Ethical principles Assessment Answer

Introduction

It is a case study of a patient named Arnold Perera who is an 87-year-old male and was admitted to the hospital about 2 weeks ago about a syncopal episode. The patient fell from stairs and then a fracture was sustained. The past medical history of the patient suggests that the patient has diabetes and hypertension. Earlier Arnold was an independent person however, after the fall the patient has become dependent. One week after the admission of the patient, the patient was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer which then spread to the bowel, brain, and lungs. This information was first disclosed to the daughter of the patient, the patient provided power of attorney to his daughter. The daughter of the patient suggests that she would want to continue the treatment of the patient and want to do everything in her power to treat her father. However, she doesn't want her father to know about all these things. This essay will provide insight into the ethical principles which have been followed and breached in the case study. Other than this ICN code of ethics and NMBA code of conduct which is followed in the case study is also described.

Ethical Principles

Ethical principles also known as bioethics are commonly used in the healthcare sector and it is also applied across the practice setting. Four basic principles of bioethics have been followed and these are beneficence, autonomy, justice, and non-maleficence. In the case study, several ethical principles have been followed and have been breached. In this section, we will discuss all these principles. The first ethical principle is autonomy, in this, the person has the freedom to make all the medical decisions for themselves, and great respect is provided to the individual for their right to make decisions (Stone, 2018). The rights of the individual are upheld and they are provided with the decision to take care of their health. In the case study in the initial stage although the patient had full rights to make any medical decision however due to their deteriorating condition this right has been transferred to the daughter of the patient. Hence, it cannot be established this right has been fully followed or breached (Ilkafah et al., 2021).

The second principle is beneficence, according to this the care provided to the patient should be in the best interest of the patient. The action of the healthcare provider should be such that it is only aimed at the best outcome. When talking about traditional terms the ultimate decision-making power should lie with the healthcare provider, however, this has not been followed in the case study (McCradden et al., 2020). In the case study, the right to make decisions was transferred to the patient's daughter. Another principle which is discussed here is the principle of non-maleficence, this principle implies that no harm should be done to the patient and only care that needs to be provided will help to maintain health and well-being. In this case, study this principle needs to be followed, however, it was not the case (Kadivar et al., 2017).

The last principle which has been discussed here is justice, in this all the steps are designed to ensure fairness and equality. It will ensure that the best care should be provided to the patient.

ICN Code of Ethics

There are several instances where ICN Codes of Ethics are followed and all of these are described below. The first code states that nurses should work in a manner where human rights, customs, and values are respected. While providing care the nurses must establish rapport with the family and the individual so care provided is accurate. Another important thing to be noted down is that the nurse should ensure privacy and confidentiality, this has been followed in the case study effectively. In the case study, it has been observed that patients' confidentiality and privacy are controlled and taken care of. The second principle states that nurses work effectively toward patient safety and advocate for transparency. In the case study, this standard is followed effectively. The competence towards practice should be taken into account (Bijani et al., 2017).

The next standard which is discussed here is leadership skills, the nurses assume that a major leadership role should be displayed and evidence-based information is taken care of. In the case study, leadership is not displayed effectively and due to this, the patient suffered. Several evidence-informed cares need to be taken care of. However, in the case study, this has not been followed effectively, and patients suffered due to it (International Council of Nurse, 2023). Other than this nurses also take care of global health and the social determinants of health are taken care of. Nurses should work to take care of human rights and it should be affirmed towards the right of universal access to health care. Nurses should uphold and take care of the freedom, dignity, and worth of all human beings. In the case study nurses have taken care of the health and work should be provided towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). In the case study SDG has been supported and all these are taken care of, this helps in the case study (Wang et al., 2022).

NMBA Code of Conduct

Other than the ICN code of ethics, the NMBA code of conduct also needs to be followed. There are several codes of conduct in NMBA, a case study should be studied and the appropriate code of conduct is discussed. The first standard states that the RN should think critically and then analyze the nursing practice. Several strategies are present and the best available evidence needs to be taken care of. However, in the case study this has not been followed, best care has not been provided to the patient. It is important in the case study that best care practices should be provided. In the case study, several ethical principles are breached, and all these ethical principles need to be followed. In this standard, it has also been mentioned that ethical frameworks need to be followed while making any decision (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2023).

Standard 4 discusses the comprehensive assessment, along with the systematic analysis that needs to be done. A wide range of assessments should be followed, this will help to detect any condition which might be present. The other essential standard is about providing safe, effective, and responsive nursing practice which is Standard 6. The RN must ensure that safe and effective care should be provided to the patient. In the case study although the patient does not want treatment, however the RN is determined to provide the best care. All the practices or the steps which are performed provide safe quality practice to achieve agreed outcomes and goals. All the activities which need to be formed should be adequately delegated. This standard follows some ethical framework and ethical goal-directed action should be followed (Forrester, 2018).

Conclusion

The case study of a patient named Arnold Perera who is an 87-year-old male and was admitted to the hospital about 2 weeks ago about a syncopal episode. Several ethical principles are discussed here. Ethical principles also known as bioethics are commonly used in the healthcare sector and it is also applied across the practice setting. The four ethical principles of bioethics have been followed and these are beneficence, autonomy, justice, and non-maleficence. It will help to guide the health care professional to work ethically. Other than this ICN code of ethics and NMBA standards are also followed. The first code states that nurses should work in a manner where human rights, customs, and values are respected, other than this leadership skills should be followed. The NMBA code of ethics which are followed are first standard and standard 4. Both these standards are highly effective and should be followed.

References

Bijani, M., Ghodsbin, F., Javanmardi Fard, S., Shirazi, F., Sharif, F., & Tehranineshat, B. (2017). An evaluation of adherence to ethical codes among nurses and nursing students. Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine , 10 , 6.

Forrester, K. (2018). Codes of conduct - A new era for nursing and midwifery in Australia. Journal of Law and Medicine , 25 (4), 929–933.

Ilkafah, I., Mei Tyas, A.P., & Haryanto, J. (2021). Factors related to implementation of nursing care ethical principles in Indonesia. Journal of Public Health Research , 10 (2), 2211. https://doi.org/10.4081/jphr.2021.2211

International Council of Nurse. (2023). Codes of ethics. Available from https://www.icn.ch/system/files/2021-10/ICN_Code-of-Ethics_EN_Web_0.pdf

Kadivar, M., Manookian, A., Asghari, F., Niknafs, N., Okazi, A., & Zarvani, A. (2017). Ethical and legal aspects of patient's safety: A clinical case report. Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine , 10 , 15.

McCradden, M.D., Joshi, S., Anderson, J. A., Mazwi, M., Goldenberg, A., & Zlotnik Shaul, R. (2020). Patient safety and quality improvement: Ethical principles for a regulatory approach to bias in healthcare machine learning. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association: JAMIA , 27 (12), 2024–2027. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocaa085

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2023). Registered nurse standards for practice. Available from file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/Nursing-and-Midwifery-Board---Standard---Registered-nurse-standards-for-practice---1-June-2016%20(1).PDF

Stone E.G. (2018). Evidence-based medicine and bioethics: Implications for health care organizations, clinicians, and patients. The Permanente Journal , 22 , 18-030. https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/18-030

Wang, Y., Li, Y., Shen, B., Li, H., Sun, H., Yuan, C., Xie, H., Li, X., Li, Y., Guan, J., Jia, Q., & Zhang, X. (2022). Nursing ethics for prevention and control of major infectious disease outbreaks: Chinese expert consensus. International Journal of Nursing Sciences , 9 (1), 5–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2021.12.008

You Might Also Like

Research Ethics Assignment help

How to Write an Essay on Ethical and Legal Issues In Nursing?

IKC100 Ethical Principles for Psychologists Assignment Sample

Looking For Complete Assignment Sample Get It On WhatsApp