...Code of Ethics for Nurses F Zahedi, M Sanjari, [...], and M Vahid Dastgerdi Additional article information Abstract Nurses are ever-increasingly confronted with complex concerns in their practice. Codes of ethics are fundamental guidance for nursing as many other professions. Although there are authentic international codes of ethics for nurses, the national code would be the additional assistance provided for clinical nurses in their complex roles in care of patients, education, research and management of some parts of health care system in the country. A national code can provide nurses with culturally-adapted guidance and help them to make ethical decisions more closely to the Iranian-Islamic background. Given the general acknowledgement of the need, the National Code of Ethics for Nurses was compiled as a joint project (2009–2011). The Code was approved by the Health Policy Council of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and communicated to all universities, healthcare centers, hospitals and research centers early in 2011. The focus of this article is on the course of action through which the Code was compiled, amended and approved. The main concepts of the code will be also presented here. No doubt, development of the codes should be considered as an ongoing process. This is an overall responsibility to keep the codes current, updated with the new progresses of science and emerging challenges, and pertinent to the nursing practice. Keywords: Nursing ethics...
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...Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing NUR/391 Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing As nurses, it is our duty to advocate for our patients. At times, we are faced with personal and professional challenges that impact how and when we chose to advocate. It is imperative we have a healthy awareness of these potential challenges. Improvements in health care technology have provided patients with an array of treatment options as well as assumed or possible increased chance of survival. As a result, nurses are met with a rise in ethical decision making. This paper will discuss the legal, ethical, social, and personal factors that can impact our decision making process, with the focus on two specific case studies. American Nurses Association Code of Nursing Ethics Role in Practice The American Nursing Association (ANA) has created a set of ethical standards for the profession of nursing to abide by, which is entitled the ANA Nursing Code of Ethics. The ANA Code of Ethics states that collaboration is central to the care nurses deliver and to their ethical commitment to the patient (Garity, 2005). In the end-of-life case study, the nurse (she) has an unwritten obligation to the patient; the family appears to be in conflict with how to proceed with the patient's medical treatment. The medical team has an obligation to give the family all of their options and possible outcomes. If the family remains in conflict, it would then be appropriate for her to refer the family to...
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...Issues Ethics is an integral part to nursing practice. The American Code of Ethics for Nurses (ANA) with interpretive statements acts as a guide for professional conduct by outlining the ethical values of the profession. The Code provides the profession with a statement of responsibility to the public and serves as a basis for individual nursing decisions in clinical situations when ethical dilemmas arise. The code integrates universal, ethical principles which serve as the foundation for ethical actions. Nurses face ethical dilemmas on a daily basis. Our primary goal as nurses is the commitment to protect our patients. Provision 2 of the American Nursing Code of Ethics, describes the nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient. (ANA, 2010). Another important goal is to maintain safety, dignity and accountability. Respect the patient’s confidentiality and autonomy. The Nurse acts as the person who helps and advocates for the patient and their families about health care and end of life decisions. According to the American Nurse Association Code of Ethics, Provision 1:1 states that, “a fundamental principle that underlines all nursing practice is respect for the inherent worth, dignity, and human rights of every individual” (ANA, 2010). In the case study of Marianne a comatose patient, she has no advance directives, leaving her husband and children to make the decisions with different opinions. (Chitty & Black, 2011, pg.175). The ethics committee is already...
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...ICNE YALE #98 ETHICAL PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY NURSING STUDENTS IN TURKEY Fethiye Erdil and Fatos Korkmaz Nursing students increasingly encounter ethical problems during their clinical practice which sometimes infringe the rights of patients. However, so far there is no study in Turkey on the extent of problems from the perspective of nursing students, as well as how nurses are involved in ethical decision making process. This study is conducted at Hacettepe University Health Science Faculty Nursing Department with the aim of identifying the ethical problems confronted by nursing students. Eighty-four third class and 69 senior nursing students were volunteers to participate in this study. Their age ranged from 19 to 23 years. All participants have taken the course entitled ‘Nursing History and Deontology’ which include 14 hours ethical content. Students were asked to describe moral problems that they observed or encountered during their clinical practice. Ethical problems at clinical practice were reported as physical maltreatment of patients (28%), inappropriate approaches toward patients which cause psychological distress (24%), violation of privacy (21%), providing inadequate information (16%) and discrimination based on the social and economical status (16%). The reasons of these ethical problems were stated by students as the unprofessional conduct of physicians (34%) and nurses (44%), and ineffective hospital management (9%). The most striking finding of this study...
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...of 14 NURSING LAW AND ETHICS JURIS OUTLINE ( Atty. Aleth Joyce T. Cubacub) Chapter 1- Overview Nursing Profession - Process of constant change - Etymological perspective it comes from the Latin word meaning NUTRIX or nourish Nursing - Art, a science and a social science - Being an art, deals with skills that require dexterity and proficiency - Science : systematic and well-defined body of knowledge which utilizes scientific methods and procedures in the application of nursing process - Social Science: primordial interest is man whether well or sick - It is involved in total quality patient care when giving the patient prescribed medication or treatments - Primary focus is the individual’s response to health related problems FOUR FUNDAMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF NURSING a. Promote health b. Prevent illness c. Restore health and d. To alleviate sufferings - Noble goal to promote the harmonious or symphonic interaction between men and their environment CHARACTERISTICS OF NURSING a. Nursing is caring b. Involves close, personal contact with the recipient of care; c. Concerned services ( humans as physiological, psychological and sociological organisms) d. Committed to personalized services regardless of color, creed or social or economic status e. Committed to promoting individual, family , community and national health goals f. Committed to involvement in ethical, legal and political issues in the delivery of health care NURSING PROCESS - Use nurse process as a tool in nursing practice...
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...Ethical Issue in Nursing Name: Jackson vrail Class: NR 504 Professor: Dr. Gre Date: 06/02/2012 School: CCN THE ETHICAL ISSUES IN NURSING Ethics can be defined as a moral decision of what it is, and what it ought to be. Ethical issues in nursing have been dramatic and political due to different ideologies and rising technology in healthcare. The American Association of Nursing has provided guiding principles where nurses base their decisions. These principles include; “Autonomy, nonmaleficence, Beneficence,, Justice, Veracity, Confidentiality, and Fidelity”( American Nursing Association, 2001). All these doctrines act as a foundation for nurses when making decisions pertaining the fate of patient’s life. The major ethical issue commonly seen and which invoke controversies either in our communities, or in courts of laws, is the issue of “do not resuscitate”. DNR can be explained as termination of life support if a patient is critically ill and permitting patient to die instead of continuing to suffer with no promise for recovery. This is decided by the patient when he/she is still capable, family, or surrogate. Despite the fact that nurses strive to help patients, family members, and responsible parties to make a...
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...Nursing as a Profession From the dawn of time nursing has existed, in one form or another. Because healthcare varies between cultures, nurses have historically taken on many different roles: a folk healer, a healer with religious ties, and that of a servant (Ellis & Hartley, 2012). Because of these various roles, some may not realize, or accept, that nursing has evolved into a much needed profession. This essay will discuss what a profession is, the criteria needed to be present in order to be considered a profession, and the reasons why nursing should be considered a profession. Criteria of a Profession In order to understand why I consider nursing a profession, you must first understand the meaning of the word. There are many varied definitions of the word profession. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines profession as a noun meaning “a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation” (n.d.). Harkreader, Hogan, and Thobaben build on the previous core definition by including five criteria: “provides an essential service to society, has a theoretical body of knowledge, requires relative independence in decision making in practice, requires specialized education, and has a code of ethics for behavior of its members” (p.2, 2007). Examples of how nursing meets each of these criteria of a profession are listed below. Provides an Essential Service to Society. Nurses provide a service that is unable to be substituted by any...
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...ETHICS IN NURSING Ethics: Are a branch of philosophy which seeks to address questions about morality; that is, about concepts such as good and bad, right and wrong, justice and virtue. Moral principles in health ethics: Autonomy: is the process of including clients in their health care decisions. * Informed Consent Beneficence: is the act of taking positive action to help others, it encourages people to do good for others and working in the best interest of the clients. * Performing a task for a patient that otherwise is not necessary but makes the client feel more at ease. For example crushing their pills in applesauce, at their request, even though they are perfectly capable of swallowing. Nonmaleficence: this involves the avoidance of hurt or harm to an individual. When referencing health care it refers to the will to do well as well as to do no harm. A good health care professional will balance the risks and benefits to ensure the best path of care for their patient. * Considering the associated discomfort or pain associated with a procedure that is designed to treat the patient. For example, radiation is designed to help treat cancer, but does have side effects that are undesirable. Justice: in simple terms it means fairness; in health care providers strive for fairness in medical treatment. Justice most often arises in discussion of health care resources. * Fair distribution of organs. Because the number of recipients outweighs the number of...
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...Analysis of an Ethical Topic Bincy Mathew Grand Canyon University NRS-437V Ethical Decision Making in HC November 5, 2011 Introduction Nurses make decisions every day that must take into account laws and ethical standards. In order to make appropriate decisions, nurses require an understanding of how laws, ethics, and nursing interface. Nursing is a profession that deals with the most personal and private aspects of people’s lives. It is through the intimacy and trust inherent in the nurse-patient relationship that nurses become critical participants in the process of ethical decision making. Determining the existence of an ethical dilemma is the beginning step in the process that includes defining the problem, identifying desired objectives, listing and evaluating alternatives, choosing the best course of action based on one’s knowledge and the current circumstances, and evaluating the outcomes of the action taken. Analysis of the ethical topic April 01, 2011- A 38 year’s old patient, John Doe, is evaluated in the ER for increased fatigue, low grade fever, abdominal distention, nausea, and electrolyte imbalance. Upon completing her assessment the patient asks nurse Chacko to promise will not divulge to his wife that he also has a male lover, and ask nurse Chacko not to divulge neither to his wife nor to his lover any information regarding a possible diagnosis of Hepatitis C or HIV diagnosis. Nurse Chacko finds out that the patient is...
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...straightforward, but many situations are not clear-cut, and there are times when what seems legal is not ethical and vice versa. The nursing, legal principles fall on the licensure, federal and state laws, the practice scope and the expectation of professionalism. Their license and nursing standard offers a framework that stipulates...
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...Issues in Nursing Team C NUR/391 Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing Nurses face various ethical and legal issues in the medical setting. As professionals, nurses must be aware of these legal and ethical issues when they occur. Nurses have a legal and ethical obligation to respond to these issues. Being a professional nurse requires a nurse to assess the pros and cons of different situations, but also to withhold their personal beliefs and listen and respect the beliefs and traditions of others. Legally Nursing implications require nurses to maintain licensure, obey state and federal laws and to remain within their scope of practice. Within these legal and ethical issues the American Association Code of Nursing ethics, personal and societal values, legal aspects and legal responsibilities all affect decisions. Two different cases will be discussed and explored; an advance directive case involving a woman by the name of Marianne, and a malpractice case involving a nurse and the involved healthcare organization. The American Nurses Association Code of Nursing Ethics can influence the final decision made in the case study involving Marianne’s family by designating a surrogate. According to "American Nurses Association" (2011), “The nurse supports patients self-determination by participating in discussions with surrogates, providing guidance, referral to other resources as necessary, and identifying and addressing problems in the decision-making process” (1.4)...
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...Running head: NURSING SENSITIVE INDICATORS 1 RTT1 Task 1 Krista Vandiver, RN, CEN Western Governors University NURSING SENSITIVE INDICATORS Nursing-Sensitive Indicators According to the American Nurses Association, nursing-sensitive indicators “reflect the structure, process and outcomes of nursing care.” ("Nursing Sensitive Indicators," 2015) Understanding the indicators is an important piece of nursing, not only to assist the patient, but the patients loved ones as well, to ensure quality patient care. In this particular case, had the 2 nurse understood the reasoning and data behind the Pressure Ulcer Rate and Restraint indicators, and communicated the necessity to report any pertinent findings the CNA may discover in the nurse’s absence, the CNA would not have dismissed the reddened area over the patient’s lower spine and would have immediately informed the nurse of the finding. Upon returning the patient to bed, the CNA would have also known not to place the patient back in bed on his back and reapply the restraints. Instead, would have had the patient lay to one side and stressed the importance, to the patient and family member, of frequent turning, to reduce the chance of pressure ulcers. Quality patient care can only be achieved with teamwork and open communication. The discussion of pressure ulcers in hospitalized patients has become an increasing issue with more attention to the prevention of such since the early to mid-1990’s. The Centers for Medicare...
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...Running head: PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY Patient Confidentiality: Ethical Implications to Nursing Practice Grand Canyon University: NRS 437 April 3, 2012 Patient Confidentiality: Ethical Implications to Nursing Practice Patient confidentiality is a fundamental practice in healthcare and it is integral part of healthcare ethical standards (Purtilo & Dougherty, 2010). According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) code of ethics “the nurse has a duty to maintain confidentiality of all patient information”(Nursingworld, p.6). When confidentiality is breached the nurse may jeopardize the wellbeing and safety of a patient. There are some exceptions to this duty such as a greater need to protect the patient and other parties or mandatory laws that protect public health (Nursingworld, 2012). The situation presented in the article Betraying Trust or Providing Good Care? When is it okay to break confidentiality? Creates an ethical dilemma for the fictional nurse caring for a teenage patient diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease as well as related cervical cancer. The nurse eventually notifies parents because of the need for further treatment that will require consent of parents. She also notifies the teenage patient’s school because of a concern for public health. Several valid concerns are presented in this article. First, when a patient’s confidentiality is betrayed that patient may not give full information to the healthcare team in the future...
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...Contents: Topic Page Number Glossary Of Terms 1 Introduction 2 Aspect Of Care 3 The DNACPR Policy 4 Ethics 7 Patients Consent 9 Withholding Information 14 Informed Choice 17 Forcing Information Upon Patients 20 The Nurses Role 22 Conclusion 25 References 26 Appendix 27 Glossary of terms CPR: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. DNACPR: Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. NMC: Nursing & Midwifery Council. GMC: General Medical Council. BMA: British Medical Association. GP: General Practitioner Introduction The Aim of this module is to encourage me to enhance my personal and professional skills, to increase the efficacy of patient care and interaction. Also to make me more aware of the legal, professional and ethical implications of practice. The module allowed me to further develop my knowledge of these topics: Ethics & Accountability, Legal Aspects of Practice, finally Accountability & Professional Practice. I was then asked to submit an essay of 4500 words based on the following: “Critically analyse an aspect of care from your practice setting that encompasses the ethical, professional & legal role of the nurse. Issues of accountability should be incorporated into this essay”. Aspect of care The aspect of care I have chosen to include in my essay is the “Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR)” Adult Policy...
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...Administrative Ethics Heather Holcomb University of Phoenix Ethics: Health Care and Social Responsibility HCS 335 Deborah Laughon February 5, 2012 Administrative Ethics Abstract of Article: Administrative Ethics and Confidentiality/Privacy Issues This article presents a case study highlighting the conflict between an individual’s right to privacy and the rights of patients and staff to know when a professional standard has been breached. The process by which the administrator determines a course of action is reviewed in the context of workplace realities through an ethical analysis. The growth of information systems and the increased involvement of third parties in decision-making have created new issues regarding confidentiality and the release of sensitive information for health care personnel who are in a position of public trust. The issues facing nursing administrators are complex, and of particular concern are the conflicting demands of providing quality care with limited resources. The authors identify strategies to deal with the workplace issues that give rise to the potential for abuse as well as the strategies to support an impaired colleague who attempts to reenter the workforce (Badzek, Mitchell, Marra, & Bower, 1998). Introduction When asking the general public what health care ethics and health care privacy mean, most will relate that they are about protecting patients. Health care ethics and health care privacy do exist to protect patients and...
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