Ethical Principles and Concerns – Ethics (Nursing)

00:00 Welcome back everyone.

00:02 Developments in science and technology in the 20th century have led to advances in medicine and healthcare to have benefited millions of lives.

00:10 The change in context in which healthcare is provided has created new challenges for health workers, health researchers and the broader healthcare of the community.

00:19 Nurses increasingly find themselves confronted with moral questions and ethical dilemmas.

00:25 Ethics - they are principles that describe what is expected in terms of right or correct and wrong or incorrect in terms of behavior.

00:35 Now, there are several ethical principles.

00:38 First, is justice.

00:39 Justice is fairness.

00:41 Nurses must be fair when they distribute care, for example among the patients and the group of patients that they're caring for that day.

00:48 Care must be fairly, justly and equitably distributed among a group of patients.

00:54 Beneficence.

00:56 Beneficence is doing good and doing the right thing for the patient.

01:01 Nonmaleficence.

01:02 Nonmaleficence is doing no harm as stated in the historical Hippocratic oath.

01:07 Harm now, can be intentional or unintentional.

01:12 Accountability is accepting responsibility for one's own actions.

01:16 Nurses are accountable for their nursing care and other actions.

01:20 They must accept all of the professional and personal consequences that can occur as a result of their actions.

01:27 Fidelity is keeping one's promises.

01:30 The nurse must be faithful and true to the professional promises and responsibilities by providing high quality, safe care in a competent manner.

01:38 Autonomy and patient self-determination are appaled when the nurse accepts the client as a unique person who has the innate right to have their own opinions, perspectives, values and beliefs.

01:49 Nurses encourage patients to make their own decisions without any judgements or coercion from the nurse.

01:55 The patient has the right to reject or accept all treatments.

02:00 Veracity is being completely truthful with patients.

02:03 Nurses must not withhold the whole truth with clients even when it might lead to patient distress.

02:10 Now, there are some common ethical concerns.

02:12 First, staffing ratios, Any disagreements between the patient and healthcare provider or even between healthcare providers, The limited resources we have, End of life issues, Waiting lists, Medical errors, Informed consent issues.

02:32 There may also be ethical dilemmas related to bio-ethics.

02:36 These are concerns that occur as the result of advancing science and technological advances such as stem cells or cloning or even genetic engineering.

02:48 It is our obligation to recognize and identify ethical issues that affect staff and patients.

02:55 Also, avail yourself to ethicist and ethical committees within your facility when such ethical resources and mechanisms are present in order to resolve ethical concerns and ethical dilemmas.

03:08 We should also understand and apply available ethical guidelines.

03:11 Available as the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics.

03:16 Also, the American Nurses Association Standards of Care and Standards of Practice.

03:21 Also, the American Nurses Association position paper.

03:25 And finally, your State Board of Nursing Declaratory Statements.

03:30 Now let's review the ethical decision making process.

03:34 It starts with defining the problem.

03:36 Next, you're going to collect data or information about the problem.

03:41 Next, you're gonna do data analysis where you take a really deep look at the problem.

03:46 Then you move into identification, exploration and generation of possible problem solutions and implications of each one.

03:55 Next, you're gonna select the best possible solution.

03:59 Then you're going to perform the selected desired course of action to resolve the ethical dilemma.

04:04 And as always, finally you will evaluate the results of your action.

04:10 So let's review this example.

04:12 Ben is a registered nurse in the emergency room.

04:15 Mrs. Adams was recently admitted with a fractured ankle.

04:18 She states that she's in severe pain and is constantly grimacing during any interventions.

04:23 Ben confirms Mrs. Adams has pain medication ordered and quickly acquires and administers her pain medication.

04:30 Which ethical principle is Ben demonstrating? It's beneficence because the patient has medication ordered and the nurse administers it quickly.

04:46 That is the right thing to do and in the best interest of the patient at that moment.

04:51 So remember, ultimately adhering to defined ethical principles helps nurses provide exceptional care throughout their careers.

04:58 A deeper understanding of these principles is a crucial tool for success.

05:04 So in thinking of everything we've covered today, I'd like for you to consider this question: What are three bioethical concerns that occur as a result of advancing science and technological advances? They are stem cells, cloning and genetic engineering.

05:27 I hope you've enjoyed today's video on ethics in nursing.

05:30 Thank you so much for watching.