Ch. 19 Ethics (Exam #4) Flashcards
Ethics
Rules of principles that determine which human actions are right or wrong.
6 ethical principals
Autonomy Beneficence Nonmaleficence Veracity Fidelity Justice
veracity
giving factual information without your own beliefs
fidelity
loyalty, forming bond between individuals both professionally and personally
justice
not a right guaranteed by the law, but that all patients should have justice
Healthcare is….
recognizing the challenge of caring for patients of various cultural as well as ethical backgrounds
Concerns about healthcare has increased in the last two decades due too……
Advances in medical technology
Social and Legal changes involving abortion, euthanasia, patient rights, end-of-life care, and reproductive technology
Advance Directive
Written statement of a person’s wishes about how he or she would like health care decisions to be made if he or she ever loses the ability to make such decisions independently.
Bioethical Issues
subjects that raise concerns of right and wrong in matters involving human life (Euthanize, abortion)
Living Will
Document that allows a person to state IN ADVANCE that Life-sustaining treatment is not to be administered if the person later is terminally ill or incompetent.
Ethical Dilemna
Situation involving competing rules or principles that appears to have no satisfactory solution. Choice between two or more equally undesirable alternatives.
Moral or Ethical Principles
Fundamental Values or assumptions about the way individuals should be treated and cared for. These include autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, fidelity, and veracity.
Mortal Uncertainty
Situation that exists when the individual is unsure which moral principles/values apply in a given situation.
Deontological
Derived from Judeo-Christian origins, this normative approach is duty-focused and centered on rules from which all action is derived. The rules represent beliefs about intrinsic good that are moral absolutes revealed by God. This approach reasons that all persons are worthy of respect and thus should be treated the same.
Teleogical
Derived from humanistic origins, this theological approach is outcome-focused and places emphasis on results. That which causes a good outcome is a good action. “Abortion may be acceptable because it results in fewer unwanted babies.” Euthanasia is an acceptable choice by some patients, because it results in decreased suffering.
Situational
mirrors the way most individuals approach day to day thinking. This view holds that there are no prescribed rules, norms, or majority-focused results that must be followed. Decisions made in one situation cannot be generalized to another situation.
Ethical dilemma examples
A patient in the intensive care unit
Euthanasia “mercy killing”
The patient is the primary decision maker for his or her treatment
A female patient in the hospital and dying of cancer
A Jehovahs Witness patient dying of leukemia in the hospital.
Common principles or rules to take into consideration when ethical decision is being examined…
she never discussed answer here
Ethics Committee
Must be voted in, consists of healthcare professionals and non-medical members, who protect the rights safety and well being of human subjects
Purpose of Ethics Committee
Provide education to staff
Empower all diciplines in regards to call ethics consult without retribution
Where to go when you need assistance
Who requests an ethics consult?
Anyone! You, other nurse, patient, patient family, doctor, etc
ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses
Four Principles that outline standards of ethical conduct: 1. Nurses and People
- Nurses and Practice
- Nurses and the Profession
- Nurses and Co-Workers
Nurses and People
Nurse’s primary professional responsibility is toward requiring nursing care. Nurse respects human rights, values, customs, and spiritual beliefs of the individual, family, and community.
The Nuremberg Code
Identifies the need for voluntary informed consent when medical experiments are conducted on human beings. It delineates the limits and restrictions that researchers must recognize and respect.
Nurses and the Profession
Nurse assumes the major role in determining acceptable standards of clinical nursing practice, management, research, and education.
Nurses and Co-workers
Nurse sustains a collaborative and respectful relationship with co-workers in nursing and other fields.
What to expect when staying in hospital.
High-quality hospital care, clean and safe environment, involvement in your care, Privacy Protection, Discharge planning, Help with bill and filing insurance claims,
The Nuremberg Code
Identifies the need for voluntary informed consent when medical expert
Initiating Ethics consult
Contact charge nurse
Place order for social services consult
Following social services if appropriate place ethics consult
Communicate with SS if ethics challenge is in place
Euthanasia
Commonly referred to as “mercy killing.” Greek word means “good death.”
Active Euthanasia
involves the administration of a lethal drug or another measure to end life and alleviate suffering. Legally wrong and can result in criminal charges of murder if performed.
Passive Euthanasia
Involves the withdrawal of extraordinary means of life support (ventilator, feeding tube)
Voluntary Euthanasia
Involves situations when the dying individual expresses his or her desires regarding the management and time of death to a sympathetic physician who then provides the means for the patient to obtain a lethal dose of medication.
Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPAHC)
Helps ensure that a living will is carried out.
Genetics
Refers to the study of genes and their role in inheritance- the way certain traits or conditions are passed down from one generation to another.
Genomics
Study of all of a person’s genes including interaction of those genes with each other and the person’s environment.
