Case-Discussion – Ethical Nursing Practice

Case-Discussion – Ethical Nursing Practice

Case-Discussion – Ethical Nursing Practice

Module 05 Discussion – Ethical Nursing Practice For this discussion you will be examining ethical nursing practice. In three to five paragraphs answer the following questions. Define in your own words “ethical nursing practice.” Describe the basis or framework you used for your definition. Explain the difference between legal and ethical nursing practice. Discuss one ethical or bioethical dilemma a nurse may encounter and describe how it could be handled. Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least two other student’s post by the end of the week. Please check the Course Calendar for specific due dates.

Nurses have the responsibility to recognize and identify ethical issues that affect staff and patients. For example, providing nursing care for clients undergoing an abortion may raise ethical and moral concerns and issues for some nurses; and some patients may be affected with a liver transplant rejection because donor livers are not abundant enough to meet the needs of all patients who request it.

Many hospitals, medical centers and other healthcare facilities have multidisciplinary ethics committees that meet as a group and resolve ethical dilemmas and conflicts. Nurses should avail themselves to ethicists and ethical committees within their facility when such ethical resources and mechanisms are present in order to resolve ethical concerns and ethical dilemmas.

In addition to utilizing these resources, the nurse can take appropriate actions when faced with an ethical dilemma by understanding and applying the ethical guidelines provided in the American Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics, the American Medical Association’s Code of Ethics, the World Medical Association’s Code of Ethics, the American Nurses Association’s Standards of Care and Standards of Practice, American Nurses Association’s position papers such as that which describes the ethical use of narcotic analgesics at the end of life even if this medication hastens death, state board of nursing declaratory statements, and the International Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics.

The steps of the ethical decision making process, like the problem solving process, are:

• Problem Definition. Problem definition is the clear description of the ethical dilemma and the circumstances revolving around it.

• Data Collection. During this phase of the ethical decision making process includes a review of ethical codes, published evidence based practices, declaratory statements, professional position papers and the professional literature.

• Data Analysis. The collected data is then organized and analyzed.

• The Identification, Exploration and Generation of Possible Solutions to the Problem and the Implications of Each. All possible solutions and alternatives to resolve the ethical dilemma are explored and evaluated.

• Selecting the Best Possible Solution. All potential solutions and alternatives are considered and then the best and most ethical action is taken.

• Performing the Selected Desired Course of Action to Resolve the Ethical Dilemma

• Evaluating the Results of the Action. Like the evaluation phase of the Nursing Process, actions to resolve ethical issues are evaluated and measured in terms of their effectiveness to resolve the ethical dilemma.