Ethical dilemma - Assignment Example

Nursing Ethical Dilemma of Affiliation In the of administering my duties as a nurse, I have been faced with an ethical dilemma that revolved on empirical knowledge versus personal belief. In this case scenario, a Mr. Green was admitted in the hospital and his condition demanded blood transfusion. Unfortunately, the patient, who was also supported by her immediate family members, subscribed to a religious belief that perceived blood transfusion as unacceptable. Research based knowledge in nursing indicated that the patient would die due to inadequate oxygen circulation in the body tissues.

However, the beliefs of the patients obstructed appropriate nursing procedures to be conducted.Deontology theory forms the best approach to guide in the decision making, in such an ethical dilemma. As a health caregiver must always subscribe to the rule, “Always try to save life.” Applying a pure rule of deontological approach, the ethical decision would be in favor of carrying out the blood transfusion. In addition, using such an approach, there is little attention to the contextual details or social aspects of the situation because the decision making is grounded in ethical rules (Jones & Beck, 1996).

Using a pure deontological approach, whether rule or act, confines the focus for decision making to the immediate situation. This is to imply that the consequences, situational and contextual details, and the social and interactional aspects are not the primary focus. This theory focuses on the ethics of the actions (Butts & Rich, 2008).This theory pays attention to the patient’s rights, goals and autonomy. As described by Noureddine (2001), this approach is based on four key principles that include autonomy, or the personal liberty to act; nonmaleficence that is doing no harm; beneficence, or the requirement of action to improve the welfare of others; and justice, which directs action to treat people justly and distribute resources fairly.

ReferencesBeauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2009). Principles of biomedical ethics (6th ed., pp. 152-153). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Butts, J. B., & Rich, K. L. (2008). Nursing ethics across the curriculum and into practice (2nd ed., pp. 21-22). Sunbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.Jones, R.A., & Beck, S.E. (1996). Decision Making in Nursing. London: CengageNoureddine, S. (2001). Development of the ethical dimension in nursing theory. International Journal of Nursing Practice.2001;7:1-7