Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing: Challenges and Decision-Making
ANSWER
Nursing professionals may encounter moral problems in the areas of genetic testing, abortion, and end-of-life care, to name a few. Think about how you would feel if you had to honor the wishes of a patient who is in pain to be allowed to pass away with dignity, the health surrogate’s wishes to end life support, or even watching another nurse take two oxycodone pills as directed while keeping one for herself. In one of my professional experiences, a patient asked me to withhold her terminal prognosis from her family members, which presented an ethical problem for me. She informed me she wanted to spend time with them before she passed away gently and wanted to keep it a secret from them. I was conflicted about how best to balance the patient’s wishes for seclusion with my concern for her family, who deserved to know about and spend time with their loved ones. I considered my options for a while before deciding to approach the patient’s primary care physician for advice. The doctor said that it would be best to inform the family of the diagnosis so that they may prepare ahead of time and take the appropriate safeguards. I informed the patient that I agreed with the doctor’s choice. I struck a delicate balance in telling her this news while also being sensitive in order to respect her preferences. Overall, I think that making an informed choice after taking into account various viewpoints can help us find moral solutions. Nowadays, it might be challenging to make moral decisions. One strategy for dealing with this is to analyze all points of view and use our knowledge and education to make a choice that will result in the greatest possible outcome for all parties. This necessitates that before we conclude, we examine each circumstance from a variety of perspectives and consider how it might affect diverse individuals or groups. To make sure that no harm is done during the process, we must also consider the potential effects of every activity. By doing this, we may work to find moral solutions that are reasonable and fair to all parties. In the end, an informed choice that takes into account all viewpoints can help us on our journey to better outcomes for all parties concerned.
QUESTION
Today’s health care environment gives nurses many reasons to be conflicted. Genetic testing, abortion, and end of life care are just some of the areas in which nurses may face ethical dilemmas. Consider how you feel about the following issues:
- Respecting the wishes of a suffering client that he is permitted to die with dignity,
- Respecting the health surrogate’s wishes regarding termination of life support,
- Or even observing another nurse take two tablets of oxycodone as ordered but keeping one for herself.
Then give an example of an ethical dilemma you may have confronted in your own clinical experience or workplace. How did you come to the decision you made? What feelings did you experience while coming to that choice? (If you have not yet faced an ethical dilemma, research one and comment on it, answering the same questions.)
At least 2 pages with reference