Ethics in Practice

Objectives

Ethics is an area of primary emphasis in nursing education, research, and practice. This assignment is intended to allow you to show evidence of achieving desired learning outcomes (CLO #4, ILO #3, #7 & PLO #3, #7). In this discussion, using the six processes outlined by Nelson’s article, reflect and report on an ethical issue experience, reflect on the major emphasis of an ethical presence, and share with your peers an incident in practice that demonstrated reaching beyond the nursing obligation to have a relational practice despite the challenges faced.

Ethics in Practice-Solution

Making ethical decisions is part of everyday providers’ practice and impacts healthcare delivery and provider-patient or provider-provider relationships. Nelson’s six-step ethical decision-making process requires providers’ circumstances contributing to an ethical conflict, identifying the specific ethical question that needs addressing, considering associated ethical principles and organizational values, determining response options, recommending appropriate responses, and anticipating the ethical conflict (Nelson, 2015). The process’ several requirements, ethical standards, moral provisions, and factors impact providers’ decision to limit life-sustaining therapy.(Nursing Ethcs Essay Sample)

Withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining therapy has an ethical bearing because it is considered tantamount to killing a person, although mercy killing. Healthcare providers are more knowledgeable regarding the effectiveness of life-sustaining therapy and understand when using it is no longer necessary. In this case, despite keeping the patient alive, it has no recovery benefits and might have adverse effects on the patient in the process, including pain, continued discomfort, and increased medical bills (Manalo, 2018). The patient decides if they have the capacity, together with their family or surrogates and are guided by the medical providers’ advice.(Nursing Ethcs Essay Sample)

As a nurse, I have taken part in such a process where I advised a family and patient that life-sustaining therapy is no longer effective and affects the patient negatively. Bringing such a discussion to a Christin family is one of the most difficult endeavors, creating ethical dilemmas that the team has to deal with in the best way possible. Any decision perceived as tantamount to killing the patient is unacceptable among Christians, although the patient is dying. Potential consequences of this decision include family provider strain. It is also not an easy decision because most healthcare team members are religious but understand when death is inevitable, it is permitted to withdraw or withhold forms of treatment that would otherwise secure a burdensome prolongation of life with below-expectation results and have consequences to the family, including increased medical bills (Manalo, 2018). Providers must understand that withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining therapy is ethical and medically right as long as it does not interrupt basic humane, compassionate care. Although family members can be reluctant, the providers should help the family deal with feelings of guilt, fear, and concern that their relative may suffer or die without therapy (Manalo, 2018). Lastly, appropriate measures to relieve the patient of distress should be employed as an ethical obligation for all providers involved.(Nursing Ethcs Essay Sample)

References

Manalo M. F. (2018). End-of-Life Decisions about Withholding or Withdrawing Therapy: Medical, Ethical, and Religio-Cultural Considerations. Palliative care, 7, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.4137/PCRT.S10796

Nelson W. A. (2015). Making Ethical Decisions. A six-step process should guide ethical decision-making in healthcare. Healthcare executive, 30(4), 46–48.