module three Flashcards
what is ethics
- the study of what we should do and why
- it is the various ways of thinking about, understanding and examining how best to live a moral life
what is morality
the distinction between right and wrong behaviour
what is bioethics
is it human behaviour in the life sciences and healthcare
what is ethical competence
- an experience acquired through the combination of knowledge and practice
- it is the ability to respect the patients rights and the quality of care
what are the four main ethical principles with examples
- autonomy- self determination e.g the right for a patient to be informed of their treatment options and consequences before consenting
- beneficence- above all, do good e.g assisting a patient with essential cares
- non-maleficence- above all, do no harm e.g bedrails up so patients does not fall out of bed, check patient allergies before administering medication and giving food
- justice- fairness e.g respect for peoples rights, targeted vaccination drive for vulnerable populations
what is ethical theory
formal statements about what we ought to do, when faced with an ethical dilemma.
what are personal values
- personal beliefs about what matters, that guide our decision making and behaviour
- we need awareness around our own values so that we can be sensitive to the values of others, without trying to influence them
normative and descriptive ethics
- normative- concerned with standards of correctness/ what should happen here e.g. decisions based on a code of conduct
- descriptive ethics- concerned with what does happen here e.g. decision based on beliefs about the right thing to do here
what are new zealands examples of unethical research
- nuremberg code
- greenlane heart babies
- cartwright inquiry-
what are the liberal positions with regards to ethics and the start of life (including abortion)
end of life
- gives the individuals who have a terminal illness (and meet the criteria) with a lawful option of requesting medical assistance to end their lives
- aims to promote compassion and preservation of dignity
abortion
- it is morally permissible on demand
- since a fetus is not a person, they cannot meaningfully claim a right to life
- genetically a human but not a person
what are the conservative positions with regards to ethics and the start of life (including abortion)
end of life
- risk of abuse
- discrimination
- irrational or imprudent choice
- slippery slope argument
- clinical uncertainty
abortion
- abortion is an absolute moral wrong
- if abortion is permitted, then respect for the sanctity of human life will be diminished, making it easier for human life to be taken in other circumstances
- foetus is a human
what is the gillick competence as it relates to the age of consent
- minors may authorise medical treatment
- it would be arbitrary and unreal to draw a line between childhood and maturity at a certain number of years
a child is gillick competent regardless of their age if they can;
- understand relevant information given to them
- retain information long enough to beable to make the decision
- weigh up the information to make the decision
- communicate their decision
ethics and end of life
end of life
- individual autonomy
- the right to choose
- loss of dignity
- reduction of suffering
- justice- the demand to be treated fairly
what is the eligibility criteria for assisted dying and safeguards for end of life choice
eligibility
- over 18 years of age
- a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand
- suffering from a terminal illness that is likely to end their life within 6 months
- in an advanced state of irreversible decline in physical capability
- experiencing unbearable suffering that cannot be relieved in a manner that the person considers tolerable
- competent to make an informed decision about assisted dying
safeguards
- person has capacity
- diagnosis is correct
- cooling off period occurs
- clinical depression is ruled out
- absence of discrimination against minority groups
- palliative care/ hospice options explained
the privacy code
- only collect what you need
- get it from the person concerned
- tell them what you are doing
- be considerate when collecting information
- take care of information once you have it
- people can see their information if they want
- people can ask to have information corrected
- check it before you use it
- get rid of it once you’re done
- only use it for the reasons you got it
what is an ethical dilemma and ethical distress
- dilemma- 2 or more clear moral principles apply but support inconsistent course of action
- distress- you know the right thing to do but factors make it difficult to follow this course of action
the importance of research in ethics
- nurses have an ethical responsibility whether leading research or participating in research o collecting data in a clinical trial
- participants must be fully informed and adequately protected before they agree to participate
- respect the principles of human dignity, autonomy, privacy and bodily and personal integrity
what are examples of nursing action that protected human dignity, autonomy, privacy, bodily and personal integrity and how can we ensure those same principles are protected when humans are the subject of research
- asking consent
- don’t share patients information
- talk to them based on their age, not by their cognition
- allow them to read their notes and change things as needed
we protect these by
- ethical approval
- gain consent
- the document is autonomous
- fully informing the patient what data you are obtaining, why and where is it going
what is the nuremnerg code
- a group of doctors and military were charged with crimes against humanity and as a result the nuremberg code was developed
- this is considered to be the foundation for guidelines of legitimate and ethical research
- voluntary informed consent
- avoidance of unnecessary physical or mental injury
- banning of known lethal or disable procedures
- degree of risk should not exceed benefits
- participants may freely end the experimentation
- the experiments stop if it is too dangerous
what is the declaration of helsinki
- agreed ethical conduct to safeguard the rights and well beings of patients in research
what is the cartwright enquiry
- cervical cancer inquiry
- women were treated with no value and their rights were sacrificed
- the office of the health and disability commissioner was established and the code of health consumers rights written
what is the purpose of research ethics committees
to ensure that the participants are safe
ethical principles of research involving humans
- respect for persons
- participant is voluntary and they can withdraw from a study at any time
- informed consent in research involves a person freely agreeing to participate in a study after receiving information about the nature of the study and what it will involve for them personally
what is euthanasia
- the act of killing someone painlessly, especially to relieve suffering from an incurable illness
- intentionality
- evidence of suffering
- reasons for death/ means of death
- painlessness
- non-fetal humanity
