Ethics and the DNP-Prepared Nurse
During the week, I have engaged with case studies and scenarios that present ethical challenges, as provided in the course materials. Based on these sources, I have acquired knowledge that ethical conflicts have the potential to disturb, distress, and cause dissatisfaction among patients, clinicians, and families. These negative consequences can ultimately affect the quality of treatment. Consequently, I have acquired the knowledge that ethical conflicts can diminish trust among stakeholders, leading to adverse consequences such as a patient’s compromised adherence to treatment standards and compromised safety. By utilizing the resource authored by Pavlish et al. (2020), I acquired knowledge on incorporating ethical protocols into regular care management. This involves identifying ethical issues, implementing supplementary assistance, and establishing care objectives to improve patient outcomes, quality, and safety. The report informed me that ethics consultations improved treatment outcomes, enhanced quality of care, and reduced patient risks. According to this source, enhancing healthcare cooperation and collaboration leads to more ethical consultations and regular communication about treatment objectives. This, in turn, enhances ethical practice in addressing various patient requirements and including patients’ relatives and communities.
Phelan (2020) states that the main differentiation between the two categories of healthcare ethics is their differing application areas. While individuals were the primary concern of ethical considerations in the past, contemporary corporate ethics emphasizes collective entities more. To prevent complicating care delivery and decision-making processes, it is crucial to comprehend the context in which healthcare staff function. Enhancing transparency and fostering trust among healthcare practitioners can lead to greater ethical conduct. Similarly, I found from the two sources authored by Rejno et al. (2020) and Torkaman et al. (2020) that the concept of dignity is a crucial element in an ethical analysis that emphasizes both the dignity of identity and human dignity. Notably, people with cognitive impairments may encounter situations that necessitate them to make decisions regarding their autonomy. These situations also necessitate patients to assess potential treatment methods that may undermine the patient’s independence or disregard the patient’s dignity. I have shown that scenarios involving patients with restricted decision-making ability present distinct ethical concerns and predicaments. Hence, I realized that incorporating the element of human dignity into my ethical framework could enhance my ability to provide person-centered clinical care and uphold ethical principles when attending to individuals with cognitive impairments.
As a Registered Nurse (RN), I have seen numerous ethical concerns addressed in these materials. It evokes recollections of occasions when I collaborated with colleagues to reach a well-founded ethical decision. I had vivid memories of instances when my colleagues and I were compelled to present an ethical dilemma to the Hospital Ethics Board to enhance the process of decision-making in cases when patients declined treatment or their representative was not accessible for health-related decisions. Collaboration among experts from different fields is the most efficient approach to address challenges. The ethical principles of patient autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and social justice and their importance and significance as guiding principles for ethical decision-making have been mentioned (Vermeesch et al., 2018). One of the ethical concerns I have encountered in my professional experience is balancing the facility’s profit-making goals with its commitment to maintaining and enhancing its already high levels of safety and care. In addition, I have recognized the ethical dilemma that occurs when a patient declines treatment for a potentially life-threatening illness or disease despite the availability of a proven treatment or management intervention (Torkaman et al., 2020). The ethical concerns can be adequately resolved by the active participation of stakeholders and other experts in making these decisions.
References
Pavlish, C. L., Henriksen, J., Brown-Saltzman, K., Robinson, E. M., Warda, U. S., Farra, C., & Jakel, P. (2020). A team-based early action protocol to address ethical concerns in the intensive care unit. American Journal of Critical Care, 29(1), 49-61.
Phelan, P. S. (2020). Organizational Ethics for US Health Care Today. AMA Journal of Ethics, 22(3), 183–186.
Rejnö, Å., Ternestedt, B. M., Nordenfelt, L., Silfverberg, G., & Godskesen, T. E. (2020). Dignity at stake: Caring for persons with impaired autonomy. Nursing ethics, 27(1), 104-115.
Torkaman, M., Heydari, N., & Torabizadeh, C. (2020). Nurses’ perspectives regarding the relationship between professional ethics and organizational commitment in healthcare organizations. Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, 13.
Vermeesch, A., Cox, P. H., Baca, S., & Simmons, D. (2018). Strategies for strengthening ethics education in a DNP program. Nursing education perspectives, 39(5), 309-311.
