Ethical Dilemma in Nursing Instructions.
PURPOSE
For this assignment, you will examine ethical dilemmas that exist in pedriatic acute care settings, particularly those involving genetics/genomics issues. You will also explore the resources available to assist patients, families and healthcare professionals in solving these dilemmas, and integrate the principle of the ANA code of Ethics.
- Describe an ethical dilemma you encountered in your clinical setting. Example topics related to genetics/genomics issues include, but are not limited to: genetic testing, diagnosis of a genetic disorder, genetic counselling (or lack thereof), pharmacogenomics, lifelong surveillance, and recruiting individuals for genetic research. Keep in mind to maintain the privacy of all members involved in the dilemma.
- Write a 2-3 page paper (not including the tittle page and reference page) using APA format.
PREPARING THE ASSIGNMENT
- Identify all the relevant and applicable principles within the ANA Code of Ethics that relates to your dilemma.
- Describe in detail how your dilemma relates to the principle(s) you have identified.
- Discuss the outcome of the dilemma to the best of your knowledge.
- Discuss the resources within the clinical agency for dealing with such dilemmas.
- Utilize resources such as your textbook, journal articles, internet sites, etc, to aid in your discussion and to support your perspective about the situations.
Complete the assignment using APA formatting. Include a reference page in APA format of sources used. You must use at least two references in the assignment(one will be the ANA Code of Ethics)
Solution.
Ethical Dilemma in Nursing: Brain Death and Hasidic Beliefs about Death.
The code of ethics in nursing plays a significant role in the promotion of health and the protection of the wellbeing of the patients. The provision of quality care demands sound decision-making. However, personal and religious beliefs may influence a patient’s or his/her family’s beliefs thus hindering the effective provision of care. For example, science-based or empirical knowledge to the practitioner may be subjective to a patient with religiously-inclined beliefs which restrict the provision of certain medical services. This essay discusses the concept of ethical dilemma using the case of Motl Brody, a 12-year-old boy with brain-death whose highly religious parents wanted him on life support despite his condition (The Associated Press, 2008). The essay outlines the principles of ANA Code of Ethics, the relation of the dilemma to the principles, and the resources of the clinical agency in dealing with the dilemma.
There are various principles within the ANA Code of Ethics that relate to the dilemma of offering care to Motl Brody. Some of the relevant principles include autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and fidelity. According to Huber (2013), the principles of autonomy, beneficence, and non-maleficence call for respect of patients’ right to independent decision-making, compassion, and the avoidance of hurt/harm. The principle of autonomy requires the health care providers to respect the right of the patient to self-determine the course of action by allowing him/her to make critical decisions concerning the care. While this is the case, beneficence calls for compassion where the care givers must take positive actions to ensure that they engage in what is good. Moreover, the principle of non-maleficence requires the practitioner to ensure s/he does not cause the patient harm in the course of delivering care (Fulton, Lyon, & Goudreau, 2014). Further, the principle of fidelity requires the care giver to depict fairness, loyalty, truthfulness, dedication to the patient and their concerns, and advocacy.
In the provision of care to Motl and dealing with his family, the application of the various principles of the ANA Code of Ethics was of critical importance. Motl experienced brain death, which according to the law qualifies as death and the termination of care. As a minor and unresponsive, Motl was incapable of making the critical decisions related to care. Therefore, the application of the principles should have considered the parents and family members. Autonomy required the practitioners to allow the family to make decisions about the course of action. Further, the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence required the health care providers to show compassion and avoid hurting the parents. However, the care giver is bound by the principle of fidelity which demands truthfulness, fairness, and dedication to the patients (Huber, 2013). The dilemma was to terminate the care given to Motl without hurting their parents and infringing on their rights to decision-making. As a practitioner, there was a need to ensure dedication to other patients and promote fairness and advocacy in the promotion of health.
In
conclusion, ethical dilemmas influence the process of delivering care
significantly. While the care giver must consider the different principles of
ANA Code of Ethics, the application of all the principles may pose a challenge when
an ethical dilemma surfaces. In the case of Motl, the principles conflict
making sound decision-making difficult. Different resources are applied to deal
with the ethical dilemmas such as the clinical agency’s support for the code of
ethics, the constant provision of education, the provision of ethics mentors
and experts, and employee and family counselling services among others. Moreover,
in the case of Motl where the parents seek legal intervention, the provision of
legal help is essential. Mostly importantly, the creation and consultation of
an efficient ethics committee is an important resources in solving ethical
dilemmas.
References
Fulton, J. S., Lyon, B. L., & Goudreau, K. A. (2014). Foundations of clinical nurse specialist practice. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Huber, D. (2013). Leadership and Nursing Care Management. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences.
The Associated Press. (2008). Brooklyn family opposes end to care for brain-dead boy. Retrieved May 29, 2016, from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/brooklyn-family-opposes-care-brain-dead-boy-article-1.335892
