Nurses’ Ethical Dilemmas in the Work Environment

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Introduction

In every healthcare setting, the need to meet optimal patient care requires nurses to maintain ethical practices and follow the outlined principles effectively. The relationship between the sick individual, relative, and practitioner is vital for ensuring better services to the ailing person. In most cases, nurses are faced with technical situations that require them to make sensible decisions while taking into consideration the welfare of the client and family members (Bratz & Sandoval-Ramirez, 2018).

Such challenging moments call for the caregivers to critically apply the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice to ensure they optimally attend to the customers appropriately. Morals allow nurses to detect ethical dilemmas in the work environment and make sound judgments and practical decisions according to their values and beliefs while maintaining their conduct within the laws that govern their profession.

Based on the current health status of Mr. Newcomb, I would approve the request to meet his mistress. First, Mr. Newcomb is at a critical stage of pancreatic cancer, and having in mind all the pain he is going through; it would be appropriate to consider his wish. Currently, he is under hospice care, where the main focus is to ensure he receives quality time and comfort experience before his death time. At this point, anything that makes Mr. Newcomb happy matters most for his life. He needs something that can make him happy to lengthen his days.

Disapproving the request would diminish the trust Mr. Newcomb has in me, and he will probably start withdrawing his attention from my services, which will be disastrous for his health. Therefore, to maintain the connection and ensure he receives quality care, I would ensure his desires are met. The practice will be good for the patient’s health, but for his wife, it would sound like a betrayal. As a nurse, I will make it secret after inquiring about the relationship between Mr. Newcomb and the mistress from him. Once I realize the relationship is healthy, I will formulate a way of allowing the patient to meet his friend.

Principle of Beneficence

In healthcare, the principle of beneficence requires a nurse to be kind and act in a way that benefits the patient. Caregivers are expected to support the welfare of sick individuals by preventing any harm while preserving moral rules (Giles et al., 2018). In the case of Mr. Newcomb, he wanted to meet his mistress, and the action would bring him joy and happiness that, in return, improved his health condition. Allowing interaction between the patient and the visitor is an act that follows the moral of beneficence. At the same time, keeping it a secret from their wife is protecting him from guilt and fear that would cause his status to deteriorate abnormally, reducing the number of his days to live.

Principle of Non-Maleficence

The principle of non-maleficence prohibits nurse practitioners from engaging in any action intentionally that can harm the patient. Based on the case of Mr. Newcomb, rejecting his request would cause him stress and pain following the sensitiveness of the wish. Therefore, finding a means of giving him a chance to meet the mistress would be of great help to his care. I already knew that refusing to grant the permission would result in more traumas for the patient; hence, if I declined intentionally, my practice would be against the principle of non-maleficence (Ilkafah et al., 2021). If I weigh the burdens of denying and granting the opportunity, accepting the request presents more benefits to the welfare of Mr. Newcomb, which is necessary for his hospice care management.

Principle of Autonomy

The principle of autonomy allows patients to make independent decisions concerning their needs. According to the scenario of Mr. Newcomb, he had the right to moral practice. Therefore, it is ethical to allow him to exercise his capacity of sovereignty. Upon hearing the patient’s request, I would have to assess his ability to carry on with the wish. If he is capable, then the principle applies, and the individual explores his self-determination. When I allowed Mr. Newcomb to meet his mistress following his decision, I adhered to the practice of autonomy to improve patient care services.

Principle of Justice

In nursing, the principle of justice requires nurses to practice fairness, equitability, and equality for all patients. The moral promotes recognition of a sick person’s dignity irrespective of their status (Silva & Oliveira, 2020). According to the scenario of Mr. Newcomb, I would apply the standard by allowing him to meet his mistress. The practice would follow the requirement of justice, which is to be fair to the patient. Displaying justice would indicate care to the victim hence enhancing his emotional strength towards the services he is receiving within the facility.

Beliefs and Values

Generally, personal beliefs and values play a vital role in influencing ethical practice in the work setting. Education, past experience, and culture are key factors that significantly determine how an individual portrays moral behaviors (Sari et al., 2018). I believe in the provision of care for people in need, and the concept has been of great help when it comes to solving dilemmas. According to Mr. Newcomb’s scenario, my decision was greatly influenced by the value of caring, which prompted me to do what was possible to help him relieve the constant pain. Based on my nursing experience, if you prevent patients from what they wish to have, they become depressed and lose trust in the care provider. Therefore, apart from the principles of ethical conduct, my beliefs and values would form part of the decision I make about a patient’s welfare.

Strategies for Promoting Self-Care

Generally, nurses engage in different activities to ensure patients receive the best care services within the facility. It is their responsibility to ensure sick individuals’ well-being is achieved. Their duty requires maximum concentration and focus on ensuring they deliver optimal care to patients. They, therefore, need proper strategies to enable them to improve patients’ self-care to enhance the quality and safety of their health (Wang et al., 2019). The practice allows patients to have good physical and mental health while undergoing medication to enable them to overcome the stress and pain of the disease. Some techniques, such as regular exercise, maintaining friends, and healthy eating habits, facilitate self-care among patients.

Practicing Healthy Eating Habit

Different categories of meals patients consume have impacts on their health. Nurses should ensure a sick person has a proper balance diet to help build their immune system. They should also make sure sugary foods are not given to the patient because of their adverse effects. Healthy eating habits would allow patients to have enough energy necessary for their physical fitness. Caregivers should encourage patients to consume foodstuffs that would help them have better growth.

Regular Exercise

Practicing regular physical exercise is essential for the health of a patient. Nurses should advise sick individuals to have a planned routine for engaging in bodily activities. The practice would ensure patients reduce anxiety, depression, and trauma caused by the disorder. Furthermore, during the exercises, patients would feel engaged, thus increasing their concentration and happiness. Implementing simple workouts would keep their bodies fit and strong to withstand the agony of the illness.

Maintaining Friendships

Sick persons require a high sense of belonging to make them feel loved hence eliminating stigmatization. Nurses should encourage patients to interact with their loved ones frequently to ensure they feel part of them irrespective of their health condition. Furthermore, having a close connection would lower stress levels and make them become strong and happy. The practice would make patients feel free and remain determined throughout the provision of care services.

Conclusion

In summary, it is essential for nurses to embrace ethics in their work to ensure they deliver the best care services to the patients. Such principles as beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice are critical in helping care providers make sound decisions when faced with a dilemma. Therefore, it is important for practitioners to adhere to the practices to enable them to work within the laws that govern nursing. In addition, following numerous activities that health providers perform, they require proper strategies to help them improve their self-care. Such approaches as healthy eating habits, maintaining a friendship, and physical exercise are vital in enhancing patients’ self-care.

References

Bratz, J. K. A., & Sandoval-Ramirez, M. (2018). Ethical competences for the development of nursing care. The Brazilian Journal of Nursing, 71, 1810-1814. Web.

Giles, T., de Lacey, S., & Muir‐Cochrane, E. (2018). How do clinicians practise the principles of beneficence when deciding to allow or deny family presence during resuscitation?. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(5-6), e1214-e1224. Web.

Ilkafah, I., Tyas, A. P. M., & Haryanto, J. (2021). Factors related to implementation of nursing care ethical principles in Indonesia. Journal of Public Health Research, 10(2), 2211. Web.

Sari, D., Baysal, E., Celik, G. G., & Eser, I. (2018). Ethical decision making levels of nursing students. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 34(3), 724. Web.

Silva, N. C. D., & Oliveira, H. M. (2020). Reflections on equity and its applicability to the nursing work process. The Brazilian Journal of Nursing, 73(3), e20190783. Web.

Wang, Z., Yin, G., & Jia, R. (2019). Impacts of self-care education on adverse events and mental health related quality of life in breast cancer patients under chemotherapy. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 43, 165-169. Web.

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