Compare two ethical principles (Dawn) - Assignment Example

Topic Comparing two ethical principles Here two ethical principles are compared relating to ethical decision making which can affect the belief system and role of an advanced nurse in the medical field. These two ethical principles that relate to ethical decision making are nonmaleficence and beneficence. According (e-notes,2013)“The study of ethics has led to the identification of basic concepts including rights, autonomy, beneficence, no maleficence, justice, and fidelity”. As far as non-maleficence goes, the nurses are not supposed to cause any harm to their patient in any manner whether it is physical, mental, direct, indirect, intentional or unintentional.

As per (University of Washington,1998) “In the course of caring for patients, there are some situations in which some type of harm seems inevitable, and we are usually morally bound to choose the lesser of the two evils, although the lesser of evils may be determined by the circumstances”.When we think about the other ethical principle, it can be detailed as beneficence where in nurses are obliged to do good for their patients and have the duty not to do any harm to them during the course of treatment .

As per (Pentilat,2008) “Beneficence is action that is done for the benefit of others. Beneficent actions can be taken to help prevent or remove harms or to simply improve the situation of others”. Interestingly enough, our duty to do good for our patients can also interfere with our duty to do no harm”. The application of these principles is to protect the patient and help them lead a comfortable life. As per (Runzheimer,2013) “All healthcare providers must strive to improve their patient’s health, to do the most good for the patient in every situation”.

Referencese- Notes, (2013). Code of Ethics for Nurses. In http://www.enotes.com. Retrieved June 24, 2013, from http://www.enotes.com/code-ethics-nurses-reference/code-ethics-nursesPentilat, S. (2008). Beneficence vs. Nonmaleficence . In http://missinglink.ucsf.edu. Retrieved June 24, 2013, from http://missinglink.ucsf.edu/lm/ethics/content%20pages/fast_fact_bene_nonmal.htmRunzheimer, J. (2013). Medical Ethics For Dummies. In http://eu.dummies.com. Retrieved June 24, 2013, from http://eu.dummies.

com/how-to/content/medical-ethics-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.htmlUniversity of Washington, . (1998). The Principle of Nonmaleficence. In http://depts.washington.edu. Retrieved June 24, 2013, from http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/tools/prin2cs.html