Ethical Dilemmas In Nursing Case Studies

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Based on the case scenario, the nurse had breached the ethical principle of beneficence. There were no positive actions taken to promote well-being of the resident. Bactrim was not discontinued even though the laboratory test results showed that the resident has no bladder infection. Her duty is to prevent harm to the resident but due this situation, the resident has higher risk for bleeding due to adverse interaction with other medication. Besides, the nurse has breached the ethical principle of non-maleficence. There was nothing done after being notified of continued bleeding and the resident bled to death from gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Lastly, the nurse has just breached the ethical principle of fidelity. She has failed in keeping up with commitments of nursing by not being competent in taking care of the resident. She did not perform her responsibility of keeping copies of her notes or reports during calls from …show more content…

One such example would be, nurses have to frequently assess any change on patient’s condition and notify doctor immediately if there are changes. Delaying may increase the complication and makes it harder to treat. Other than that, nurses must document down all the information in accordance to approved standards of practice which includes evaluation of how treatments work, assessment, compliance, reaction of patient and communication. Evidence by charting can help to prevent liability in a malpractice suit. Lack of documentation can alter the nursing intervention, such as in the scenario which stated medication was not discontinued when the resident was at high risk for bleeding. This can put a patient to danger and at risk for injury. Hence, they must make sure to record down all the patient’s evaluation findings, information and findings. Other than that, nurses should also be discreet, stay educated and follow proper procedure and