Ethial Issues Faced by Nurses and Paramedics in Australia - Essay Example

Ethiсаl Issuеs Fасеd by Nursеs and Раrаmеdiсs in Аustrаliа Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Introduction At all levels nurses have been found to experience many ethical issues in their profession. A nurse is someone who is qualified in health care and provides health care services to the communities, families and individuals to ensure they live in high quality of life. Nurses are differentiated from other health professionals in that they undergo diversified training. On the other hand a paramedic is a professional in health care who is trained to handle emergency medical situations in a health setting. There are ethical issues which face both the nurses and paramedics in their areas of specialization (Wall 2002). In this regard, this essay will compare and contrast the approaches employed by the nurses and paramedics to manage the ethical issues in their day to day work Comparing and contrasting approaches to the ethical issues faced by nurses and paramedics in Australia From the research which was conducted in Australia, it was found that there are many ethical issues which face the nurses. These ethical issues include protecting the rights of the people as well as human dignity, providing health services with care to avoid the risks associated with the services like contracting HIV and TB. On the other hand the main ethical risk among the paramedics is the risks associated with their operations (Australian Department of Health and Aging2011). For instance the research indicated that every two years one paramedic is killed and thirty others are injured during transportation. The first approach which is employed by the nurses towards the ethical issues is integrating ethical education to their curricula. For instance, the nurses take up human rights lessons so that they understand the rights of the people. Another approach by the nurses is to ensure that the safety measures put in place are effective and they follow them to the latter. On the other hand, the approach to the ethical issues by paramedics includes ensuring diversity among the paramedics so that they can handle emergency cases effectively (Australian Department of Health and Aging2011). Diversity ensures both male and female treat their individuals of the same sex as their tradition requires. The national and international ethical frameworks for healthcare that influence ethical decision making The first national framework for nurses in decision making is the National Competency Standards for Registered Nurses which were formulated in the year 2006. It was enrolled in the year 2002 and enrolled midwives in the year 2006 while the Nurse practitioners were enrolled in the year 2005. This framework provides guidelines for the nurses regarding their decisions and it contains factors to be considered by the nurses in decision which include changes in health professions, the emergency of new roles among the nurses and changes in community expectations (Australian Department of Health and Aging 2011). Another framework for nurses during decision making is the Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia and the Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia which was launched in the year 2008(Australian Department of Health and Aging 2011). This framework helps the nurses to consider the code of ethics so that when they are making decisions they make decisions which are in line with the code of ethics to ensure they provide quality health services to the people. On the other hand, the ethical framework for decision making by paramedics in Australia is the PRECARE decision making model. With this framework, the paramedics are expected to make decisions which help to provide quality emergency services (ICN Regulation Series 2009). The paramedics are expected to make decisions considering the code of conduct which include observing the human rights. The international framework which guides the nurses in Australia while making decisions is the International Council of Nurses. This is the international framework which enables nurses in Australia to make decisions by considering accountability, legal practices as well as the ethical principles. On the contrary, the medicolegal Authority is the international framework for paramedics while making decisions (ICN Regulation Series 2009). Explaining the Code of Ethics relevant to Nurses and Paramedics. The aim of the code of ethics for nurses and paramedics in Australia is to ensure they make ethical decisions; they have the reference points when making decisions and also uphold the ethical standards. The ethical values for nurses in Australia include providing quality nursing care to all people to ensure they live quality lives. The nurses should respect and shows kindness to all people including self and they should also value the diversity of the people (Australia's Health 2014). The nurses should also ensure access to quality healthcare to all people without any discrimination. The nurses should value the importance of making informed decisions to ensure they improve the quality of services which are provided to the people. Finally, the nurses should consider the culture of the people while making their decisions. On the other hand, the paramedic should also observe the code of ethics while performing their duties. These codes of ethics include professionalism which implies that they should apply their competent skills to manage the emergency cases. The paramedics are also supposed to follow the law when providing their day to day operations by following the laid down procedures and should not engage in unethical practices (De Backer 2011). The paramedics are also supposed to promote health of the people and avoid anything that can lead to harm. The Nurses and Paramedics should also avoid any form of discrimination. Lack of clear guidelines can lead to such vices of discrimination which implies that the clients could not be served equally. For instance, the disabled and the low income earning families can be discriminated and this implies that they will not access the quality health care services (Australian Department of Health and Aging 2007). Therefore the code of ethics helps to improve the quality of services provided by Nurses and Paramedics as it provides them with the guidelines. Considering these codes of ethics, both the nurses and the paramedics aim at improving the lives of people by providing health care services. They are both expected to follow the laid down procedures to ensure they uphold their professionalism. Differentiating between ethical and legal issues in healthcare consenting vulnerable clients’ cohorts There are various ethical issues which affect the provision of health services. Ethical issues are the issues which affect the provision of quality healthcare services while legal issues are the legal factors which influence the provision of healthcare services. The first health issue is inability to build sustainable workforce to offer the healthcare services. In this context, as patients grow old their healthcare needs keep on changing and becoming more complex (Louise& Elizabeth 2011). This is an issue which affects the healthcare of the people since Nurses and Paramedics need to be trained so that they can be able to offer quality health services to the intended people. Another challenge is addressing the end of life issues. As the clients become of age, their healthcare needs also become complex. This implies that the healthcare providers are required to improve their efforts towards meeting the needs of their clients. The process of making various decisions becomes complex since the funding can be a challenge which implies that Nurses and Paramedics will not be able to provide quality services to their clients hence becoming health issue(Louise & Elizabeth 2011). Moreover, clients also provide some issues to the Nurses and Paramedics. In some instances, clients are provided with healthcare prescription but they don’t take in the instructions as provided (AIHW 2012). This is challenge to the healthcare providers since clients’ influence the quality of the decisions being made and therefore the healthcare services provided since the clients do not live as per the instructions of the Nurses and Paramedics. On the other hand, the legal issues related to Nurses and Paramedics include the legal rights of the patients. It is expected that Nurses and Paramedicsshould make decisions which improve the quality of the healthcare services provided. However to some extent, Nurses and Paramedics are denied the opportunity to make effective decisions to improve the living standards of the people. In this way, the human rights Act to some extent influences the quality of decisions being made by Nurses and Paramedics (Princeton University2007). In addition, consenting vulnerable clients cohorts faces the legal issue of licensing Nurses and Paramedics to offer the services to the clients. This is because there are long procedures and qualifications which should be met and this could hinder the provision of the healthcare services. Identifying social and spiritual factors that influence Nurses and Paramedics values and beliefs The first social factor which influences Nurses and Paramedic’s values is the culture of the people. The culture of Nurses and Paramedics determines their values. The culture in which Nurses and Paramedics were brought in determines their values. For instance, if Nurses and Paramedics were brought up in an environment where they were advised to uphold the moral principles, then the Nurses and Paramedics will be able to uphold the health code of ethics which are important in offering quality health services (Tulenko2012). But if the Nurses and Paramedics were brought up in an environment where they do not follow the moral principles, then it will be hard to follow the healthcare principles. Moreover, the culture of Nurses and Paramedics can determine the way they offer their services. For instance, some Muslims cannot provide health services to their clients of the opposite sex. This determines the values of the professionals. The education level further determines the values of Nurses and Paramedics in that it determines their personality. In this regard, these social factors determine the quality of decisions they make regarding the services they provide. The spiritual factors which influence Nurses and Paramedics include the religious beliefs which shape their thinking (Tulenko2012). For instance, the religious norms teach their followers not to perform abortion. The followers of the religious beliefs then practice these practices hence influencing the values of Nurses and Paramedics in decision making. Applying ethical normative frameworks that Nurses and Paramedics may appeal in defending their positions The first ethical framework which should be implemented by Nurses and Paramedics to defend their positions either individually or a group is upholding morality. This is the ethical framework whereby Nurses and Paramedics identify what is good and what is wrong and implement what is good while avoiding what is wrong. Morality enables Nurses and Paramedics to improve the provision of the services to the patients (Novick et al 2008). In this way, they will improve the reputation as well as finding the best ways to solve the health ethical dilemmas thus maintaining their position. On the other hand, Nurses and Paramedics can uphold the medical ethics and code of conduct so that they can act on the best interest of their clients. In this context, Nurses and Paramedics are required to uphold the ethical principles according to their professional requirement (Hardey2008). They are required to develop and implement critical thinking so that they can improve the quality of the services they provide to their clients. This will enable them to maintain their positions as either individuals or a team. There comes ethical dilemma when the paramedics are faced with an emergency but due to the culture of the culprits, it will be hard for the male paramedic to handle the emergency since the person involved is a person of the opposite sex. This is because there are sub cultures in Australia and each culture has its own beliefs. This is a dilemma to the paramedic since the culture coming into contact with a person of the opposite sex. However due to professionalism, the paramedic can ignore the beliefs and values and provide his or her services to save the situation. In this extent, the paramedic can defend his or her position by quoting the code of ethics and the regulatory frameworks which require the professionals to make appropriate decisions to improve the health of individuals thus the nurse can defend his or her position by ignoring the values of the people (Department of health2011). Conclusion The healthcare of the people has been a major concern for many countries. The growth and productivity of a country is influenced by the ability to manage the health issues which affect the people. Heath management helps to cut down the cost of treating the people with healthcare issues. In Australia the National Health Service is responsible for formulating the guidelines and policies which guide the health organisation in providing their services. On the other hand, the international framework organisation includes World Health Organisation. The Nurses and Paramedics are expected to uphold the code of ethics in executing their responsibilities like integrity, responsibility and accountability as well as quality service. However, there are legal and ethical issues which influence the success of the healthcare policies. This essay also discussed the main social and spiritual factors which influence the values of Nurses and Paramedics and which in turn influence the decisions they make. References Australia's Health (2014). Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra University. Australian Department of Health and Aging. (2011). The Australian Health Care System: The national healthcare funding system". Australian Department of Health and Aging. Australian Department of Health and Aging. (2007). "The Australian Health Care System: The national healthcare funding system"The Medicare Levy. Australian Department of Health and Aging. AIHW, (2012). Australia's health 2012. Canberra: AIHW. De Backer, D. (2011). 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