Healthcare Ethics Issues - Coursework Example

Nursing is a highly critical profession and involves significant ethical implications. These healthcare issues are very complex and require concrete awareness and analytical skills to overcome them effectively. The vitality comes from the fact that the ultimate customer in this profession is a patient whose survival and life depend on the quality of healthcare services. Therefore, slight miscalculation and breach of ethical duties might result in deterioration of health and, in extreme cases, death. Practicing nurses must be well-trained and knowledgeable to perform their obligations efficiently and need to be constantly supervised and mentored to prevent errors and non-compliance.

There are various ethical issues involved in the healthcare industry and nursing practice. Caretaking of patients, who come from diversified backgrounds, requires careful consideration of moral implications. Nurses must be fair and unbiased in their duties, giving equal service to all patients regardless of their financial status, gender, or ethnicity. Limited resources must be allocated with professional judgment to each patient according to genuine needs without any personal prejudice. These patients are often not of sound mind or appropriate age during treatment and therefore nurses must protect their rights in the decisions they take. If a patient is capable, nurses must provide them complete autonomy to select options for treatment and must respect their choices. Moreover, to support their decisions, nurses must provide them with complete information with integrity. This is a major obstacle since revealing some adverse diagnosis results can be upsetting for nurses and might trigger hostile reactions. During treatment, healthcare professionals must cover the patient’s body properly and avoid unnecessary talks regarding some physical irregularities to avoid discomfort. Additionally, they must respect the privacy of medical information about patients and keep it confidential unless essential to be disclosed for professional opinions. They should take utmost care that they do not discuss any cases of patients outside clinical premises or during informal chats with friends, family, colleagues, and other patients (Fry & Johnstone, 2002).

Professional nurses and healthcare professionals must act as catalysts that trigger change and ensure smooth implementation of the transition phase. To establish a strong ethical framework, they must promote teamwork and engage others in devising ethical policies. Efforts of all professionals must be collaborated and directed towards the achievement of ethical compliance. Teams must be formed consisting of staff from different cultures and multiple disciplines to support a diversified portfolio of patients. A learning environment must be created and strategic objectives and codes of ethics must be made commonly known. All subordinates must be mentored and provided counseling services in stressful situations and interpersonal conflicts. A clinical atmosphere must be instituted which encourages innovation and flexibility and stifles the possibility of errors and disputes. Regular performance appraisals shall be conducted and all nursing staff shall be persuaded to participate in the process to identify strengths and weaknesses.

The nursing profession is highly complex and involves the application of various disciplines. Consequently, there is substantial dependence of professionals on their colleagues, regulatory bodies, and professionals from other organizations. A healthy relationship must be formed by nursing staff with other professionals to assess the effectiveness of the caretaking methods deployed. Often, second opinions will be required to be taken from others since not all organizations have adequate resources, modern technology, and highly trained and educated personnel. A framework must be enforced that fosters close coordination with other professionals and ensures that all pivotal measures have been taken before reaching diagnosis conclusions. Medical insurance companies play a crucial role for patients and therefore vigilant synchronization must be established with them at all times. Referrals must be made to other appropriate professionals if one lacks adequate resources or necessary expertise (Vanlaere & Gastmans, 2007).

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse regime ensures that all healthcare professionals abide by the code of ethics and other regulations. Nurses must provide unconditional caretaking services in good faith and with true spirits without any regard for personal bias and judgments. They must preserve their rights to confidentiality, independence, and complete disclosure. Often, nurses will be required to act in the capacity of an advocate for patients when they might lack the capabilities to make rational decisions. Nurses must be cooperative with patients as well as their families or caretakers present at hospital premises. They are required to conform to standards of integrity, professional due care, and sufficient competence. Not only are they obliged to avoid any illegal and unethical practices but are also mandated to report any malpractices and immoral activities carried out by other professionals within their surroundings (Benjamin & Curtis, 1992).