Ethical Dilemma and Moral Conflict - Essay Example

? Ethical Dilemma Ethical Dilemma Ethical Dilemma can be described as a moral dilemma which is a type of situation in which the moral values conflict with the right decisions. To achieve the best result one has to choose something which is often against the moral or social values. The future outcome of the decision is unknown so every type of method can be tried to check the best output. Ethical dilemma normally offers the situation in which the responsible can be claimed for choosing the particular option. It should also be noted that in every option there are some negative effects and all the proposed options cannot be considered as imperfect but one has to follow one of them to achieve any fruitful outcome (Matzo & Sherman, 2010). In short we can say that there is no satisfactory outcome of an ethical dilemma and despite this, decisions have to be made. The outcome of the ethical dilemma affects both the subject and object leaving both unhappy at the end of the day. How I became Aware of the Term: I came to know about the ethical dilemmas and its severity when a lady in my neighborhood faced this situation. Let us call the lady ABC. She was pregnant and belonged to Jehovah Witnesses Sect of religion. Unfortunately she met an accident in which she lost her blood. When she was brought to the hospital her breathing rate was 28/m and she was complaining about weakness in the head. After careful evaluation and several different tests including ultrasonography the doctors suggested blood transfusion to save her and the baby. The situation became worst when she refused to accept blood as it was against her religion. Doctors suggested other ways of blood gain like blood products but she refused both the methods on religious grounds. In her worst situation she delivered a baby. But after two hours her condition became even worst and she died of cardiac arrest. The doctors were bound to follow the religious ethics as they could not do anything against anyone’s religion. This is a complete and true example of ethical dilemma. The Dilemma: “The major ethical dilemma was that by honoring the patient's autonomy and religious beliefs, the physicians and interdisciplinary team were faced with compromising their moral duty to administer professional care in accordance with established standards.” (Chua & Tham, 2006). ANA Code of Ethics and the Facility at the Hospital: While treating her, the Doctors were bound to follow a particular principle of ANA code of Ethics; that is to respect and honor the religious beliefs of the patients. Preserving her religious values, the doctors did not infuse blood and at the end she died. The provision of ANA code of Ethics further highlight that the ‘nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient’ and hence, all other factors become meaningless once the patient gives consent to the treatment, in our case it could be an acceptance of blood diffusion. Both the parties were affected by following the ANA code of ethics, the Doctor and the patient with her family. The ethical dilemma relating to the religious beliefs of the patients are complex in nature. The religious and social beliefs, if not handled properly, may give rise to other ethical threats like discriminatory practices, bias on religious basis and so on. Any attempt to force or taking uninformed health saving practice poses a greater risk to the nursing profession leading to a deterioration of reputation of nurses. Hence, there is a strong relationship between a religious factor and the abidance of ANA code of ethics in making decisions when the patient’s life is at stake. Under such circumstances, a nurse must use his/her convincing abilities through proper communication with the patients and their families. The decision, however, lies with the caretakers and the patients regarding practices that are against their will, religion or social norms. The nurse has a responsibility of confidentiality towards the patient as per ANA code of ethics. In order to convince the patient on blood diffusion, the nurse may use confidentiality provision as a convincing point to make the patient comfortable with the decision by guiding thoroughly on the outcomes of not transfusing the blood. As per the ANA guidelines, and reasonability of this practice, blood transfusion must be carried out if the patient gives consent to the medical treatment offered without any heed provided to the acceptance or rejection of the treatment by the patient’ caretakers. A high degree of trust must be created by the nurse to keep this information confidential so the patient agrees to the treatment without any fear of criticisms from religious members, family or any other person of the community. What and Ifs of the Dilemma: If the doctors disobeyed the ANA code of ethics and forcefully infused blood, the patient could be saved. But according to the patients she will be in Hell if she let the Doctors infuse blood. The patient could be alive with her baby but throughout her life she would be regretful of her being and life. And under the terms of HIPAA the patient can sue the authorities of fraudulent guidance. This in turn will make her family unhappy. The situation was complex enough. Ethical Dilemma in Nursing: Nursing is considered as a divine profession. It is considered as the type of profession in which the slightest of wrong decision can lead to an irrecoverable loss. The nurses have to be patient and smart in their professional life in order to understand and deal with the critical type of conditions. Nurses face ethical dilemma almost daily in their professional life, in which they have to choose between the less wrong and the more wrong. There is nothing right if they look in the broader frame. Ethical Dilemma and Principles of Nursing Ethics: The normal definition of the ethics is to do what is good and what has no harm to anyone; but in the case of nursing this definition is no more valid. Nurses have to choose according to some ethical principles given in the Nursing Code of Ethics described by the American Nursing Association. These principles give nurses a base to set their ethical decisions upon. Sometimes nurses have to make critical choices for the patients and these rules help them to make decision accordingly. For example nurses have to take care of the freedom of the patients, which is the basic right to be given for controlling their life according to their free will. In certain conditions nurses have to let the patients know about their condition, since patients have to base important decisions of their lives upon such information, while on the other hand there are occasions when such information has to be hidden from the patient to prevent anxiety or depression, which can have deleterious effect on their health. Nurses sometimes have to guide the patients about various clinical methods in terms of expensiveness and effectiveness. These are the types of dilemmas nurses have to face on daily basis and require frequent and bold decisions on part of the nurses (Fulton et al, 2010). The documents relating to the court proceedings, rules and decisions on emergency basis may aid the decisions for the ethical dilemma under consideration. The use of religious knowledge relating to a particular religious belief like Jehovah, which is very common, must be acquired by the nurses and healthcare practitioners. The knowledge of Jehovah belief on suicides, for instance, may help in persuading the patients or their families to agree to the treatment required. Life, as per Jehovah beliefs, is of great importance and patients must be persuaded to save this blessing of God and be used in the way of promoting their religion by more followers saved by proper treatment. The principles like “The intentional killing of oneself by suicide would be self-murder and likely displeasing in Jehovah’s eyes” (Exodus 20:13; 1 John 3:15) may be used as a resource while communicating the issue of blood transfusion with the patient or the caretakers. More Examples of the Ethical Dilemma in Nursing: In a Canadian case, a girl was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and blood transfusion remained the only way to save her life. Her father was provided with the information on the situation and his acceptance to the blood transfusion could lead to religious antagonism and resentment against him for the rest of his life. The father gave consent to the treatment and the girl was saved. However, the reaction of the community, family members and even his daughter was hateful after that. The life of the patient, however, was saved. There was similar type of situation with a lady in Dublin when she gave birth but due to hemorrhage she had lost her 80 percent blood. Her resistance to blood transfusion was overridden on the Ireland’s High court order on emergency basis. Due to the absence of any other caretaker of the child, the court decided to override the consent provisions in the best interest of the child and saved the mother’s life. References Chua, R., & Tham, K. F. (2006).Will "no blood" kill Jehovah Witnesses? Singapore Medical Journal, 47, 994-1001 "Exodus 20:13,1 John 3:15 NIV - “You shall - Bible Gateway."BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 100 versions and 50 languages.. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. Read More