HLSC220 Health Care Ethics Assignmentlg...
|12
|3158
|672
HLSC220 Health Care Ethics - Assignmentlg...
|12
|3376
|349
Nursing Ethics- Assignmentlg...
|13
|2810
|114
HLSC220 Health Care Ethics - Case Studylg...
|9
|2308
|535
HLSC220 - Health Care Ethicslg...
|13
|3153
|172