Health Care Ethics Paper

2016 Words9 Pages

The Mission and Ethics in Health Care

Health care professionals are individuals who are able to provide care and help maintain health in other individuals through the practice of preventative and curative measures. They are individuals who have the education to diagnose, treat and prevent illnesses, injuries, physical and mental impairments in patients. Health care professionals have an ultimate goal of providing the health needs and expectations in the people populations while also improving the health outcomes (Kavey,2009). Other healthcare goals include delivering patient-centered care as members in an interdisciplinary team that emphasizes evidence based practice and quality improvement approaches. (Almgren, 2007). The purpose of health …show more content…

Nurses want to be able to provide quality patient care (Tingen, 2009). Their goal should be to make sure that their patients receive timely quality treatment. However, nurses should be also working together alongside with physicians and other health care professionals involved. Educating patients and families is also a goal for nurses because patients need to understand fully about any information given to them (Olson, 2016). Nurses also promote a safe environment for individuals so that patients’ stay at hospital is not prolonged. Evolving professionally and continuing education is a goal in nursing or any health care profession. Health care professions will never be done learning because technology and medical knowledge is constantly shifting and evolving (Olson, 2016). I believe these missions are based from the history of health care. It stems off of what we have done in the past and what we should do now. Patients are the main reason why we are evolving our professionalism. They are the reason for what we …show more content…

In an article I read it says, “Ethics are not optional in medicine: they are an essential and integral part of health care (Limentani, 1997).” Ethics is an essential part of the health care system because even if an ethical code cannot provide answers to specific problems, it can dictate the general approach to the solution (Limentani, 1997). The ethical concepts and values are given credit to Florence Nightingale because her achievements are considered a landmark in nursing. (Milton 2007). In the early work of nursing, obedience to physicians were the responsibility of the nurse and then by 1973, there was a shift that emphasized that nurses should have the responsibility of the patient. Not only does nurses have the primary commitment to the patient, but also to the family, group or community she’s caring for (Milton, 2007). In the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics, it includes statements of wholeness of a nurse’s character that which pertains to the values and the worthy expression of oneself (Milton, 2007). For a nurse to be able to maintain integrity, it will have to involve acting consistently with personal values and the professional values of a nurse (Milton, 2007). Nurses are expected and responsible for following the ANA Code of Ethics for ethical decision making. ANA Code of ethics, understanding ethical