Ethical Decision-Making in Nursing: A Sociology Case Study Analysis

This reflective essay analyzes collaborative ethical decision-making within an interdisciplinary healthcare team, emphasizing the protection of patients' cultural values while navigating potential conflicts between personal beliefs and professional interactions. The essay uses a case study involving a patient, John, undergoing palliative care and highlights the importance of respecting his cultural traditions and beliefs, particularly those of the ATSI community. The analysis explores the steps involved in ethical decision-making, including data collection, argument evaluation, framework development, and response to objections. It also examines the impact of the nurse's personal beliefs on professional strategies, advocating for patient autonomy and the consideration of diverse cultural backgrounds in palliative care. The essay concludes that collaborative ethical decision-making is crucial for providing patient-centered care, respecting cultural values, and mitigating potential conflicts between personal and professional perspectives in healthcare settings. The essay also highlights the importance of balancing the principle of beneficence with the patient's right to make autonomous decisions, even if those decisions may seem to contradict medical recommendations.

Running Head: SOCIOLOGY 0
Case Study Essay
Student Details

SOCIOLOGY 1
The aim of this reflective essay is to analyse collaborative incorporation of ethical
decision making by the interdisciplinary team. The thesis statement will argue that
collaborative ethical decision making can help nurses and interdisciplinary teams in working
together and protecting cultural values of patients while avoiding conflicts between personal
beliefs and professional interactions. This essay will also involve the evaluation of patient’s
beliefs and traditions during his palliative care along with understanding the impact of my
personal beliefs being a registered nurse on professional strategies and interactions.
Ethical decision-making can be defined as the process that enables individuals to
analyse and select between different alternatives in order to find the most suitable option that
is consistent with ethical principles. In the field of nursing, collaborative ethical decision
making is encouraged for nurses and interdisciplinary teams to make sure that they make
moral judgements relating to patients and their health (Thiel, Bagdasarov, Harkider, Johnson
& Mumford, 2012). In order to achieve collaborative ethical decision making, there are
certain steps which are involved such as collection and verification of data, building and
evaluation of arguments, development of systematic framework and evaluation of the
responses. In order to make ethical decisions for John, there are different ways through which
nurses can work collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team. The first step is that they
should collect relevant data before making a decision. In this case, John is taking a dialysis
treatment for ESRD and his life expectancy in around three months. He wants to visit his
family that will further reduce his life expectancy. In the second step, arguments are built and
analysed. The first argument is based on autonomy which is a bioethical principle (Park,
2012). As per this principle, John should have the right to make his own decision and he
should be allowed to return his home to respect his human dignity and cultural values.
Another argument is based on beneficence which imposes an obligation on nurses and
medical team to do what is best for an individual. As per this principle, John should not be
allowed to go to his home as that will reduce his life expectancy. The third step is creating a
systematic framework. A systematic framework will allow nurses and interdisciplinary teams
to help John understand what is in his best interest that is not letting him return to his home.
The fourth step is responding to the objections. A key objection in this alternative can be
resistance from John; however, the medical team should make John understand what is in his
best interest while respecting his human dignity and cultural values (Cerit & Dinc, 2013).
Therefore, the ethical decision in this scenario is stopping John from returning to him home.

SOCIOLOGY 2
In palliative care, culture plays a critical role which affects the treatment of a patient.
It is the duty of medical professionals and nurses to make sure that they did not breach
particular beliefs, traditions and practices that patients want to uphold during palliative care.
Since patients belong from different cultural background, they have different values and they
want to uphold those values in which medical team should help them. Palliative care is
referred to such care provided to people suffering from terminal diseases (Ferrell, Malloy &
Virani, 2015). In the case of ATSI, understanding and addressing of cultural and spiritual
needs is significant to reduce their physical as well as emotional pain. ATSI patients face
discrimination and challenges during palliative care due to lack of medical knowledge, social
equality, difference in lifestyle, lack of understanding of disease or care strategies, having
heard negative stories from others experiences. These factors are necessary to be considered
since they play critical role in palliative care of ATSI. In the case of John, understanding and
addressing his cultural values, traditions and beliefs is important during palliative care.
Upholding these practices and beliefs will allow John to cope up with his challenges and it
will also protect his human dignity (Malloy et al., 2014). In the case of John, health does not
mean only physical well-being instead it is referred to cultural, social and emotion well-being
for his entire community. John has a strong relationship with the land and he believes in
cyclical concept of life and death. Nurses and interdisciplinary teams should understand these
cultural values and they should create a state in which John is able to achieve his full
potential as a human being of his community. John might want to fulfil the rituals of ATSI at
the end of his life and he might want to spend those moments with his loved ones and
community members. John might want to have access to outside space and he might want
traditional foods or fulfil ATSI ceremony. There are certain post death practices which John
might want to engage in such as paying last respects, acknowledging omens of death and
others (Mazanec & Panke, 2015). These are some of the cultural traditions, practices and
beliefs relating to John’s culture which he might want to uphold.
While discharging my duties as a nurse, my personal beliefs will have a substantial
effect on my professional interactions and strategies which I implement in order to manage
these scenarios. Nurses should not let their personal beliefs contradict with their professional
interaction and strategies (Hoeve, Jansen & Roodbol, 2014). I have separate set of beliefs
when compared to John which are necessary to be evaluated to make sure that the interest of
both parties can be achieved. The cultural values of John are very different from me as I
emphasises on the importance of protecting life and taking all necessary measures for the

SOCIOLOGY 3
protection of an individual. On the other hand, John’s personal values contradicts with the
medical strategies which are for his own benefits, for example, he wants to return to his home
as he has strong relationship with ATSI cultural values and the land; however, I believe that
in order to protect human dignity, a person must exercise free will and they must take
decisions which they believe are in their best interest. I believe that John should be allowed
rest of his time with his family despite the fact that it might reduce life expectancy. However,
as per the bioethical principles relating to beneficence, keeping John in the hospital is the best
option available for him to make sure that he lives comfortably. It shows that my personal
beliefs will contradict with my professional interactions with John since I am more like to
support his decision to return home. I also believe that nurses should take all the actions
which they can to protect the best interest of patient. Therefore, I will implement strategies in
order to convince John to make sure that he decides to stay which will be for his own benefit.
It shows contradiction between my personal beliefs and professional interactions and
strategies.
In conclusion, collaboration between nurses and interdisciplinary team can be
established by ethical decision making which allows protection of cultural values, beliefs and
practices while eliminating conflicts relating to contradiction of professional interactions and
personal beliefs. John should not be allowed to return his home; however, he should have the
right to fulfil his cultural beliefs and traditions that will help in his dialysis treatment.

SOCIOLOGY 4
References
Cerit, B., & Dinç, L. (2013). Ethical decision-making and professional behaviour among
nurses: a correlational study. Nursing Ethics, 20(2), 200-212.
Ferrell, B., Malloy, P., & Virani, R. (2015). The end of life nursing education nursing
consortium project. Ann Palliat Med, 4(2), 61-69.
Hoeve, Y. T., Jansen, G., & Roodbol, P. (2014). The nursing profession: public image, self‐
concept and professional identity. A discussion paper. Journal of Advanced
Nursing, 70(2), 295-309.
Malloy, P., Paice, J., Coyle, N., Coyne, P., Smith, T., & Ferrell, B. (2014). Promoting
palliative care worldwide through international nursing education. Journal of
Transcultural Nursing, 25(4), 410-417.
Mazanec, P., & Panke, J. T. (2015). Cultural considerations in palliative care. Spiritual,
Religious, and Cultural Aspects of Care, 4.
Park, E. J. (2012). An integrated ethical decision-making model for nurses. Nursing
ethics, 19(1), 139-159.
Thiel, C. E., Bagdasarov, Z., Harkrider, L., Johnson, J. F., & Mumford, M. D. (2012). Leader
ethical decision-making in organizations: Strategies for sensemaking. Journal of
Business Ethics, 107(1), 49-64.