Ethical Dilemmas: Providing Care for Patients with Blood-borne Illness

This essay explores the internal conflict a nurse experiences when caring for patients with HIV due to personal discomfort rooted in fear of transmission and societal stigma. The author reflects on the tension between their professional obligation to provide equal care and their personal hesitations re...Read More

Running head: COMMUNICATION AND DIVERSITY
COMMUNICATION AND DIVERSITY
CARING FOR A PATIENT WITH A BLOOD-BORNE ILLNESS (HIV)
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1COMMUNICATION AND DIVERSITY
Introduction:
As a nurse my responsibility is to provide equal care to the individual. However, in some
cases I feel uncomfortable in caring some patients especially in case of communicable disease.
For example, I personally feel uncomfortable in taking care of patient with HIV. This is because
I am afraid of getting the illness during providing service to such patient as it is transmissible in
nature. In addition some social and cultural stigma, fear of isolation and blame also contributes
to my personal view (Välimäki et al. 2010, pp.674-679). Hence, I am facing challenges in
reconciling professional and personal views.
Conflict between public and private view:
My public self reflects my duty to provide adequate care to the patients with HIV but my
private self restricts me to involve in the care process. Some cultural, spiritual and societal values
play an important role in influencing my private view regarding the HIV patients (Hoeve, Jansen
& Roodbol 2014). Due to personal perception I am willing to feed the patient, change bed linen
and take some vital signs because such care does not require effort related to extra safety.
However, I hesitate in care process including shave the patient, clean the urinary drain bag and
other supplies, cleanup vomits and faeces, IV fluids and conduct blood transfusion because of
safety and awareness issue (Alfred et al. 2013). Stigma has been initiated within me due to the
fear of getting the illness during my service and for blame and social isolation. I have noticed
that people suffering from HIV have been singled out for negligence and they are stigmatized by
the society. My negative perceptions have initiated due to such socio-cultural beliefs and values
(Hoeve, Jansen & Roodbol 2014). For example, there is a perception that HIV is self-inflicted

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and contracted by homosexual men. Illicit drug users that are suffering from HIV are also
blamed for spreading their infection and the society has characterized them as bad people
(Pickles, de Lacey & King 2017, p.0969733017738132). Such social beliefs have influenced my
personal views regarding the care of HIV patients. As a nurse I want to provide equal care to the
people with need but my personal views restrict me to fulfil my duty, thus affect the quality of
care. The conflict between my professional standard and personal view has created enormous
challenges in reconciling them to improve my service (Akhtar-Danesh et al. 2013).
Implications:
Nurses work under regulatory body that provides standard of practice that are mandatory
to maintain. Conflict between the professional standard and personal values is an example of
violation of the rules and regulation of the regulatory body (Shahriari et al. 2013, p.1). It is
important to eliminate prejudice attitudes from the nursing practice. Nurses should reflect on
their personal values and interrogate personal beliefs to understand how they could help to
improve their practice and not to influence them to neglect their responsibilities. It would help to
improve quality of service and achieve expected outcomes (Burston & Tuckett, 2013).

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References:
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Burston, A.S. & Tuckett, A.G 2013. ‘Moral distress in nursing: contributing factors, outcomes
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Hoeve, Y.T., Jansen, G. & Roodbol, P 2014. ‘The nursing profession: public image, self‐concept
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Pickles, D., de Lacey, S. & King, L 2017. ‘Conflict between nursing student’s personal beliefs
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Shahriari, M., Mohammadi, E., Abbaszadeh, A. & Bahrami, M 2013. ‘Nursing ethical values and
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and midwife students’ willingness to provide care to patients with HIV/AIDS–A

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comparative study in Finland, Estonia and Lithuania.’ Nurse education today, vol. 30, no.
7, pp.674-679.