The Code of ethics is one of the most frequently discussed topics. Ethical quandaries in healthcare can spark heated debates among staff, patients, and their families; thus, this article on the importance of ethics in nursing. Hospitals have ethical care committees that assess specific situations and recommend appropriate solutions. Nurses must understand the significance of the American Nurses Association’s ethical Code (ANA).
Importance of Code of ethics in nursing
The most recent (2015) revision of the American Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements (or simply “the Code”) serves as a guide for “ethical analysis and decision-making” for those entering the nursing profession as it describes the importance of Code of ethics in nursing. It serves as a non-negotiable ethical standard for nurses. It also serves as a reminder of nurses’ societal contributions. The Code of ethics requires nurses to continue their education and practice based on evidence. If societal values and morals change, so may the Code of ethics.
What is a Provision in Nursing Ethics?
The Code’s nine provisions are based on the nurse’s fundamental values, the boundaries of duty and loyalty, and responsibilities beyond patient encounters. The provisions are lengthy to read but critical to comprehend. A summary of the conditions will provide you with an overview of the role of a registered nurse.
Summary of Provision 1
The first provision of the Code focuses on practising compassion and acknowledging the dignity, worth, and qualities of all people.
Summary of Provision 2
The second provision emphasizes the importance of keeping the patient at the care centre. The nurse should advocate for the patient’s benefit while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
Summary of Provision 3
The third provision protects the patient’s health, rights, and safety. HIPAA laws, Privacy Acts, and confidentiality are a few examples, emphasizing the challenges of maintaining confidentiality in social media environments. This provision also expresses the patient’s right to choose whether or not to participate in research. The nurse is responsible for protecting patients from questionable or impaired practice by other healthcare team members.
Summary of Provision 4
The fourth provision focuses on accepting patient responsibility and accountability through nursing practice and delegation. The nurse is responsible for delegating the appropriate duties to the appropriate personnel.
Summary of Provision 5
The fifth provision emphasizes that “nurses have to take the same care for their health and safety as they do for the health and safety of others.” This provision also includes compliance and continuing education guidelines for nurses. Nurses maintain their commitment to lifelong learning by participating in continuing education hours mandated by their state nursing board.
Provision 6 Summary
The sixth provision assists nurses in improving the healthcare environment by empowering them to become influencers. Individually and collectively influencing the public entails demonstrating professionalism inside and outside the workplace.
Summary of Provision 7
The seventh provision maintains that nurses should be involved in healthcare policy, research, and advancement. This includes mentoring new nurses and becoming leaders. Other ways to stay involved include serving on a committee and supporting the next generation of nurses.
Summary of Provision 8
The eighth provision addresses the community’s health needs on a national and international scale. This includes both conditions within and outside of the community.
Summary of Provision 9
The ninth provision requires the nursing profession to define nursing values, uphold integrity, and incorporate social justice tenets into nursing and health policy. This provision also states that nurses must “promote awareness of and adherence to” international codes of ethics, such as the American Nurses Association’s Code, the International Council of Nurses’ ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses, and others. Professional organizations carry out this provision.
Nursing Ethical Conflicts
Ethical disagreements in the nursing profession are not uncommon. An ethical conflict arises when a person, group, or society is unsure what to do in the face of competing moral choices. According to a recent study, ethical conflicts encountered by nurses interviewed by researchers generally involved “situations that violated the rights, safety, or well-being of the patient or relatives, caused them suffering, were against their will, or threatened nurses’ dignity and professionalism through a variety of practices, attitudes, and relationships.”
In a variety of medical settings, ethical conflicts arise. As an example:
a) End-of-life care
Patients nearing their end have specific requests for their care. Nurses must respect patients’ wishes and provide care while avoiding harm.
b) Labour and delivery
The topic of labour induction raises an ethical quandary. Patients can schedule their delivery for any time after 39 weeks.
c) Neonatal
The ability to renew micro premature babies creates an ethical quandary in the neonatal intensive care unit. “Even if saving the baby is possible,” the question is, “should we as healthcare providers do so?” Saving the baby may result in a child who requires round-the-clock care.
These are some ethical situations that hospital committees face; they must weigh the risks and benefits. If you have a moral concern, you should discuss it with your unit manager and the ethics committee. Being a member of the ethical committee can help you become a better nurse and ensure that you follow the Code of Ethics for Nurses.
Day-to-day nursing activities
• Get informed consent
Unless the patient is unconscious, the nurse must obtain the patient’s consent before administering any treatment or procedure. The patient may refuse treatment at times. Nurses ensure that the staff complies with the patient’s wishes.
• Protect patient confidentiality
While not every staff member needs to be aware of the patient’s history or current situation, nurses must determine who does to maintain confidentiality.
• Always tell the truth
Because most patients trust nurses, the profession has the highest rating for ethics and honesty. Nurses must remain truthful even when reporting news that the patient does not want to hear. They also rely on patients to provide accurate information about their medications, conditions, and other concerns.
• Handle beliefs that contradict empirical knowledge
Patients and their families may refuse proven effective standard treatment. Some religions, for example, forbid blood transfusions. Should the nurse explain the advantages of the suggested treatment? Should the nurse, on the other hand, respect the patient’s decision?
Ethical guidelines assist nurses in navigating difficult situations and provide them with a moral compass to perform their duties reasonably. At the same time, these guidelines encourage extreme care and attention.
Is There Any Other Ethical Requirement for Nurses?
The Code may not always provide nurses with the answers they require. According to the study “Everyday Ethics: Ethical Issues and Stress in Nursing Practice,” everyday ethical issues can be stressful for nurses.
According to the study, the five most stressful ethical topics for nurses are as follows:
1) Defending patients’ rights.
2) Treatment informed consent.
3) Workforce patterns
4) Long-term care planning.
5) Decision-making by proxy.
The authors recommend that organizations hold ethics-related interventions for today’s complex healthcare issues. Some businesses may have their own ethics committees and policies. These committees allow nurses to discuss problems and find solutions. ANA occasionally issues position statements on ethics and human rights to provide additional support. These cover many topics, including marijuana therapy and end-of-life care.
The National Nursing Ethics Summit, held in 2014, sought to bridge the gap between nursing organizations and other groups such as educational institutions, policymakers, and professional nursing nonprofit organizations. Blueprint for 21st Century Nursing is the result. This section outlines how to prepare and support nurses for practice.
Nurses spend the most time with patients of any healthcare provider. They frequently have a better understanding of what the patient and family want than others. Nurses’ knowledge and skills, which both play an essential role in the ethical care of patients, are relied on by healthcare staff. Nurses consistently receive the highest ratings for honesty and ethics, demonstrating their importance in healthcare.
The correct course of action is not always obvious. Guidelines like the Code and continuing education like an RN to BSN program assist nurses in navigating the ethical challenges they face when helping patients and their families. Nursing has been ranked as the most honest and ethical profession by Gallup polls for the past 20 years. Since Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, established it as reputable profession ethics, nursing has been held in high regard. The ethical principles that now guide modern nursing have many ties to Nightingale’s theories.
When you get your nursing degree and start working as a nurse, you will face ethical dilemmas daily at the societal, organizational, and clinical levels. They can’t respond without making a decision. These decisions are made following ethical principles. These principles must be applied not only to patients but also to their families and related groups; thus, ethics in nursing topics.
Nursing Ethical Principles
There are different nursing ethical principles. These principles improve patient care and outcomes;
1) Autonomy is respected
Patients who have autonomy can make their own decisions. This means that nurses must ensure that patients have all the information they need to make an informed decision about their medical care. The nurses do not influence the patient’s decision. Obtaining informed consent from the patient for treatment, accepting the situation when a patient refuses medication and maintaining confidentiality are examples of nurses demonstrating this.
2) Non-maleficence
This means that nurses must not intentionally cause harm. Based on medical competence, nurses must provide a standard of care that avoids or minimizes risk. A nurse demonstrating this principle would avoid providing negligent care to a patient.
3) Beneficence in the importance of ethics in nursing
Beneficence is defined as kindness and charity, requiring the nurse to take action to benefit others. A nurse demonstrating this ethical principle would be holding the hand of a dying patient.
4) Justice in nursing ethics
Being impartial and fair is what justice entails. Nurses who make unbiased medical decisions demonstrate this, whether about limited resources or new treatments, regardless of economic status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other factors.
Conclusion
Ethics in nursing apply to all nurses, including researchers, managers, staff nurses, and public health nurses. Nurses may sometimes need to approach ethical situations as a team, as a single person should not make the most difficult decisions. This Interprofessional team (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and others) is known as the ethics committee.
As healthcare evolves and challenges the status quo, the role of ethics in nursing will become increasingly important. Nurses must understand ethical principles to recognize and consider ethical dilemmas. This must be discussed early in students’ educational journeys. Nurses must be held accountable to the standards and principles established as they shape nursing’s future, thus the importance of ethics in nursing.
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