...professional views in the workplace will help foster a successful career. This paper will cover relationships between legal and ethical issues as well as personal values and professional ethics. Relationships between Legal and Ethical Issues According to Wacker-Guido & Watson (2010), there are eight ethical principles that nurses encounter when making decisions in clinical settings, autonomy, beneficence, no maleficence, veracity, justice, paternalism, fidelity, and respect or others. In other terms nurses have personal freedom, the right of self-determination, a duty to perform good actions, duty to prevent any harm for occurring to their patients, the obligation to tell the truth, treat all patients equally and fairly, allow others to make decisions for individual patients, keep promises and commitments they make, and to treat everyone with respect. Ethical values are influenced by personal feelings, and are interpreted differently depending on the beliefs of the individual. The Britannica Concise Encyclopedia defines the code of ethics for nurses as follows: The code of ethics for nurses was developed as a guide for carrying out nursing responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality on nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession. With the advances in technology and changes in the health care system has resulted in many ethical situations. New technologies are more expensive and little benefit to organizations who struggle with allocations of health...
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...Abstract Nursing is a profession focused on assisting individuals, families, and communities in attaining, maintaining, and recovering optimal health and functioning. Modern definitions of nursing define it as a science and an art that focuses on promoting quality of life as defined by persons and families, throughout their life experiences from birth to care at the end of life. In nursing, ethical issues arise daily. There are issues such as death, dying, birth, abortion, genetics, quality of life, and general human rights. The legal system and ethical system overlap in most situations. Every patient contact can produce a legal or ethical situation. Nursing Ethics According to Aiken (2004) “Ethics is the discipline that deals with rightness and wrongness of actions”. The goal is similar to that of the legal system except that in most cases there is no system of enforcement or ethical penalties. “General ethics is the consideration of the morality of human acts in general”. (Fitzpatrick 2002) The Nursing Code of Ethics began in 1893 with the "Nightingale Pledge" which was patterned after the Hippocratic Oath in medicine, and is understood as the first code of nursing ethics. Nursing ethics is a branch of applied ethics that concerns itself with activities in the field of nursing. Nursing ethics shares many principles with medical ethics, such as beneficence, non- maleficence and respect for autonomy. It can be distinguished by its emphasis...
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...Healthcare professionals are faced with ethical dilemmas and issues on a regular basis especially in the emergency department. The purpose of this paper is to identify ethical issues within a case study. This case study involves an eight month old infant who presents to the emergency department with injuries. After arriving at the emergency department it is noted that the infant has bilateral fractured femurs. The ethical issue identified within this case study is the possibility of child abuse by either the mother or a worker at the daycare facility. The nurse makes notes of her concerns within the patients chart as well as verbalizes concern to the emergency room physician regarding the injuries to the infant. It appears to be a lack of follow-up with these concerns so this presents an ethical issue. There are eight ethical principles that a nurse should learn to apply to each situation that he or she feels there is an ethical decision that needs to be made. The eight principles to apply are autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, veracity, fidelity, justice, paternalism, and respect for others (Guido, 2010). Within the nursing field advocacy plays a critical role in keeping the patients safe throughout their encounters with the health care system (Beyea, 2005). One of the conflicts noted in the situation listed is, more research should have been conducted to investigate the cause of the injuries in more detail. Personal values and ethical principles should guide one to do...
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...Personal Ethics: My nursing ethic Swaranjeet Kaur Sidhu Grand Canyon University: NRS-437V 03/22/2014 My Nursing Ethic People have their own views on certain issues. In the healthcare field many nurses will encounter ethical issues which may place themselves in a dilemma. “Ethics is that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.” (Ethics, 2014). A nurse or healthcare worker might have personal values that get in the way for a patient to receive the adequate care they require. Sometimes having personal values become an important factor in the nursing practice. A nurse’s personal, cultural, and spiritual values contribute to practice in nursing. In nursing school students learns about different types of ethical principles that is applied to their nursing practice. The students are taught a specialized body of knowledge, standards of their practice, and how to deal with different individuals according to their selected professional. “The nurse, in a professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems” (ANA, 2008). In the nursing field the nurse is expected to deliver good care, respect the patients and their decisions...
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...allow the patient to become better informed concerning personal health, and more educated in decision-making. Health care providers also benefit by conducting real-time meetings online to discuss the most challenging cases, and to devise solutions to improve therapeutic regimens of patients. Health care providers are driven by professional connections and timely communications with patients, families, and other health care providers. Social networking is the media by which health care providers use for a range of professional purposes, primarily to educate patients or to foster provider-patient relationships, which is impressive. Although social networking has tremendous benefits to the consumer and provider, it comes with strong concerns, and confidentiality, and patient privacy issues top the list (Modahl, 2011). In recent...
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...legality when it comes to the care of patients. It is here that we find ourselves in the conundrum that is called nursing judgment. ”The basic level of problems concerns the dilemmas which arise for individual professional when they sense that there is a conflict between their private moral convictions and what they believe is required of them…” (Thompson, 1976). Nursing judgment is hard when so many factors are present, from the patient’s viewpoint, to the family/caregiver to the physicians ultimately in charge of the care. Many complicated scenarios can occur for the RN at any time and they must base their decisions on the ethical and legal guidelines that govern the nursing profession. Body In the world of nursing we are faced with ethical decisions on a regular basis but it is how we handle these situations that makes the difference. As a nurse we are bound by the guidelines of the code of ethics. The ANA (2014) states the “Code of Ethics for Nurses is a succinct statement of the ethical obligations and duties of every individual who enters the nursing profession. “It is the profession’s nonnegotiable ethical standard” and “an expression of nursing’s own understanding of its commitment to society”. In the case of the patient admitted with a hemorrhagic stroke whose family disagreed on the plan of care, the code of ethics outlines that the patient is our primary concern. When faced with conflict the nurse should help coordinate discussion with all parties involved. Once the...
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...article information Abstract Nurses are ever-increasingly confronted with complex concerns in their practice. Codes of ethics are fundamental guidance for nursing as many other professions. Although there are authentic international codes of ethics for nurses, the national code would be the additional assistance provided for clinical nurses in their complex roles in care of patients, education, research and management of some parts of health care system in the country. A national code can provide nurses with culturally-adapted guidance and help them to make ethical decisions more closely to the Iranian-Islamic background. Given the general acknowledgement of the need, the National Code of Ethics for Nurses was compiled as a joint project (2009–2011). The Code was approved by the Health Policy Council of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and communicated to all universities, healthcare centers, hospitals and research centers early in 2011. The focus of this article is on the course of action through which the Code was compiled, amended and approved. The main concepts of the code will be also presented here. No doubt, development of the codes should be considered as an ongoing process. This is an overall responsibility to keep the codes current, updated with the new progresses of science and emerging challenges, and pertinent to the nursing practice. Keywords: Nursing ethics, Ethical code, Healthcare ethics, Professionalism, Patient’s right Introduction Nurses are...
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...Professionalism: The Professional Nurse The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines professionalism first as the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person and secondly as the following of a profession for gain or livelihood. According to this definition, a nurse is a professional. In general, nurses follow a code of ethics, they aim to provide safe, quality patient care, and they chose the nursing profession to provide for their own livelihood. Professional nurses are role models for their profession and are essential to promoting nursing not only as a career, but as a profession. Nursing past, present, and future Nursing has changed greatly from the days of Florence Nightingale. As summarized...
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...Nursing Information System Monique Brown Walden University Nurs-3010 Section 3: Information Management in Nursing and Healthcare December 21, 2014 Nursing Information Systems Information technology within the health industry has brought a unique set of ethical and legal concerns once adopted in health settings. The usage of nursing information systems all through the country has been found to extend numerous benefits towards patient care. Thus, the nursing information systems have been found to be very beneficial, though they possess a fair share of limitations, which among other aspects include ethics. Ethics in nursing refers to performing actions contrary the nurse’s code of ethics along with what is morally right for patients. Information systems are aimed at improving patient care, consolidating, and making patient information readily available. Nursing information systems have introduced several ethical concerns with regards to the conduct or practice of nursing. Medical Information Privacy and Confidentiality Ethics To begin with, the most emotive and majorly discussed issue concerns privacy of patients’ medical information. Privacy in nursing information systems points to the avoidance by nurses to disclose patients’ medical information to unauthorized individuals (Simpson 1). These unauthorized individuals may comprise hospital staff, non-listed family members, and non-staff among others...
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...professional standard has been breached. The process by which the administrator determines a course of action is reviewed in the context of workplace realities through an ethical analysis. The growth of information systems and the increased involvement of third parties in decision-making have created new issues regarding confidentiality and the release of sensitive information for health care personnel who are in a position of public trust. The issues facing nursing administrators are complex, and of particular concern are the conflicting demands of providing quality care with limited resources. The authors identify strategies to deal with the workplace issues that give rise to the potential for abuse as well as the strategies to support an impaired colleague who attempts to reenter the workforce (Badzek, Mitchell, Marra, & Bower, 1998). Introduction When asking the general public what health care ethics and health care privacy mean, most will relate that they are about protecting patients. Health care ethics and health care privacy do exist to protect patients and to ensure that care is delivered with moral and ethical standards. Health care ethics not only apply to patients, but to organizations as well. The rapidly changing world of health care is witnessing a growing need for institutional ethics that includes ethical employer-employee relations. The article cited in this paper highlights two managers that encounter an employee diverting narcotics on...
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...Nursing Sensitive Indicators: Organizational Systems Gleidis Angeles Western Governors University Nursing Sensitive Indicators: Organizational Systems The knowledge of nursing sensitive indicator can be helpful in providing the patient care which meets the quality and ethical standards. Nursing sensitive indicators rely on evidence to take patient care decisions (Patrician, 2010). According to Patrician (2010), Evidence Based Nursing is the use of personal expertise and research to take decisions on patient care. In case of Mr. J, there is a clear lack of evidence based nursing. Mr. J was kept in restraint without considering that Mr. J was not trying to get out of bed by himself. When the pressure ulcer was identified, the nurse neglected evidence which should have been a basis of removing restraint. Even if the risk of falling was high, a sound alarm could have been placed at the bedside, which Mr. J could have used when he wanted to use the bathroom. The body of Mr. J was in unnecessary discomfort due to restraint and constant pressure was causing ulcer in the back. Mr. J was diagnosed with mild dementia and was drowsy, so the nursing staff had put him in restraint. Although, there are very flexible guidelines for the use of restraint in the National Quality Forum (2004), but, in case of Mr. J, the nurse is rigidly focused on keeping the patient in restraint to reduce risk of falling. The restraint makes the patient’s body immobile and can also make the patient feel...
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...1 Introduction Te Kaunihera Tapuhi o Aotearoa/The Nursing Council of New Zealand (‘the Council’) under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (‘the Act’) is the responsible authority that governs the practice of nurses. The principle purpose of the Act is to protect the health and safety of members of the public by providing mechanisms to ensure health practitioners are competent and fit to practise their professions. The Council sets and monitors standards in the interests of the public and the profession. The Council’s primary concern is public safety. This Code outlines the standards of ethical conduct set by the Council under section 118(i) of the Act. This Code complements the legal obligations that nurses have under the Act, the Health and Disability Commissioner (Code of Health and Disability Services Nursing Council of New Zealand, PO Box 9644, Wellington 6011 www.nursingcouncil.org.nz Published June 2012 The Code of Conduct for nurses has been revised and rewritten. This document replaces the previous Code of Conduct for nurses published by the Nursing Council of New Zealand between 1995 and 2011. © Consumers’ Rights) Regulations 1996 and the Health Information Privacy Code 1994. The Act and Code of Rights can be found at http://www.legislation.govt.nz The Code of Conduct for nurses is a set of standards defined by the Council describing the behaviour or conduct that nurses are expected to uphold. The Code of Conduct provides guidance on appropriate...
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...CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSES WHEREAS, the Board of Nursing (BON) has the power to promulgate a Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses in coordination and consultation with the accredited professional organization (Sec. 9, (g), Art III of (Republic Act) No. 9173, known as the “Philippine Nursing Act of 2002); WHEREAS, in the formulation of the Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses, the Code of Good Governance for the Professions in the Philippines was utilized as the principal basis thereof: All the principles under the said Code were adopted and integrated into the Code of Ethics as they apply to the nursing profession; WHEREAS, the promulgation of the said Code as a set of guidelines, regulations or measures shall be subject to approval by the Commission (Sec. 9, Art. II of R.A. No. 9173); and WHEREAS, the Board, after consultation on October 23, 2003 at Iloilo City with the accredited professional organization of registered nurses, the Philippine Nurses Association, Inc. (PNA), and other affiliate organizations of Registered Nurses, decided to adopt a new Code of Ethics under the afore-mentioned new law; NOW, THERFORE, the Board hereby resolved, as it now resolves, to promulgate the hereunder Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses: ARTICLE I PREAMBLE SECTION 1. Health is a fundamental right of every individual. The Filipino registered nurse, believing in the worth and dignity of each human being, recognizes the primary responsibility to preserve health at all cost. This responsibility...
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...Analysis and Implications of Qualitative Research Report Grand Canyon University NRS 433V: Introduction to Nursing Research February 27 2011 Critique of Qualitative Research Introduction Restraints are methods used in the medical field in an effort to restrict the movement of a patient in order to protect the safety of the patient, other patients, and caregivers. Since the onset of the use of restraints, this practice has been an ethical issue and topic for discussion. Further, it continues to be a concern in the health care industry because of the physical, emotional and psychological freedom involved. A study conducted by Hantikainen and Kappeli (2000) interviewed 20 skilled and untrained nursing staff from two nursing homes in a German speaking area in Switzerland. The authors concluded that there is no clear agreement on the definition of restraints and, as such, this lack of clarity translates to the nursing staff inconsistency and corresponding defensive behavior. Further, they felt the crucial component of establishing “restraint-free care” is nursing staff’s understanding of the impact of their personal perceptions of their thinking on their application of restraint policy. The intent of this qualitative research study was to discover nursing staff member’s perceptions on the use of restraints and how these insights affect their decisions at bedside (Hantikainen and Kappeli, 2000). This paper will review the above research article to critically...
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...Ethics in Nursing Practice, Values and Decision Making Name Name of College Abstract Nurses work with a wide range of patients, and each patient presents their own economic, social and cultural differences. While nurses work to provide care for the sick, injured and dying, they are always working within the boundaries of their professional codes of ethics. The nursing code of ethics is more than laws and common etiquette, and upholding the code of ethics is understood and agreed upon by people in the nursing profession. The two kinds of ethical theories discussed most in nursing are consequentialist and nonconsequentialist theories. By examining these two theories, nurses are able to evaluate the principle of confidentiality and how to apply the principle within reasonable limits. Further understanding of these normative theories gives nurses the abilities to evaluate conflict avoidance and resolution. As nurses further navigate the world of ethics, they discover how the code of ethics is influenced by a person’s culture, and they acquire a solid foundation for current ethical decision-making models used in their industry. Ethics in Nursing Practice, Values and Decision Making Nurses who take care of patients are encouraged to do so with a certain level of politeness. Other than being polite, nurses are required to be skilled, and they must follow the laws which govern them in their field of practice. Between all of the skills, politeness and laws...
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