Week 5 lecture study Flashcards
What are nurses held to that serves as a guide in their practice?
American Nurses Association Code of Ethics
Ethical
behaving in a way of respect to ones dignity and the rights of individual people using moral principles
Utilitarianism
End goal moral justifies even when the means are not moral
Deontology
both the means & end goal must be ethical and moral
What are the most common ethical concerns in healthcare?
allocation of scarce resources & end of life issues
Bioethics
subcategory of ethics, concerns that occur due to advancing science & technology
–> Stem Cell, cloning, genetic engineering
justice
Fairness. RN is fair when distributing care. All clients being cared for must get justly and equitably care.
Beneficence
doing good, RN does the right thing for client
Nonmaleficence
doing no harm, harm can be classified as intentional and nonintentional
accountability
Taking responsibility for one’s own actions. Take responsibility for all professional & personal consequences that occur due to their actions.
Fidelity
Keeping one’s promise.
Autonomy
Client self-determination. Encourage client to make own decisions w/o judgement or coercion
Veracity
Truthful. RN cannot withhold truth from client.
Recognize ethical dilemmas and take appropriate action:
RN has responsibility to recognize and ID ethical issues affecting staff or clients
Multidisciplinary ethics committees
Understand and apply ethical guidelines - ANA Code of Ethics. World Medical Association’s Code of Ethics
No automatic guidelines for solving ethical dilemma’s
Recognize ethical dilemmas and take appropriate action: problem definition
– clear description of the dilemma & circumstances
Recognize ethical dilemmas and take appropriate action: assessment process
gather facts, opinions, perceptions, collect data
Recognize ethical dilemmas and take appropriate action: ID those involved and available resources
review ethical codes, evidence based practices
Recognize ethical dilemmas and take appropriate action: data analysis
organize and analyze data collected
Recognize ethical dilemmas and take appropriate action: investigate
examine rights, duties, values
Recognize ethical dilemmas and take appropriate action: evaluate the results
measure in terms of effectiveness
Inform client / staff members of ethical issues affecting client care
RN’s responsibility to inform staff and clients of ethical issues that can/do affect care.
Client may ask nurse to do something unethical. RN must inform client they can’t do it for ethical & legal reasons.
Clients may ask for information on ethical actions to choose.
Nurse Practice Act
Outline legal scope of practice
Sets educational requirements
Facility policies govern practice in that particular facility
Standards of care-established by federal, state, professional organizations
Each state has own nurse practice act
Your state of work is most important affecting your care
Practicing beyond limits may lead to charges of violating act
Rules of Conduct
Legally use skills & knowledge to protect safety & comfort of clients
Laws are binding rules of conduct enforced by authority
Laws & ethics can overlap- you have to identify & examine fine lines that separate them.
If a law is challenged as unjust or unfair, usually reflects underlying ethical principle
Clients who feel they have been treated with disrespect or lack of dignity, or that their rights were ignored/violated –more likely to initiate legal action