If you’re a nurse, you have been in a situation where you have to make decisions based on your beliefs about whether something is right or wrong, safe or dangerous. This type of decision is based on an ethical behavior system. All nurses must develop and incorporate ethical dilemma values into their nursing practice.
If this sounds familiar, you might be wondering, “What are the common ethical dilemma in nursing examples and solutions?” Numerous situations in nursing could be considered ethical quandaries, and nurses must understand how to handle them when they arise. In this article, we have taken the time to share the 20 most common ethical dilemma examples for nursing students and share knowledge on how to deal with them. I you are challenged Nursing ethics paper, visit nursing paper market for expert help.
What Is An Ethical Dilemma In Nursing?
An ethical dilemma in nursing is when a nurse must choose between competing values while being aware that the decision will have consequences. Ethical quandaries may contradict the nurse’s personal beliefs or the Code of Ethics for Nurses.
Five Main Reasons Nursing Students Encounter Ethical Issues
When providing care to patients, nurses frequently face ethical dilemmas. Nursing ethical dilemmas can arise for a variety of reasons. The five primary reasons nurses encounter ethical quandaries in nursing are as follows:
1) Patients and their families must make life-or-death decisions.
2) The patient declines treatment.
3) Nursing assignments may conflict with cultural or religious beliefs.
4) Nursing colleagues show incompetence
5) Inadequate workforce
How can you spot medical-ethical dilemma cases?
Nurses in all disciplines face ethical dilemmas regularly. Contemplate how an experience made you think and feel to best define and describe an ethical dilemma in nursing. Ethical dilemmas arise when two possible options are both correct but represent opposing principles or values. The dilemma arises when doing something both right and wrong at the same time, and one of those actions harms the other.
What are some common ethical dilemma scenarios for students?
Here are some of the top 20 most common ethical dilemma examples you can use as a nursing student:
1) Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice
Scenario:
Samantha, a 28-year-old college student, is pregnant at 18 weeks. She has a history of cardiac disease worsened due to the pregnancy. Samantha’s doctor is concerned that continuing the pregnancy will worsen her heart condition, potentially leading to a life-threatening emergency. He has advised that the pregnancy be terminated within the next two weeks. Samantha is hesitant, stating that, while she does not attend church, she was raised to believe abortion is wrong and that God will heal her. She is curious as to what the nurse would do in her situation. Nurse Jennifer opposes abortion under any circumstances.
Ethical Dilemma:
Patients frequently seek advice from nurses regarding their health, wellness, and care decisions. In some cases, such as the one presented here, a patient’s morals and religious beliefs conflict with the medical necessity of a treatment or intervention. Patients frequently want someone to tell them which decision is the best. In scenarios like this, an ethical dilemma in nursing can arise, notably if the nurse’s opinions differ from those of the patient or doctor.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
The American Nurses Association Position Statement on Reproductive Health states, “Healthcare clients have the right to privacy and the freedom to make personal healthcare decisions based on complete information and without coercion. In addition, nurses have the moral right to refuse to participate in a specific case. If a client’s life is in danger, nurses must ensure the client’s care and prevent abandonment.”
Although Nurse Jennifer opposes abortion, she should refrain from expressing her personal beliefs or opinions to the patient. Instead, the nurse should encourage the patient to seek advice from her significant other, family, spiritual advisor, or others she feels she can confide in. The nurse should schedule a follow-up appointment with the physician to discuss options and make decisions before the doctor’s two-week deadline for performing the procedure.
2) Protecting the Adolescent’s Right to Privacy
Scenario:
Michael, a sixteen-year-old boy, suffers from a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Even though the doctor examined Michael privately and informed him of his diagnosis, Michael’s mother was in the waiting room and wished to know what the doctor said. Michael informed the doctor and nurse that he did not want anyone, including his mother, to know about the STI.
Ethical Dilemma:
One of the most prevalent ethical dilemmas in nursing happens when nurses must decide whether it is appropriate to discuss a patient’s medical information with a parent or guardian. For many years, parents and guardians were granted access to patients under eighteen’s medical records. Every state now has laws that allow minors to consent to treatment under certain conditions without parental involvement, approval, or access to their health records.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
When an adolescent is old enough to consent to healthcare in various states, information about that care is generally deemed confidential. Violating a patient’s confidentiality can have serious consequences, such as losing a job or licensure. As a result, nurses must be aware of their state laws and work closely within those laws as well as with supervisors to adhere to their organization’s guidelines. If you are undecided, it is always appropriate to defer to your facility’s policies or seek a supervisor’s intervention or guidance.
3) Empirical Knowledge vs. Religious Beliefs
Scenario:
Mr. Elliott is a 58-year-old man who arrived at the emergency department after a car accident. He has several injuries, which have been determined to be bleeding internally. The emergency physician has requested a surgery consultation. Mr. Elliott, on the other hand, consents to surgery if necessary. However, he refuses to consent to a blood transfusion even if his life depends on it. Mr. Elliott refuses a blood transfusion because he is a Jehovah’s Witness and receiving a blood transfusion contradicts his religious beliefs.
Ethical Dilemma:
Maintaining objectivity with patients, especially in life-threatening situations, can be challenging. An ethical dilemma in nursing arises when a patient’s wish conflicts with what is medically essential to stimulate health or sustain life.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
If a patient is alert, oriented, and understands the implications of accepting or refusing medical care or treatment, he may oppose it. Although it is natural for nurses to want to promote life-saving measures, they must learn to distinguish between providing reliable information and pressing their viewpoints. The nurse should document any education provided and the patient’s response, including his reason for declining treatment. Proper documentation will shield the nurse and the healthcare facility from legal consequences if the client or his family later believes treatment should have been offered.
4) Parent Refuses to Vaccinate Child
Scenario:
Mr. Black is the primary guardian and father of five-year-old twins about to start kindergarten. Mr. Black never vaccinated his children and states requiring him to do so violates his and his children’s rights.
Ethical Dilemma:
The medical industry endorses vaccination against preventable diseases to protect the health of populations and communities. Nurses may be conflicted between being proactive about vaccines and respecting the patient’s or guardian’s right to choose which treatment to accept.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
Vaccination laws are generally based on CDC recommendations. Each state requires an up-to-date immunization record for children joining elementary, secondary, or post-secondary schools and daycares. While some states allow vaccine exemptions in certain circumstances, it is not the nurse’s responsibility to enforce vaccine administration or withholding.
Instead, the nurse’s job is to provide enough information to the parent to make an informed decision about the vaccine’s safety and potential risks. If a parent refuses to vaccinate their child, the nurse should have them sign a declination form and document any education they receive.
5) Personal and Professional Boundaries Related to Social Media
Scenario:
Vaccination laws are generally based on CDC recommendations. Each state requires an up-to-date immunization record for children joining elementary, secondary, or post-secondary schools and daycares. While some countries allow vaccine exemptions in certain circumstances, it is not the nurse’s responsibility to enforce vaccine administration or withholding.
Instead, the nurse’s job is to provide enough information to the parent to make an informed decision about the vaccine’s safety and potential risks. If a parent refuses to vaccinate their child, the nurse should have them sign a declination form and document any education they receive.
Ethical Dilemma:
Our world is full of technology at our disposal. When done correctly, there is nothing wrong with using technology such as social media platforms. It is critical for nurses to understand the distinction between personal and professional relationships or acquaintances and to avoid blurring or crossing those lines.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
All nurses are responsible for ensuring patient privacy and confidentiality. When a patient is discharged from the hospital, that responsibility does not end. In this case, Nurse Madison should decline the friend request from the mother of her former patient. Suppose Nurse Madison and the mother form a friendship that extends beyond her son’s care, and a social media connection is formed.
In that case, Nurse Madison must be held accountable for anything posted on her public wall or shared with anyone. She must also be proactive, removing any visible communication to the public and informing her friend that she must always maintain patient confidentiality.
6) Nurse Is Instructed to Have Patient with Low Literacy Level Sign Consent for Treatment
Scenario:
The attending physician instructs Nurse Gloria to have Mr. Isaacs sign a consent form before a colonoscopy. While reviewing the patient’s form, Nurse Gloria notices that he appears confused and is unsure where or how to sign the paperwork.
Ethical Dilemma:
The attending physician instructs Nurse Gloria to have Mr. Isaacs sign a consent form before a colonoscopy. While reviewing the patient’s form, Nurse Gloria notices that he appears confused and is unsure where or how to sign the paperwork.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
Most patients find the language used in healthcare and on healthcare documents confusing. It can be even more difficult for illiterate patients. Nonetheless, all patients have the right to be fully informed and understand treatment options and procedures before receiving them. It is ALWAYS better to err on caution when dealing with a vulnerable patient. The nurse should provide information in a way the patient understands, allowing him to ask questions and refuse treatment. If the patient does not fully comprehend what the nurse is saying, the nurse should notify the doctor and request that he explain the procedure, including expected outcomes and risks.
7) End-of-Life Decision-Making
Scenario:
Mrs. Douglas has advanced lung cancer that has spread to her lungs. Her doctor has advised her on treatment options that could extend her life by six months to a year. Mrs. Douglas, however, has chosen only comfort measures, much to the chagrin of her family. Mrs. Douglas has completed an Advanced Directive, including signing a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate).
Ethical Dilemma:
Decisions regarding end-of-life care are just one example of an ethical dilemma in nursing. Nurses can feel stressed when trying to console loved ones while honoring patient wishes.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
Throughout end-of-life transitions, nurses are invaluable resources for patients and family members. Mrs. Douglas has the right to choose whether or not to receive treatment if she is of sound mind and understands her prognosis with and without treatment. Regardless of how difficult the situation is, the nurse’s primary responsibility is to her patient. Nurses must advocate for patients’ autonomy and rights. Since the patient prepared an Advance Directive in this scenario, it may be easier to carry out her wishes.
8) Inadequate Resources to Provide Care
Scenario:
Nurse Judy works as a home health care agency wound care nurse. She went to the office to get more wound care supplies for her weekend visits. On the other hand, the charge nurse informed her that the wound care supplies delivery had not arrived. As a result, there aren’t enough supplies for Nurse Judy’s scheduled visits.
Ethical Dilemma:
Nurses may be called upon to determine which patients require more supplies or treatment than others. While this is not ideal, it occurs more frequently than most people would like to admit.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
In this situation, the nurse must use her triage skills to determine which patients can safely have their orders changed or amended. The nurse should review the nurses’ notes and get a report from the most recent person who saw the clients for whom she is scheduled to provide weekend care. If a patient’s wound is healing or improving, she should notify the nurse supervisor, primary care provider, or physician on call to see if orders can be changed. This allows the nurse to have enough resources to care for patients needing wound care services until supplies are delivered.
9) Former Patients – To Date or Not to Date?
Scenario:
Wesley is a patient at Nurse Sabrina’s local outpatient clinic. After nearly a year of being a patient at the clinic, Wesley told Sabrina he thought she was charming and invited her to dinner.
Ethical Dilemma:
Patients confide in nurses with some of their most personal information. While this trust is beneficial and places nurses in unique positions to help patients, it can lead to a medical-ethical dilemma case if the nurse does not keep interactions professional.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
Professional boundaries protect nurses and patients. Nurses must recognize warning signs that could lead to boundary violations before things get out of hand. Nurses should avoid making and receiving personal phone calls to and from patients after hours, giving and receiving gifts, flirting, keeping secrets, and becoming overly involved in a patient’s business or personal affairs.
10) Informed Consent
Scenario:
Mr. Thomas, age 68, has a history of diabetes and peripheral hypertension. Mr. Thomas developed ulcers on his right heel due to vascular changes and uncontrolled blood sugar. After unsuccessful wound treatment, Mr. Thomas’ physician suggests amputation as the next step. Mr. Thomas agrees with the doctor, but not his wife. Mrs. Thomas expresses to the nurse her concern that her husband is being duped into having his foot amputated because the doctor is tired of treating the wounds.
Ethical Dilemma:
In nursing, the idea of informed consent is a frequent ethical dilemma. The process by which a patient or their designated healthcare practitioners are permitted to administer treatments or perform procedures is known as informed consent to treatment. Informed consent requires healthcare providers to inform patients about proposed treatments’ potential risks and benefits and alternative treatment options.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
In nursing, the idea of explicit consent is a common ethical dilemma. The process by which a patient or their designated representative grants healthcare providers permission to administer treatments or follow instructions is known as informed consent to treatment. Informed consent requires healthcare providers to inform patients about proposed treatments’ potential risks and benefits and alternative treatment options.
11) Inadequate Staffing
Scenario:
Nurse Cathy is on the Medical-Surgical ward for the evening shift. The hospital has protocols that state that nurse-patient ratios should not exceed six patients per nurse. There are 23 patients on the Med-Surg floor. One nurse called in, leaving three nurses to care for the patients.
Ethical Dilemma:
Nurses have a responsibility to promote patient safety. An ethical dilemma in nursing happens when nurses are faced with more patients than they can safely care for, putting both patients and staff at risk.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
Staff shortages can be unexpected or unavoidable at times. The charge nurse or director of nursing is responsible for implementing efforts to keep the nurse-to-patient ratio within facility guidelines. On the other hand, nurses should never leave their jobs because of a disproportionate nurse-patient ratio.
When nurses encounter insufficient staffing issues, they must notify the supervising nurse immediately. The nurse should advocate for care based on the patient’s needs or status.
12) Spirituality vs. Science
Scenario:
Mr. Jenkins has spent ten days in the intensive care unit. He was initially admitted to the emergency room for an unknown cause, elevated temperature, and suspected sepsis. According to diagnostic testing, Mr. Jenkins had a perforated bowel, which resulted in full-body sepsis. He has had two strokes in the last twelve hours, has become unresponsive, and has no Advance Directive.
Mr. Jenkins’ children say they are “clinging to the hope that God will bring him through.” Despite the doctor’s efforts to explain the gravity of the situation and prepare the children for the worst, they insist on using all possible life-saving measures.
Ethical Dilemma:
Health and nursing care are results-driven and scientifically based. The science underlying patient care may run counter to personal or religious beliefs. Nurses may be dissatisfied because the science they know is insufficient to save their patients. Nurses may feel defenseless when families refuse to accept a poor prognosis for a loved one and instead cling to religious beliefs.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
According to the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics, nurses must recognize and respect patients’ “unique differences, including lifestyle, value system, and religious beliefs.” However, the Code also states that respecting the patient’s beliefs “does not imply that the nurse personally endorses those beliefs or practices.”
Many patients report less stress when relying on their faith during medical challenges. Nurses must be aware of their patients’ spiritual and religious needs. Even though the nurse acknowledges the science behind the patient’s diagnosis and expected outcome in this scenario, her job is to respect and support the family’s decisions.
13) Patient Addicted to Prescription Pain Medication
Scenario:
Mr. Jones, 34, was brought to the emergency room after being involved in a car accident. He is well-known to the ER staff, having been admitted for drug abuse complications on multiple occasions. Mr. Jones whines “extreme pain” while waiting for x-rays of his broken left leg and requests pain medication. Mr. Jones is an “addict with a preference for pain medications,” so the emergency physician will not write an order for pain medication.
Ethical Dilemma:
Nurses are frequently faced with the dilemma of whether they should blindly follow a physician’s order or seek involvement from supervisors or administrators. Going up the chain of command may expose the nurse to professional repercussions and accusations of insubordination. Inaction on the nurse’s part, on the other hand, means that the patient’s complaints of pain will be ignored because he is an addict.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
Advocating for a patient’s needs is always appropriate. If the physician refuses to provide pain management alternatives despite the patient’s request and the nurse’s pain evaluation, the nurse should report to a supervisor.
14) Duty and Compassion Do Not Align with Facility Safety Protocols
Scenario:
Nurse Jordan cared for Mr. Miller in a crowded COVID-19 unit. Mr. Miller and his family, who were not permitted to visit, were promised by Nurse Jordan that he would not die alone. The hospital implemented policies to protect nurses and other personnel from prolonged COVID exposure. Nurse Jordan’s supervisor instructed her to leave the room after being at Mr. Miller’s bedside for an extended period.
Ethical Dilemma:
Nurses frequently face ethical quandaries as patient advocates and bedside caregivers, mainly when present for pivotal moments in a patient’s life. In this scenario, Nurse Jordan faced an ethical quandary because her sense of duty and compassion for her patient did not align with the hospital’s safety protocols to protect nurses.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
Following procedures can be complicated, especially when you believe your patient requires your presence at their bedside. While the nurse understandably wanted to reassure the patient and his family that he would not be left alone, she should not have made a promise she did not know she could keep.
Suppose a situation arises where compassion and duty do not align with a facility protocol. In that case, the nurse should immediately contact the charge nurse and explain the situation and request advice or intervention. In this case, the charge nurse may not have allowed Nurse Jordan to stay in the room, but she could have sent another nurse instead.
15) Patient Does Not Have an Advanced Directive
Scenario:
Mrs. Wilhite, 74, was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer that had spread to her lungs. Mrs. Wilhite spoke with the nurse and expressed her desire to avoid life-saving measures, but she does not have an Advanced Directive in place. Mrs. Wilhite’s cognitive function has deteriorated significantly, and she is currently unable to make decisions about her care. Her children cannot agree on the best course of treatment or life-saving measures.
Ethical Dilemma:
Regrettably, it is a common ethical dilemma in nursing. When patients lack an advance directive, nurses may be torn between listening to well-meaning family members and doing what the patient requests. Although the patient was willing to refuse treatments or life-saving efforts, the family may want staff to overwhelm all efforts to save their family member.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
Nurses should empower every patient to create an Advanced Directive whenever possible. When a patient has an Advanced Directive, healthcare providers know what the patient wants if they become unresponsive and require interventions to keep them alive. It also relieves family members of the burden of making difficult decisions, which is essential because emotions may influence loved ones. In the absence of an Advanced Directive, state laws allow the authority to be delegated to parents, guardians, a spouse, or another person. Hospitals also have ethics committees that step in when a patient does not have an Advanced Directive or a family member to whom authority can be delegated.
16) Incompetence Among Nursing Peers
Scenario:
Nurse Micah works alongside Nurse Saundra in the cardiac unit, caring for patients. Today, one of Nurse Micah’s patients had a blood pressure spike above the safe protocol ranges. Nurse Micah neglected to report the change in blood pressure to the physician because he was preoccupied with another patient. He did not document the incident because the patient’s blood pressure had returned to normal. He told Nurse Saundra about the patient’s blood pressure and that he had not documented or reported the change to the physician.
Ethical Dilemma:
While no nurse wants to believe a colleague is incompetent to provide care, issues of incompetence are real and can lead to ethical dilemmas in nursing. Nurses frequently form close relationships with their colleagues, making it challenging to report errors or omissions. However, the primary responsibility of all nurses is to provide all patients with safe and competent nursing care.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
It is never acceptable to avoid responsibilities, such as documenting changes in patient status or reporting to physicians when necessary. Nurse Saundra’s first response should be to motivate Nurse Micah to document the patient’s vital signs transformation, report the spike, and resume normal to the physician. If Nurse Saundra is unsure whether Nurse Micah documented and reported the patient’s change or if she is upset about the situation, she should notify her charge nurse. As always, all nurses should prioritize the safety and well-being of their patients.
17) Disclosing the Seriousness of Medical Conditions
Scenario:
Mr. Morris is suffering from end-stage renal failure. His condition has deteriorated despite measures to control the disease, such as three times weekly dialysis. Mr. Morris’s physician has noticed a change in his condition and has informed the family that he may only have a few weeks to live. Mrs. Morris and their children are hesitant to tell Mr. Morris about his condition, and the doctor has not attempted to speak with him about it. After his family had left the hospital for the evening, Mr. Morris summoned the nurse and asked her to tell him what the doctor had said, claiming that he was not getting the complete picture.
Ethical Dilemma:
The decision to reveal the severity of a medical illness is not a new ethical dilemma in nursing. For many years, physicians were regarded as the decision-makers for their patients, deciding whether to withhold information based on whether it would cause undue stress or more harm than good. In recent times, it has become the norm to believe that patients have a right to be informed about their diagnosis and prognosis. Unfortunately, nurses are frequently caught between telling the patient potentially distressing news and providing blanket responses to help reduce anxiety.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
The bottom line, and most importantly, nurses must remember that patients have a right to know about their diagnosis as well as the potential outcome of treatment, or lack thereof. The physician is initially in charge of informing the patient of his diagnosis. On the other hand, nurses have more face-to-face interactions with patients and frequently turn to patients for clarification. It is best to respond to questions as thoroughly as possible. If you are unsure of the correct answer, consult your supervisor or the patient’s physician.
18) Questioning Physician Orders
Scenario:
Mr. Wesley has intestinal amebiasis, for which he has been recommended Tinidazole 2 grams once daily for five days. Nurse Lin notices on Mr. Wesley’s chart that he is allergic to Flagyl and is aware that Tinidazole is contraindicated in patients who are allergic to Flagyl.
Ethical Dilemma:
One of the most common ethical dilemmas in nursing arises from improper or questionable prescribed medication. Nursing students must learn the “Five Rights of Medication Use” as they learn about treatment and drug administration. These are the right patient, right drug, right time, correct dose, and right route. While nurses should not arbitrarily choose which physician’s orders to follow and which to ignore, it is the nurse’s responsibility to provide safe patient care, including verifying suspicious orders.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
Nurse Lin should immediately confirm with Mr. Wesley what medications he is allergic to and his reaction to that medication. Once the Flagyl allergy has been confirmed, Nurse Lin should notify the doctor and request an alternative treatment option for the patient. When a medication is contraindicated, doctors will usually change the order. If the physician refuses to change the order, the nurse must notify the nursing supervisor immediately. Nurse Lin should also inform Mr. Wesley that she is verifying the physician’s order due to his drug allergy. He should wait until the order is confirmed or transformed before filling and taking the medication.
19) Asked Work in a Department Without Training
Scenario:
Charge Nurse Hale assigned Nurse Mary to work on the post-partum floor due to a shortage of nursing staff there. One of the patients has requested assistance with breastfeeding stating her baby is not latching on. Nurse Mary has been a nurse for one year but has never worked with post-partum patients. She has voiced concern that she has no experience working with newborns or post-partum mothers.
Ethical Dilemma:
Nurses frequently float from one department to another during their shifts and careers. While there is nothing wrong with allocating nurses to various departments as needed, an ethical dilemma in nursing can arise if the nurse is asked to provide care that she has never provided.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
Nurses must know that nursing school clinical experiences are broad and may not provide in-depth training in specific areas. This is one example of a nurse graduating from nursing school and becoming licensed but lacking experience in a particular area (post-partum care). Nurse Mary should inform Charge Nurse Hale that she has not had the opportunity to learn firsthand about teaching breastfeeding techniques and should seek guidance. In an ideal world, the charge nurse would accompany Nurse Mary to the patient’s room and instruct her and the patient. If the charge nurse refuses to assist Nurse Mary or assigns an experienced nurse to assist her, she should report to the next person in the chain of command.
20) Beneficence vs. Autonomy
Scenario:
Three years ago, Mr. Simms was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had a brief remission after chemotherapy but recently learned that cancer had returned. Mr. Simms’ doctor informed him and his family that treatment would most likely be ineffective and that, while it may provide a few more months of life, Mr. Simms’ quality of life would rapidly deteriorate.
The doctor suggests hospice at home with only comfort measures such as oxygen and opioid pain relievers. Despite pain symptoms such as grimacing and crying, Mr. Simms refuses pain medication, stating that he does not want to be sleepy and miss necessary family time. His wife is distraught and asks the nurse if there is a way to give her husband pain medication without him knowing.
Ethical Dilemma:
Beneficence refers to nurses’ obligation to act for the benefit of patients, upholding moral values to protect patient rights, prevent harm, and eliminate conditions that could cause harm. In contrast, autonomy is defined as an act governed or permitted by the patient without interference or persuasion from medical or nursing personnel. Nurses who practice beneficence without regard for the patient’s autonomy may perform acts that are not in the patient’s best interests.
How to Solve this Ethical Dilemma:
Despite the nurse’s good intentions, the patient’s right to autonomy must be balanced against what the nurse considers appropriate. If Mr. Simms can make independent decisions with a clear understanding of their implications, the nurse must respect his wishes. Mrs. Simms should be told that the nurse understands her concern and desire for her husband to be pain-free but that the nurse is required by law and the nurse’s Code of Ethics to allow Mr. Simms to make his own decisions. If Mr. Simms does not have an Advance Directive, the nurse should advise him to create one while he can still.
4 Consequences Of Avoiding Ethical Dilemmas In Nursing
Nurses in all specialties and types of nursing facilities are faced with a series of ethical dilemmas. As a nurse, you must acknowledge ethical dilemmas in nursing and learn how to resolve your values and principles with those dilemmas. Preventing ethical dilemmas, you can consider ethical dilemmas in healthcare examples and solutions presented in this article. The following are some of the consequences of failing to address medical-ethical dilemma cases:
1) Nurses are prone to fatigue
Ethical dilemmas cause a great deal of anxiety. Nurses must recognize and address these dilemmas as soon as possible when confronted with these dilemmas. Failure to do so can result in increased stress and nursing burnout.
2) Preventing ethical dilemma cases in nursing that can lead to legal problems
Some ethical dilemmas can have serious legal consequences. Ignoring an ethical quandary is never a good idea. Instead, to mitigate legal issues, the issue should be resolved with the relevant person, including supervisors, and properly handled.
3) Nurses who avert ethical dilemmas risk losing their jobs
Inability to address an ethical dilemma in nursing may lead to consequences, including a reprimand from management or job loss, given the circumstances.
4) Loss of licensure
There are a few ethical dilemmas in nursing cases that, if not addressed, can have serious consequences. When this happens, the nurse’s license may be revoked. As a general rule, it is always best to recognize dilemmas and seek assistance from leaders to deal with them before your job or license is jeopardized.
Final thoughts
Any nurse who has specialized in the field long enough will encounter nursing ethical dilemmas throughout her career path. Perhaps you’ve encountered ethical dilemma questions in nursing or wondered, “What are typical examples of ethical dilemma in nursing?” The 20 most outstanding common examples of ethical dilemmas in nursing presented in this article are typical of the situations that nurses face.
While it is impossible to eliminate every ethical quandary, nurses can arm themselves with the information they need to discuss and resolve professionally while promoting high-quality, safe, and potent patient care.
Related Blog Post
Cause and Effect Essay Topics for Students
Understanding The Essentials Of Critical Care Nursing
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH NURSING PAPERS MARKET TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT
