Nurses face ethical situations every day. Currently, the ANA has a list of ethics resources pertaining to several topics. Select a topic identified from this list.
https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/
Think about ethical situations you have experienced in practice. Write a summary of your experiences and explain how the situation was resolved or ended.
Autonomy: The nurse allows a patient to maintain character, values, and uniqueness, regardless of the nurse’s own values. The nurse helps the patient to understand the nature, extent, and possible outcome of treatment so the patient can make healthcare decisions based on information provided in an easily understood manner.
Freedom: This enables the patient to function independently and be allowed to freely make informed decisions in an autonomous manner. The nurse cannot interfere with the patient’s desires or actions.
Beneficence: The nurse has a moral obligation to do good, and the patient has a right to expect that he or she will derive some benefit from that good. This obligation also includes preventing harm and reducing the risk of harm. This is not done merely by instructing the patient as to what is good or not good for him or her, but rather providing the information that will enable the patient to reduce the risk of harm or prevent harm from occurring by making informed choices about the best approach.
Nonmalfeasance: The nurse has a moral obligation to avoid harm to the patient. The nurse’s primary obligation is always to the patient. Ignoring the treatment and efforts required to protect the patient’s well-being or allowing actions that will cause harm to the patient is unacceptable.
Veracity: To function in an autonomous manner and make healthcare decisions, the patient expects the nurse to provide truthful information. Without the truth, the patient cannot make informed decisions based on reason, and his or her right to do so will have been violated.
Confidentiality/privacy: This moral obligation endorses the theory of self-ownership and privacy; that is, the patient has the right to expect that the nurse will guard against the unwarranted or unethical release of information about the patient.
Fidelity: The nurse is obliged to stay faithful to the agreement or the understanding reached with the patient regarding the care to be given. This allows the patient to be able to predict his or her environment, based on the expectations of the established trustworthy relationship.
Justice: The nurse is required to treat all people fairly without regard to socioeconomic status, personal attributes, or nature of the patient’s health problems. Personal feelings about certain illnesses or diagnoses cannot interfere with the nurse’s duty to care for others.