Essay Example on Nurses: Navigating Multiplex Issues With Ethical Codes

Introduction

Nurses increasingly encounter multiplex issues in their work settings. The code of ethics is the underlying guidance for the nurses in their practice. There are both international and national ethical codes for nurses. The national code is developed to guide nurses in their multifaceted roles in patient care, research, and management of various aspects of care. The national code of ethics avails guidance that is culturally appropriate and adapted. Some of the codes of ethics that have been developed include ICN and the ANA code of ethics. It is, therefore, important to compare these two codes in their application in the nursing working environment.

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The ANA Code of Ethics offers guidance on decision making concerning ethical issues by nurses and their education programs. It is different from the ICN Code of Ethics in that it is specific to nurses working in the American context and guides on ethical and moral decision making concerning nursing practice. The purposes served by the code include being a statement of ethical obligations for nurses, being a non-negotiable ethical standard for nursing professionals, and express their knowledge of the commitment in the society ("Code of Ethics" 2006). It contains nine provisions that comprehensively detail the nurses' responsibility in the provision of care and rights of the patients ("ANA" 2015). These provisions are developed to address specific issues, and therefore possible for nurses to identify specific areas of interest. It means that the ANA Code of Ethics is a valuable resource in guiding nurses in dealing with ethical and moral issues in their practice. Ethical and moral issues in nursing practice result in ethical dilemmas that could act as barriers in the health care provision.

The ICN Code of Ethics, on the other hand, seeks an audience with nurses in the global context. It sets the fundamental responsibilities of nurses practicing globally. The four responsibilities include enhancing health, treating illness, promoting health, and reducing suffering ("ICN" 2012). These principles describe relationships between nurses and patients, the art of nursing practice, and how they relate to their colleagues. The audience for this code includes practitioners, national nurses association, and researchers. Another difference between these two codes is that ICN codes emphasize on how healthcare team relates while ANA emphasizes on how nurses and patients relate.

Despite the differences, the two codes of ethics emphasize the obligations and commitment of nurses toward the provision and maintenance of patient care. This means the common theme is patient care sought to alleviate suffering ("The ICN" 2012). They function as mandates for accountability in their nursing practice and develop professional working boundaries.

Ethical Dilemma in Nursing

Nurses encounter ethical dilemmas during their practice. It is, therefore, important to demonstrate an ethical dilemma and the decision-making informed by the code of ethics for nurses. The dilemma is described below:

Case Description

Mr. Jason is a 60-year-old patient who has chronic prostate cancer for eight years. He cares for by nursing staff in the oncology section. The patient refused medical care despite being diagnosed with prostate cancer. For eight years, Mr. Jason sought different treatment methods. Currently, in addition to prostate cancer, the patient has developed anemia and hypoproteinemia. Medical tests have shown that cancer has spread to the bones and affected the lymph nodes. The primary tumor has also affected Mr. Jason's bladder, and therefore obstructed the right kidney. The conditions have led to Mr. Jason being admitted to the hospital for different issues. During the last admission, it was determined that the patient has only 3-5 weeks to live due to the expansive growth of the tumor. It is explained that additional medical approaches may not be helpful in this situation, and therefore palliative care intervention was the only option. Mr. Jason has already resigned to the fact that death is imminent. The patient has divulged to one of the attending nurses that he plans to kill himself and that it should be kept a secret.

Ethical Dilemma

As evidenced in the case, the patient is at the final stage, aggressive prostate cancer, and has only the next 3-5 weeks to live. Mr. Jason has revealed a suicidal attempt to an attending nurse and requested absolute secrecy. This revelation is an ethical dilemma since it puts the nurse in a tough situation. An ethical dilemma can be described as a situation in which an individual has to make a difficult choice between two courses of action, considering that both actions violate a moral principle (Jie, 2015). The behavior of Mr. Jason puts the nurse in a dilemma by confiding in her about the suicide attempt. In this situation, the nurses have two choices, which are exclusive and morally appropriate. The nurse can act according to the patient's decision and therefore conforming to the principle of autonomy or can tell inform that nursing practitioners thereby conforming to the principle of beneficence.

As a nurse, the best ethical decision I would make would be sharing the information given by Mr. Jason with other nursing staff. Using the ANA Code of Ethics, it is the mandate of the nurse to ensure the provision of quality health care. This is as outlined in the third provision of the ANA Code of Ethics, which mandates nurses to enhance, health, and safety and safeguard patient's rights, It also requires the nurse, through individual or collective action, to a safe environment that enables the provision of safe, quality health care (Jie, 2015). Considering this code, the nurse is obligated to enhance Mr. Jason's safety and promote a safe practice environment. It is therefore prudent for the nurse to share information concerning possible suicide attempt by Mr. Jason to the other health care practitioners.

Impact of the ANA Code of Ethics on Nursing Practice

The ANA Code of Ethics has positive implications on the nursing practice. They offer guidance as nurses negotiate the serious cases present in many nursing practice situations. It also helps in the classification of ethical responsibilities as five fundamental categories, which include nurses and patients, nurses and work, nurses and colleagues, nurses and profession, and lastly, nursing and research. The code of ethics guides the relationship between nurses in practice and the environment in which they work (Epstein & Turner, 2015). The Code of Ethics details the components of ethical conduct and empowers nurse practitioners on how to make ethical decisions when presented with complex situations. It also acts as a reminder of the value of the nursing profession and what needs to be upheld in the provision of care to patients, in research, in management, and as students. The codes postulate that not only are the patients the recipient of care but also their families and healthy individuals in society (Epstein & Turner, 2015). It also promotes the respect of an individual's dignity irrespective of who is receiving care, their nationality, culture, religion, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status, among other factors concerning a patient. The provisions mandate that nurses be sensitive to cultural diversity in their daily practice.

Statements on Perspective about Nursing Ethics

Statement 1: Nursing ethics promote the development of good working relationships with co-workers.

The nursing ethics underscores the need for collaboration between working nurses and other health care professionals within the practice settings. They can create moral communities to enhance, safeguard, and sustain an ethical practice.

Statement 2: Nursing ethics enhances patients' human rights.

Nursing ethics always stress that nurses should safeguard human rights in addition to promoting values of ethics. This helps in underscoring the importance of human rights and offers nurses with guidance to safeguard and uphold human rights in their practice setting.

Statement 3: Nursing ethics help uphold personal conduct demanded by the nursing profession.

Nursing ethics ensure that individual nurses conduct themselves in a way that reaffirms and strengthens their nursing values. Also, the conduct of nurses should ensure the quality, safe provision of health care to the patients.

Statement 4: The nursing ethics ensures that nurses meet the health and social needs of the people.

The nursing ethics promote conditions that ensure quality provision of safe care to all patients irrespective of their gender, culture, religion, education, and socio-economic status, among others.

References

Epstein, B., & Turner, M. (2015). The Nursing Code of Ethics: Its Value, Its History. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 20(2). doi: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol20No02Man04

ANA Code of Ethics. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.vcuhealth.org/for-health-professionals/nursing/about-nursing-at-vcu/ana-code-ethics

Code of Ethics for Nurses. (2006). Retrieved from https://health.mo.gov/living/lpha/phnursing/ethics.php

Jie, L. (2015). The patient suicide attempt - An ethical dilemma case study. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 2(4), 408-413. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2015.01.013

The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses. (2012). Retrieved February 8, 2020, from https://www.icn.ch/sites/default/files/inline-files/2012_ICN_Codeofethicsfornurses_ eng.pdf