Ethical Dilemma in Nursing: Informing Parents about Medication

Professional Identity

Table of Contents
Question 1...............................................................................................................................................3
Question 2...............................................................................................................................................3
Question 3...............................................................................................................................................5
Question 4...............................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................7

Question 1
Clearly define the problem - Objectively note the ethical issue that the nurse (Angela) must
address in responding to Mrs. White.
The problem that is faced by Angela who is the nurse assisting Emily for surgery is that
whether she should tell Mrs. White about contraceptive pill or not. The case clearly describe that
Emily White is 14 years old and was at shopping Centre without consent of her parents. She
skips classes to meet her boyfriend and met him at a shopping center. Also she asks for a
contraceptive pill which Angela decides to provide her before her surgery. Emily was clear that
her parents should not know about the pill. In this following case Nurse Angela is required to
inform Mrs. White about the medications she is providing to Emily. Emily is 14 years old and
under aged to take her own decisions regarding medical treatment. However when Emily asked
for a contraceptive pill Angela is providing her the pill but when Mrs. White ask about the
medicine it is ethical for Angela to address her question and tell her about the medical treatment
she is providing.
Question 2
Examine the ethical and legal principles that apply to the case study
Ethical values are very essential for all the healthcare providers. Ethical values are some set
of universal rules which provide practitioners with practical basis in order to identify their
intentions, actions and motives which are to be valued. Ethical principles are the moral principles
which govern a person or a group of people to conduct or behaviour. The major focus is on what
is right and wrong and how decision making is done determining all these consequences. There
are different set of rules for ethics and morals for different persons (Ossenberg, Mitchell and
Henderson, 2020). In healthcare ethics are very important because it is necessary for
practitioners to recognize the dilemmas in healthcare and make good judgments and take
decisions which are majorly based upon different values to perform under laws which govern
them. It is the duty of nurses to completely practice with integrity like all other healthcare
professionals and also regulate and guide patients within the profession. There is a human