Free Essay About Ethical Concerns In Nursing Practices

Ethics and morals are quite essential when it comes to nursing practices. This is due to the constant interactions that do exist between the patients and the nursing practitioners. Evidently, there is a need to guarantee that ethics and good morals are maintained to ensure that there are good relations and proper health care provision. It is important to acknowledge that every decision that is made in nursing practices needs to be based on sound judgment and be in the best interest of all the concerned individuals (Ellis, & Hartley, 2011). Evidence-based practices are among one of the main priorities that should be considered to ensure that all the decisions made are the most suitable. Nursing practitioners should be educated on the need to have a strong sense of judgment that should be based on the sense of what is socially acceptable and what is not. This will be relevant in making sure that the moral code of ethics that has been established is followed accordingly. Ethical concerns also need to be based on what nurses are entitled to do and what not to do. Through such protocols, it is likely that there will be adequate regards for ethics. This is as excepted by the society and different departments that are put to ensure that ethics are highly regarded to make sure that patients and other staff members in a health facility receive the best treatment that is based on good morals. It is also required that nurses be informed of their role, and what their priorities in health care provision ought to be, through this, it is likely that there will be room for sound judgment.
Ethical issues in nursing practices are quite diverse and vary between a wide range of things (Ellis, & Hartley, 2011). However, it would be appropriate to state that ethical concerns are decisions that need to be made during a critical time and should be in regards to what is right or wrong. Through considering things that are socially acceptable, it is likely that all decisions reached will be ethically correct and most suitable. Ethical concerns are may also arise when there is a need to reach a solution between two available options (Ellis, & Hartley, 2011). It is evident that the most suitable option that needs to be evaluated should be ethically correct. In order to reach a suitable solution, it is required that proper consideration is done to establish the outcomes that may arise. The decision that should be reached should ensure that only the best results are achieved. Through making the most appropriate decisions, it is correct to state that ethics is considered. It is through this that there will be good relations with the patients and also other concerned individuals.
Through the years and the concerns that have been in existence about ethical issues in nursing practices, there has been the development of ethical theories which need be applied in different situations. Consequentialism ethical theory is solely based on the results that a decision will have. It is therefore expected that when making a decision based on this ethical theory that the results need to be quite positive (Ellis, & Hartley, 2011). All decisions made despite the situation and the expenses need to be in the best interest of a majority of individuals. However, there are limitations that do exist in regards to the doing of good at the expense of the minority group. This is due to the need that exists to respect the minority group. For example, when selecting patients that are in need of special attention, it is required that the nurses provide a proper evaluation on all patients. This is because it is the nurses who monitor the patients and are in a proper situation to provide a proper evaluation on the needed patients. Therefore, it is evident that failure to select those patients that are in need of help most may result in consequences that may include the loss of life.
Deontology is based on the obligations and duties that are respectively issued to different nursing practitioners. Through this ethical theory, it is expected that every decision that is reached be accordance with the diverse obligations that have been respectively allocated to an individual. In this ethical theory, it required that a nursing practitioner attends to the duties that he/she has been allocated to solely without the interference of other duties that are not theirs (Ellis, & Hartley, 2011). Through this, it is said that ethics is considered since every practitioner’s role is respected. It is important to note that there are different types of nurses available. For example, a critical care nurse should not be put in an emergency nurse area of work. This is because these are two different professions and require different handling. The conflict of interest in this theory may arise if a critical care nurse may not be granted the permission to work in an emergency area. Despite the obligations that are entitled to, it may be inappropriate to resolve the conflicts that may arise in this kind of situations.
Virtue ethics is also among the key ethical theories that are considered in nursing practices. These ethics are in consideration to aspects such as speaking the truth, honesty, and other virtues such as kindness. Having reviewed this theory, it is quite appropriate to state that these ethical concerns are quite relevant in ensuring that there is proper service provision. For example, if a patient’s nurse is asked to disclose certain medical information without the consent of a patient, the most appropriate way to handle this would be through making sure that that the nurse enquires from the patient if it would be appropriate to disclose the information. This is ethically correct rather than going against the patients back and disclosing such private information without the patients’ knowledge (Ellis, & Hartley, 2011).
The principlism ethical theory is a blend of theories that have been established to promote justice in health care provision. This is through non malificience, beneficience, and justice. Through this moral varies, it is expected that the best ethics will be considered. Despite the critics that do exist in this theory, it has proven to be quite effective in delivering the best ethical values that are required in nursing practices. For example, if a patient has been in a long wait to attend to a research program, it is required that they are put in the next available chance that may arise to be involved in research. Attempts that may exist by patients and other family members to bribe nurses to secure a quick entry to a certain program should be denied through the consideration of ethics that are advocated in principlism.
Ethics is also affected by an individual’s personal beliefs that are mostly based on religion. Christianity being among the most common religious believes advocates the equal and just treatment of all. Therefore, nurses who are under this dominion are likely to be morally upright. Through this, ethics is guaranteed in service provision. Philosophic viewpoints are also quite essential for maintaining ethics; this is because philosophy has been known to be quite effective in advocating ethics and the need to maintain morality in different sectors (Ellis, & Hartley, 2011). An individual who has appropriate viewpoints is, therefore, likely to be morally upright. Such nurses are likely to deliver the best practice in relation to ethical considerations. The American Nurses Association has also established code of ethics that nurses are expected to adhere to. This is quite essential in ensuring patients receive the best treatment possible while in a health facility. Through considering ethics in nursing practices, it is expected that there will be improved service provision and standards. Ethics are quite important and need to be properly evaluated while attending to work. It is required that every nursing practitioner knows their obligation to uphold ethics in their work setting and to what relevance it has in their working environment. It is important to adhere to ethics and maintaining good relations with different patients that nurses are constantly in contact with (Ellis, & Hartley, 2011). However, it is important to ensure that the patients and nurses boundaries are not crossed. This is to prevent the distractions and the impact that such relations may have on decision-making. It has been noted that the crossing of patient and nurse boundaries is likely to lead to numerous issues in health care provision. It is likely that unwanted attachments that may be built out of such relations may lead to impaired judgment. This is because the nurses who in this instance are the caregiver may result in strategies that are not advocated during a particular time. For example, such relations may result to the influencing of a nurse into partaking in activities such as misguiding reports on the recovery progress of a patient. This may be done to facilitate the discharge of a patient from a health institution due to persuasion that a patient may have on a nurse that may have grown fond of a patient. Through such an example, it is evident that such relations that exceed professionalism may result in unwanted complications. Such complications may be health-related or personal issues. In order to avoid this, it required that proper working ethics is considered to guarantee that good relations are maintained. Good relations are essential in maintaining appropriate working ethics.

References

Ellis, J. R., & Hartley, C. L. (2011). Nursing in today's world: Trends, issues & management. Philadelphia, Penns: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.