Ethical Dilemmas

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Ethical Dilemmas

• NURS 2221 Contemporary Nursing
• L. D. Andrews

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Ethics

• Declarations of what is right or wrong and of
  what ought to be
• Systems of value behaviors and beliefs
• govern conduct to ensure the protection of an
  individuals rights
• system of morals for a group

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Code of Ethics

• Written list of professions values and standards
  of conduct
• Provides a framework for decision making
• Oriented toward daily decisions made by members
  of the profession

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Ethical dilemma

• A situation that requires an individual to make a
  choice between two equally unfavorable
  alternatives
• conflict of rights
• no simple decision

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Autonomy

• Right of self-determination, independence, and
  freedom
• No absolute

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Justice

• OBLIGATION to be fair
• Distributive Justice
• right to be treated equally regardless ofrace,
  sex, marital status, medical diagnosis, social
  standing, economic level, or religious belief.
• Equal access to health care for all

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Fidelity

• Faithful to commitments
• loyalty to agreements and responsibilities
  accepted as part of professional practice
• concept of accountability

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Beneficence

• Doing good
• Holistic approach to client and family

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Nonmaleficence

• Do no harm either intentionally or
  unintentionally
• protect those from harm who cannot protect
  themselves

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Veracity

• Truthfulness
• not to deceive or mislead clients intentionally
• primary limitation, telling truth when it would
  seriously harm client
• nonmaleficence

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Standard of Best Interest

• Type of decision made about a clients health
  care when the client is unable to make the
  decision
• based on what is best for that individual
• consider client declarations
• DPOAHC
• OBRA
• principle of beneficence

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Obligations

• Legal
• legal principles
• Nurse Practice Act
• Moral
• moral or ethical principles
• Code for Nurses

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Ethics Committees

• Functions
• evaluate institutional policy in light of ethical
  consideration
• make recommendation about ethical issues
• provide education
• Models
• autonomy (for competent patients)
• patient benefit model (incompetent patients)
• social justice model (accountable to agency)

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Utilitarianism

• Situation determines right or wrong
• Oriented toward the good of population
• Advantages
• Disadvantages

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Deontology

• Principles or duty-based
• moral right ro wrong is separate from
  consequences
• advantages
• disadvantages

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Nursing Code of Ethics

• Code is general statement, not specifics
• Code violation may result in action against a
  license

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Decision Making

• Collect, Analyze, Interpret Data
• State the Dilemma
• Consider the Choices of Action
• Analyze the Advantages and Disadvantages of Each
  Course of Action
• Make the Decision and Act on it