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Nursing ethical principles do no harm
Nursing ethical principles do no harm
Nursing ethical principles do no harm
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Nurses are faced with ethical dilemmas related to clinical issues, and disease and treatment decisions daily (Kangasniemi,
Jata MacCabe Mrs. Jamieson (4) Sociology 120 October 7 2015 Beverley Allitt: Nightingale Nightmare Do No Harm “I will not do anything evil or malicious and I will not knowingly give any harmful drug or assist in malpractice.” Before a nurse may assume custodial responsibility over any patient, they must first pledge the Nightingale Oath. This vow states that as that as a healthcare professional your first responsibility must be assuring the safety of each patient in your care. In all healthcare facility interactions, a fundamental trust in medical professionals is required to assure timely and effective treatment —a deep-seated faith in healthcare workers assures prescribed medications and rehabilitation regimens are strictly adhered to.
Ethics is very important in nursing practice and involves respect and advocacy for the needs of the patient. Both, ethics and honesty have major impact on patient safety. Another core value is autonomy. Autonomy is demonstrated when the nurse supports independent decision making and respects the patient`s right to self-determine the course of action. Human dignity is another core value in nursing practice.
One mistake can be caught on camera by those who are distrustful of nurses. Overall, Fowler article was extremely unsuccessful at pusadering her audience to take action and become a part of policy making in healthcare because of her structural errors and usage of irrelevant sources in a failed attempt to build credibility with her audience. Fowler’s structural weaknesses in her organization and thesis statement was not persuasive, thus leaving her readers confused. Fowler first begins her article with background information about her topic, stating the history of Nursing. She outlines extensive details about the founding of the code of ethics for three paragraphs, which was not necessary for her argument.
Moreover, several studies have been conducted to examine the effects of low nurse staffing on patients hospitalization experiences, as well as its effect on nurse careers in the long run. A recent study by Frith, Anderson, Tseng, and Fong (2012) to explore the relationship between nurse staffing and medication errors, demonstrated that medication errors were higher in a cardiac care unit and non-cardiac care unit when staffing levels were lower. In addition, Frith et al. (2012) pointed out that medication errors increase by 18% for every 20% decrease in nurse staffing below the average due to failure to follow medication administration protocol As mentioned earlier, nurses perform the last and the most important step of medication administration. Thus, having adequate time to assess each patient efficiently and following the medication rights is critical to provide safe patient care and prevent errors.
(Elliot & Olver, 2008). The principles in acting with the best interest of the other person in mind, showing compassion and taking positive action to help others which relates to the second main principle being beneficence. Likewise, I will discuss non-maleficence, the core of medical oath nursing ethics the principle that “above all do no harm”.
Examples of nonmaleficence in nursing include holding a medication due to adverse reactions or taking steps to ensure a safe work environment.” Learn more about how non-maleficence applies to nurses, including per diem nurses. These ethical principles are vital for nurses to provide high-quality, compassionate care while upholding ethical standards and prioritizing patient welfare.
Malpractice is negligence, offense, or breach of duty by a professional individual that causes a patient to be injured. Much of the time, it includes when a nurse did not meet a standard of care or to deliver care that he or she should deliver in a similar situation. According to Standards of Practices “Standard 2: Responsibility and Accountability”, the nurses have to maintain, practice, respect and promote patient’s autonomy, as well as to provide care in a responsible and accountable manner. However, keeping the truth from a patient will not enable them to come to terms with their condition and give them the alternative for further treatment. Hence, it would be better to tell the patient the truth to guarantee that the nurse will not face any lawful issues unless the patient has a lack of decision-making capacity which could be caused by mental illnesses, such as dementia or being
A clinical example where the nurse would be able to exemplify safe and effective care would be teaching a patient about Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) pumps. In this situation the nurse must teach the patient about they are the only ones who are allowed to control the pump based on their level of pain and need for medication. The PCA pump is intended to provide fast acting relief for patients who need consistent pain medication. If the nurse does not stress the importance of the patient being the only person allowed to release the analgesic, family members could feel obligated to help control the medication administration. This could lead to an unnecessary need for pain medication that can decrease the patients respiratory drive if given too much and is also unethical.
Understaffing in hospitals is a major problem that has been affecting healthcare workers and patients for many years. I have chosen to highlight understaffing as a patient safety issue because of the consequences that can arise from it. Shortages in staffing can result in an increase of infection rates (Stone et al., 2007) leading to complications and poorer patient outcomes (Needleman et al. 2002). This particular issue is of interest to me because I have experienced and witnessed it myself. As a midwifery student in a busy maternity hospital, I can appreciate the hard work and dedication each midwife gives to their patients.
All nurses should take positive actions to help their patients and to have the desire to do good. On the other hand, nonmaleficence is the core of the nursing ethics and it revolves around the idea that nurses have to remain competent in their field as to avoid causing injury or harm to patients. Nonmaleficence also requires all health care professionals to report any suspected abuse. The last ethical principle is justice. This ethical principle revolves around the idea that all patients must be treated equally and fairly.
We should not do things that can harm ourselves or others. We need to sustain our needs and wants to survive on this world. With regards to my work as a nurse, I am also committed to their health. As a member of a health team, I am responsible for improving their health status. I should give them the best possible care that they deserve.
Utilitarianism and Deontology are two major ethical theories that influence nursing practice. Utilitarian principles of promoting the greatest good for the greatest amount of people parallels the nursing tenet of beneficence. Deontological principles of treating individuals with dignity, and promoting the well-being of the individual parallels the nursing tenet of non-maleficence. Utilitarian and Deontological principles can be utilized to resolve ethical dilemmas that arise in the nursing profession. The purpose of this paper is to define utilitarianism and deontology, discuss the similarities and differences between the two, and to address an ethical dilemma utilizing utilitarian and deontological principles.
A nurse must keep up to date on education and new processes in health-care, so they can provide the best care. As a nurse, you have promised to give each of your patients the best care that can possibly be given. Nurses must follow a code of ethics, to act safely, provide ethical care no matter how they feel about the patient or the reason they are in your care. Following this code of ethics shows your commitment to caring for people and society, it is a guide of ethics and standards to follow to keep everyone safe. Nursing is also a wonderful opportunity to meet hundreds of people from almost every nationality and every walk of life.
Negligence is when a nurse who is fully capable of caring does not care in the way a reasonably prudent nurse would, and as a result the
