Nursing Discussion.

1- Which of the following behaviors may be:

(1) ethical but illegal, (2) legal but unethical, (3) illegal and unethical, and (4) legal and ethical.

a) Working in a clinic that performs abortions. Legal but unethical.
b) Respecting the wishes of a client suffering from ALS that he be permitted to die with dignity and not placed on “breathing machines”- Legal and ethical.
c) Respecting the health surrogate’s wishes regarding termination of life support of her friend. Ethical but illegal
d) Observing a coworker take out two tablets of oxycodone as ordered for pain management for his patient but keeping one for himself, administering only one tablet to the patient. Illegal and unethical (Med, 2018).

2- Differentiate among the following: deontological theories, utilitarianism, and Principlism.

Deontological theories emphasize the essence of the connection between roles/duties and the moral values of human beings. These theories hold that some actions are seen to be morally acceptable regardless of their consequences on human welfare, unlike Principlism that is used in biomedical ethics that deploys the use of four universal frameworks and basic ethical principles such as beneficence, justice, nonmaleficence, and general respect for autonomy and resolves conflicts through moral reasoning and balancing of judgment to reflect equilibrium. On the other hand, Utilitarianism one of the ethical theories that aim at identifying right from wrong by mainly maintaining its focus on the final outcomes. It believes that most ethical choices are those that will, in the end, produce good for the highest number (Guzman, 2016).

3- What do you think about health-care professionals disclosing information to clients about a poor prognosis, even though the information may cause severe distress.

In my opinion, patients do not need to be told that they have a terminal illness, but that does not translate to withholding the information if it is required by the right people (Med, 2018). Except in situations where the client or the patient cannot make their own decisions, withholding such information without the client’s knowledge sounds unethical; therefore, care professionals ought to reveal or disclose and communicate such details in a more sensitive and respectfully way with the clients but at the same time ensure that that the information is channeled professionally to avoid distress and anxiety on the clients.

4- What do they think about health-care professionals disclosing information to clients against family wishes?

It should be known that health care professionals are vested with a wide range of duties and responsibilities during care delivery and provision. And perhaps patients have the right to their privacy as afar as their medical information is concerned. In my view, I think it will be against nursing codes of conduct for the care- caregiver to reveal such information to the patient against the wishes of the family. Any health-care professional is expected to adhere and maintain expected care standards and refrain from sharing any information without relevant parties’ consent on the same issues (Med, 2018). Therefore, sharing such details against the wishes of the family will be illegal, unethical, and a violation of nursing client agreements.

5- You see a colleague use another nurse’s password to access the medication administration system and take out a narcotic. What would you do?

I consider such acts as trespass. In such a scenario where my colleague gets access to another nurse’s medication administration system and takes out a narcotic, it is termed as unethical with reference to medical policies. Therefore, I will get some time and try to make my colleague understand why they should not do the same again, and if need be for such acts, how should they get help instead of accessing other people’s private logins without their knowledge. Perhaps I may also report the incident to the relevant authority for disciplinary actions to curb such vices in health-care systems.

6- Your colleague’s child fell and was brought to the emergency department. She comes back up to the unit and tells you that they cleaned and debrided the wound, and she needs to change the dressings twice a day using a wet to dry method. You see her go into the supply system and remove the dressings and saline utilizing a patient’s identification number. What would you do?

I will politely explain to her that the child will be taken care of, and then I will ensure that the child gets the correct wound medications that will enable them to recover from the said wound. Additionally, I will not hesitate to remind her that what she was doing was against the institution’s expectations. Perhaps it was unethical to take action or engage herself in such acts (BeauchampEmail & RauprichEmail, 2016).

7- You are caring for a patient who has a terminal disease. He asks you if he is dying. Would you tell him? If yes, how? If no, what might you say?

I understand that talking about death and dying may result in the development of uncomfortable thoughts by the patients. In my position, I will not tell the patients that they will die because in understanding that such news may further deteriorate their condition. I will only tell them that they will get well soon, and things will be okay if they adhere to the medication prescribed by their doctor. Perhaps I will also explain possible outcomes as per the illness in question.

8- You are administering hydromorphone to a patient. The patient asks you what you are administering. Would you tell the patient about the medication?

Professional health providers are often held accountable for their decisions and acts as they handle medical-related issues. With respect to autonomy, in my position, I will tell the patient the kind of drug I am administering to her, the reasons for the said medication, and the side effects associated with such medications.

References

BeauchampEmail, T. L., & RauprichEmail, O. (2016, July 16). Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-319-0948

Guzman, C. G. (2016, February 5). L03 Deontology vs Utilitarianism, The eternal battle… | PSY 833: Ethics and Leadership (Buban). Retrieved from https://sites.psu.edu/psy533buban/2016/02/05/l03-deontology-vs-utilitarianism-the-eternal-battle/

Med, M. J. (2018, June 28). The Ethics of Truth-Telling in Health-Care Settings. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6422557/

Pullen, R. L. (2016, June). Nursing made incredibly easy. Retrieved January 2018

Weiss, S. A., Tappen, R. M., & Grimley, K. (2019). Essentials of nursing leadership & management. FA Davis.