Taking a Stand

 

Introduction

There are a large number of ethical issues in the nursing profession. Ethics which is defined as the study of the standards of conduct and actions that a person or an individual must express when dealing with other individuals, the environment or even themselves (Johnstone, 2015). It is used to justify what has been done as good or how an individual life and relationship should be like. It is therefore very important for the hospital administrators such as the nurse leaders to have good knowledge about the ethical frameworks to enable them to make decisions which are wise and of professional standards.

             Different frameworks are being used currently, but the most common are duty based reasoning, the utilitarianism, right based reasoning, the fairness or justice approach and the intuitionism (Sen, 2017). This paper will introduce conceptual frameworks concerning ethical constructs and it will also describe an example of ethical dilemma which has been faced in the work environment and analyzes ethical and the legal implications that have been used in the situation as well as describing the role of the nurse as the advocate of the patient or a moral agent on the specific case.

            The paper will also give consideration on the leadership style which has been identified during the self-assessment and makes a decision if it had acted as interference or as facilitation during the ethical dilemma. It is, therefore, reasonable to admit that nurses undergo different difficulties as they deliver nursing services to their clients which then require them to make decisions on what to do. The frameworks give the nurses guidance on solving these ethical dilemmas and the managers to clarify their values and beliefs to solve the dilemma. The frameworks provide direction to help the nurses make the best decisions that suit the situation at the time of presentation and also, ensuring that codes of conducts are met considering the patient needs and their rights.

Ethical dilemma

             Ethical dilemmas are common in health care, and there is always a need to make a decision on the appropriate approach to consider. These dilemmas are difficult even for those who have worked in that area of work for a very long time and have a lot of experience (Aitamaa et al., 2016). Two months ago, there was a client who came to the clinic with a history of cough and night sweats which had lasted for four weeks, a laboratory test was taken, and later he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He was admitted and was nursed in isolation due to the nature of the condition. Further investigations were conducted, and he was found out that he had contracted syphilis. He never knew about this though he reported that he had recently involved himself in casual sex recently with men.

The 28-year-old was married and had two children. His wife was not aware that he was bisexual and the client made it clear that his wife should never be informed on the condition though there was a high likelihood that the wife had also contracted the infection. The client wanted the staff to treat the wife without giving any diagnosis to her because he loved his wife so much and wanted to keep his marriage. He said that in case he would be informed she will be devastated and he might lose his marriage. He also stated that the staff must respect his confidentiality or he will discharge himself from the hospital

Moral, ethical and legal implication utilized in decision making

It was difficult on making a decision on this issue because it was essential to respect the confidentiality of the client which is in the code of conduct and as a nurse, the interest of the patient should always be considered as a priority (Butts & Rich, 2019). In case the information is shared to his wife he might also get psychological problems and on the other needs if the wife is not informed she might develop complication which will affect her health and generally her lifestyle if it is left untreated for a long time

The wife should be told about her husband condition because if the condition is left untreated, it will have a severe adverse complication to her. In this situation, the information will be shared for the interest of her wife but ensuring that only the relevant information is shared appropriately as long as the law allows (Butts & Rich, 2019). This is usually done if the patient safety and the interest of the public override the confidentiality of the patient.

Sharing of information is done while ensuring that the client understands well what has happened and providing evident-based while taking the necessary steps to meet her communication needs. Responding to questions and any misunderstanding that may have aroused during the process.

There was a need to provide treatment, and it is the right of any client to know what they are being treated for, the rights of the individuals needs to be respected and upheld. The care and treatments of all people should also be administered without delay ensuring that the care is delivered with respect, kindness, and compassion. The health needs of the client need to be meet earlier, and action is taken to promote the health of the client.

All the patients are provided with all the information concerning their health without hiding anything from them. This will make them make informed choices concerning their care and the treatment which are given (Butts & Rich, 2019). It will also allow them to make a significant contribution to promoting their health and facilitating the delivery of care. The nurse advocates for the rights of the client to receive the necessary care as he/she needs. Autonomy in practice also contributes to promoting good health to the clients; it improves the quality of care administered as the nurses makes their own decisions depending on the needs of the patient. Autonomy, in this case, is used to decide to inform the client wife for her benefit.

Roles of the nurse

I acted as the caregiver, and thus I supported the client, physically and psychologically and ensuring that the dignity of the client is respected at all times. Provision of emotional support during the time of disclosure was also necessary to ensure the client is able to cope. Attending also to the needs as they aroused was also vital. It was also crucial for me to become a communicator through the provision of necessary information to the client and even any information about the condition that she needs to know.

It was also essential to advocate for the rights of the clients such as the right to get appropriate treatment. The nurse fights for the client to protect her from developing any complications that may arise from failure to get treatment. Counseling was also crucial to ensure the client adheres to the medication and even understand the situation she is in and the necessary guidance when she returns home.

I also took the leadership role to influence others to work together to accomplish the goal of offering treatment in the right way. This had involved influencing the man to disclose the information to his wife on his own. As the leader, I completely understood the needs and the goals, and I necessarily applied my leadership skills and interpersonal skill to influence those involved in the situation. It was also wise to work with others as a case manager to ensure effectiveness in the delivery of care to the client and also to ensure the case has been handled well.

 Leadership style and its effect on decision making

My leadership style from the assessment is transformative leadership, and it facilitated the making of a decision on the case. Critical thinking was needed to make the most appropriate decision and this needed collaboration from other staff members who were delivering care to the client. An individual suggestion is essential, and since the provision of treatment to the client’s wife was important for her future health, it was the wisest decision to consider disclosure and starting treatment. The leadership style did not pose a challenge or acted as a barrier during the making of the decision.

Through motivation of the team members who were providing the care, they were able to engage in critical thinking and come up with the full picture of the condition to the client which thus resulted in deciding to disclose the information

 

 

 

 

 

References

Aitamaa, E., Leino-Kilpi, H., Iltanen, S., & Suhonen, R. (2016). Ethical problems in nursing management: the views of nurse managers. Nursing ethics, 23(6), 646-658.

Butts, J. B., & Rich, K. L. (2019). Nursing ethics. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Johnstone, M. J. (2015). Bioethics: a nursing perspective. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Sen, A. (2017). Elements of a Theory of Human Rights. In Justice and the Capabilities Approach (pp. 221-262). Routledge.