Nursing Ethics and Bioethics

There are several principles that assist nurses to resolve ethical and bioethical issues. First, the principle of autonomy requires nurses to respect their patient’s right to self-determination (Hitchcock et al. It honours the right of individuals to make informed decisions free of coercion. Nurses may encounter patients who appear to be making bad decisions about their health. Some patients may refuse to exercise, eat well or adhere to treatment requirements. In some cases, distributing scarce resources equally appears to promote justice while in others, unequal distribution of resources ensures justice has been served (Hitchcock et al. Fifth, nurses are deemed to have acted ethically in cases where they consider their patient’s rights before making any decision that affects their care.

Common rights of patients include the right to confidentiality, the right to information and the right to treatment. Bioethics demands that nurses should always consider patients’ negative rights before subjecting them to any scientific research. Examples of negative rights include the right to refuse treatment and the right not to be assaulted (Pera and Susara 98). The third value statement requires nurses to value the diversity. This helps to build virtue of fairness and equality in them. Nurses also appreciate the aspect of diversity to their patients by understanding the fact that their patients differ in various aspects. They should also value how they differ from their colleagues as well as appreciate the diversity that exists in their community. The fourth value statement requires nurses to value access to quality health care and nursing for all.

The seventh value statement urges nurses to value ethical management of information. Nurses have access to information relating to patients and colleagues. They should ensure personal, patients’ and colleagues’ information is well managed to prevent it from being disclosed to unauthorized people. Lastly, the eighth value statement urges nurses to value an environment that promotes health and wellbeing. As such, nurses should ensure their practices and those of their colleagues do not affect the environment negatively. Veracity In some cases, a mother may still want to keep her baby but her health condition may not allow her to carry the pregnancy to term. Nurses have a duty to tell the mother the truth and urge her to allow an abortion (Hitchcock et al.

Reproductive Technology Ethical principle Potential issues identified Autonomy The client’s decision to use the services of surrogate agencies should be respected irrespective of the views that a nurse may have. Beneficence and non-maleficence A nurse needs to promote their clients’ interest to have a baby. However, they have to balance that with the ethical requirement of not doing any harm. Confidentiality The urge to use other clients who have had successful organ transplants. Nurses must remember they have a duty not to disclose such information (Hitchcock et al. Justice A client may be unable to pay for an expensive organ transplant yet their life depends on it. Rights A client has a right to decide what happens to their bodies such as to donate essential organs could put their health at risk.

Veracity Nurses may hesitate to tell the truth to their clients that tissue transplantation could cause problems in the future Euthanasia / Assisted suicide Ethical principle Potential issues identified Autonomy A patient’s decision to die should be respected even when a nurse has different views about life. Confidentiality Information about restrained patients should not be shared by others including those who have a great interest in knowing. Justice Nurses owe it to their clients to restrain them for treatment purposes. Rights Restrain may appear to violate patients’ rights to refuse treatment and the right not to be coerced (Pera and Susara 99). Veracity Nurses may experience difficulties explaining to their clients that they had to restrain them to complete treatment. Refusal of / and withdrawal of treatment Ethical principle Potential issues identified Autonomy The patient’s decision to withdraw from a treatment may put their life at risk but the nurse has to respect client wishes.

Veracity A nurse has to explain in details how abuse will affect a patient. Quality of life Ethical principle Potential issues identified Autonomy Nurses should respect their client’s views about the quality of life and the decisions they make. Beneficence and non-maleficence A patient may want to end their life because they feel their quality of life has been compromised, which would mean they want assistance to harm themselves. Confidentiality Nurses may want to give examples using other patients to challenge a patient’s views about quality of life. Justice Nurses should assist if a client has chosen to end her life. Confidentiality A client’s decision to participate in stem cell research should not be disclosed without their permission.

Justice Fairness demands that clients should be allowed to participate in stem cell research irrespective of the views of a nurse. Rights Stem cell research may pose a risk to the reproductive interests of women who participate in infertility treatment. Veracity Nurses need to tell clients about the medical risks of oocyte retrieval. Not for resuscitation orders Ethical principle Potential issues identified Autonomy Patient has a right to die Beneficence and non-maleficence A nurse should not allow a patient to die as that constitutes harm. Veracity Nurses need to tell patients the truth about the possible consequences of their decisions. Works Cited Chang, Esther and John Daly. Transitions in Nursing: Preparing for Professional Practice, Elsevier Health sciences, 2016. Hitchcock, Janice E. , et al.