Ethical Issues
Tools
As a DNP graduate it is essential to be equipped with the tools to aid in ethical decision making. As healthcare providers we are going to face many challenging ethical dilemmas and we must have the tools to navigate those. Some examples of these tools may be ethical decision making frameworks, having personal experience, and policies.
Bioethics
According to the National Library of Medicine, the four principles of bioethics consist of: beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice (Varkey, 2020). When it comes to solving an ethical dilemma all of these principles are needed. A large influence on my decision making in an ethical situation is beneficence. Beneficence is defined as “the obligation of physician to act for the benefit of the patient and supports a number of moral rules to protect and defend the right of others, prevent harm, remove conditions that will cause harm, help persons with disabilities, and rescue persons in danger” (Varkey, 2020). The concept of acting for the patient is something that is essential when making the right decision in an ethical dilemma and it is what is often used to guide my ethical decision making.
Ethical Leadership
An ethical leader must be strong in their morals and values. Ethical leaders must be able to look at an ethical dilemma from all angles and lead with an open mind. Ethical leaders must be able to take the time to apply policies and tools to the ethical dilemma and make the most ethical decision in any given situation, It can be challenging to be a strong ethical leader and always do what is best and morally most ethical.
Telehealth Dilemma
When it comes to telehealth there are many ethical challenges that come along with providing this and it must be done so carefully and correctly (Biol, 2022). Ethically, certain patients may benefit from a face to face visit and providing telehealth may not be ethically sufficient. One may agree that telehealth is convenient for patients but does the quality of care remain the same? This is an ethical dilemma and should be judged on a patient to patient basis when ethically providing the correct care to a patient. The ethical content that would help in evaluating this question of whether a telehealth appointment is sufficient for a patient is thinking along the lines of justice and beneficence, a part of the four ethical principle. For the patient you would ask, is telehealth going to provide this patient with the best care they can receive for their current condition?
The Process
Evaluating ethical principles is in fact often a time consuming task. In order to weigh all of the options and pros and cons it is essential to take time to deliberate a true ethical dilemma. Policies, tools, and morals must be kept in mind and all play a part then analyzing the ethical dilemma.
Many organizations have ethics committees that work on deliberating these ethically challenging dilemmas.
Application After Graduation
As a DNP, we will most definitely encounter many ethical scenarios such as disagreements when it comes to goals of care, end of life challenges, issues regarding abuse and neglect, medication and healthcare access for patients, and many more challenges not listed. As a DNP we must learn to navigate these challenges by using the tools we have learned and asking the Lord for guidance.
References
Biol, Y. (2022). Practical and ethical considerations in telehealth: pitfalls and opportunities. National Library of Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9511944/
Varkey, B. (2020). Principles of clinical ethics and their application to practice. National Library of Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7923912/#:~:text=The%204%20main%20ethical%20principles.justice%2C%20are%20defined
%20and%20explained.
Edited by Skylar Kosek on Apr 6 at 10:14am
