Ethical Theories of Nursing - Essay Example

Ethical Theories of Nursing Essay

Hospitals are full of different healthcare personnel that takes care of admitted patients, whether inpatient or outpatient. During medical studies, such people are taught about the value of respecting human life and treating all patients with respect. So, when you fall ill, and you are thinking about going to the hospital, who comes in mind first? Probably the doctor.

However, in the hospital, very many people work together to ensure that you have better health. Everyone going to the hospital puts their entire trust on these people to guarantee that they treat them with care and make them better. It is the role of these healthcare professionals who are doctors and registered nurses to make sure every client recovers from their ailment. That will be the central theme of this ethical theories of nursing essay. What ethical standards should healthcare staff maintain in the hospital?

What Makes Nurses Maintain Ethical Standards?

Humans are prone to error and victims of selfish behaviors. You might wonder how registered nurses maintain an ethical mindset when you consider the hectic hospital schedule and the overwhelming number of patients streaming every day. Nurses have a duty that is informed by ethical theories that guide them as a patient advocate.

Such ethical values make sure nurses are great advocates of their patients and turn them into valuable people in the healthcare field. In this article, you are going to learn more about how nurses become the best advocates for patients by sticking to their ethical theories. Also, you will get to know more about the advantages that customers draw from such ethical theories.

What are the Core Ethical Theories of a Nurse?

It is integral to comprehend what builds nurses ethical theories – the core principles that such theories are created from. These ethical principles are:

• Autonomy
• Beneficence
• Fidelity
• Integrity
• Informed consent
• Justice
• Nonmaleficence
• Paternalism
• Veracity
• Privacy and confidentiality

On the other hand, ethical theories that have a massive influence on nursing are:

• Consequentialism
• Deontology
• Ethical relativism
• Utilitarianism theory
• Teleology
• Virtue ethics
• Justice
• Equity

How many of the words from ethical principles and theories make sense? Of courses, some might be familiar, while others might be completely foreign. The best way to comprehend how these theories and principles work to shape the nursing practice and what they believe in is a good idea to learn their meanings. So, what do these terms mean?

The Meaning of Ethical Principles

You are probably familiar with the word autonomy, as it is a phrase that is widely used in different professions. You probably have learned somewhere about the relevance of being autonomous when making a judgment. Does the meaning that you are familiar with relate to what it represents in nursing?

Autonomy is the patient’s right to decide on their health, healthcare, and other healthcare personnel. It is more about their capability of making a conclusive decision about their healthcare without any nurse or any other healthcare professional influencing their decision. It is a fundamental ethical principle that every nurse ought to uphold.

Whenever a nurse has a patient, they are supposed to keep their feeling to themselves and resists the temptation to express their thoughts or ideas to the individual they are attending to. There is even the Patient Self Determination Act passed in 1990 by Congress supporting this principle.

Another essential principle is beneficence, which means always doing what is best for the patient. This principle means that the registered nurse should do all they can to prevent the patient’s mental and physical harm. Fidelity means loyalty and faithfulness, a virtue that is integral for nurses. The registered nurse should be fair and loyal to the patient, which means that they are their advocate. One of the best ways that nurses maintain faithfulness is keeping the promise of checking on them every time, even if they are overwhelmed by other responsibilities.

Another great principle is informed consent that is closely related to autonomy. It means that the patient ought to be allowed an opportunity to make an informed decision or judgment about their treatment. However, before making their final decision, the patient should be given all factual data relating to their medical condition so that they can make a final informed choice.

Every informed decision ought to be competent and voluntary. It means that whenever the patient is making a decision, they ought to be thoughtful and in a stable condition and are making it voluntarily.

The justice principle means fairness, and it is entirely self-explanatory. In the nursing profession, they ought to give every patient equal access to nursing and any other medical care. One of the biggest and most integral parts of being a nurse is not harming your patient but rather ensuring that they are cured. The nonmaleficence principle represents this ideology that nurses abide by. It means that caregivers should not do any harm to patients.

Caregivers are not supposed to cause any injury, either physical or mental, to any patient. It also means they should not lead them to financial troubles that can originate from the harms they might cause. It is a simple principle that registered caregivers must abide by.

The paternalism principle covers a negative aspect of the profession. It is whereby a nurse does not consider a patient’s autonomy because they think they have their best interest at heart out of their expansive knowledge. This principle is one of the most ignored in the profession. Some caregivers do not abide by the theories.

Privacy and confidentiality are more about keeping patient’s information secure and not sharing with any third party. If necessary, the nurse can share it with other medical personnel on a need-to-know basis so that they do not breach confidentiality. The final and fundamental ethical principle is veracity, which is mostly about truthfulness.

In the nursing profession, it is integral to stick to the confidentiality code of conduct and never disclose any patient’s information to anyone unless necessary. What does this mean? Every patient should receive accurate information about the risks of any procedures they are going to experience while allowing them the space for autonomy. Caregivers must comprehend ethical principles as they are paramount in building theories that are a nurse’s code of conduct.

Ethical Theories: What Do They Mean?

Nurses should comprehend the meaning of different theories so that they can know the best strategy for applying them in their profession. Caregivers are in a field that requires great attention and care, and when they are aware and understand these theories, they will create a conducive environment for their patients and practice better.

Consequentialism, also referred to as utilitarianism and is a simple term to grasp. This term comes from the word consequence, which in layman language informs that whatever action you do has a relative outcome. Therefore, caregivers must know that whatever they are doing as they practice will have consequences in the future, either positive or negative.

Therefore, a nurse should always think deeply when they are making any fundamental decision in their profession. In case they are going to make any decision, they are supposed to follow the direction that they know will be of the biggest benefit to many people. The goodness might be interpreted as things that result in people feeling happy, symptom-free, or any other life-enhancing outcome.

Another extraordinary theory for people in the nursing profession is deontology, which means doing what you would like to be done to you. This theory focuses more on the nurse’s intention and less on the eventual outcome of their actions. If they are thinking of doing something, will they want it done on them as well?

When a nurse acts according to this value, they are going to be ethical, and an individual always follows sound principles that produce excellent outcomes. Some have a negative opinion about this ethical theory in nursing, stating that it can lead to a conflict of interests. Teleology theory is opposite to deontology and is a very integral ethical theory. Here, it is more about the outcome and figuring out if the act is good.

The ethical relativism theory is more about what society considers as acceptable. The theory states that every culture has a set of acceptable norms, which means that certain behaviors might be okay while others might not. Therefore, it is the nurse’s responsibility to consider all of these and conclude the right direction to follow. The nurse ought to be aware that standards are relative and are determined by a person’s circumstance by factors like time, place, and culture.

Of course, the ethical relativism theory is open to debate as some societal is not ideal. When a nurse is adequately educated and informed on their patient’s cultures, they will be better positioned to give them better care. They will not infringe on the patient’s beliefs or taboos, thereby not having a biased opinion.

Virtue ethics brings an entirely different perspective. What does it mean to the patient? Here, it teaches the nurse not to apply a lot of energy focusing on rules that ought to be followed but on developing proper traits like generosity and kindness. According to the theory, such characteristics are going to give them a better opportunity of making a more informed decision in the future, which is a positive gain. It is always great for people to know the easiest ways of eliminating poor habits.

Whatever keeps you from becoming a better version of yourself ought to be fought and dropped no matter what it takes. According to this theory, caregivers should give the best care to their patients, learn how to eliminate poor habits, and use this new knowledge to improve their care.

Therefore, the healthcare professional must perform an in-depth review of their decision and judgment and alter whatever they consider unethical. Since everyone is open to correction from the troubles they make, if caregivers understand this theory, they can be willing to change their vices and do a better job. Justice and equity are very easy to understand.

They mean giving everyone equal treatment regardless of their social or economic status in the community. The less privileged mostly suffer when they are seeking medical care, and this theory aims to protect their interests. A healthcare professional ought to take a path that is fair to everybody regardless of the resources they possess. Since you are now aware of all these ideologies, it would be easier to understand how they apply in the nursing profession when taking care of patients.

Importance of Ethical Ideologies

It is integral that everyone in the nursing profession comprehends and applies these ideologies in their careers regardless of where they are in the world. The primary aim of any registered healthcare professional is to offer the best medical care possible when they abide by the ideologies that guide the profession.

Any healthcare professional that is well-versed with all the principles will have a better decision process and will always have their client’s interest at heart. Caregivers are humans, and they are also victims of human emotion. However, when they have a code of conduct guided by ideologies and principles, they will be in a better position to block their instincts and act for the good of their patients. It makes them better patient advocates.

Any healthcare professional that is aware of all ethical ideologies and applies them in their profession will have a better patient outcome. This way, they are going to avoid simple errors that might harm clients either mentally or physically. These ethical ideologies and principles are integral in the healthcare profession, especially for caregivers, as they protect the patient and the caregivers that are taking care of patients.

If you are in the medical field, regardless of your level, you ought to ascertain that you abide by the set standards. It is the only way you can serve patients well and give them the best care without being biased.