As a member of the Nursing Ethics committee in your organization you have been asked to create a poster presentation for the nursing staff breakroom for display during the upcoming Nurses’ Week. You look forward to this opportunity to share your passion for ethics in a creative way. The poster presentation should feature ethical principles, theories, and standards that guide ethical nursing practice pertaining to a current real world controversial healthcare situation in your workplace or current news.

QUESTION

As a member of the Nursing Ethics committee in your organization you have been asked to create a poster presentation for the nursing staff breakroom for display during the upcoming Nurses’ Week. You look forward to this opportunity to share your passion for ethics in a creative way. The poster presentation should feature ethical principles, theories, and standards that guide ethical nursing practice pertaining to a current real world controversial healthcare situation in your workplace or current news.

Instructions:

Include the following detail in your poster presentation:

Summarize the controversial healthcare situation chosen from your workplace or current news.

Explain five ethical principles associated with the controversial healthcare situation.

Compare and contrast two theoretical frameworks as they relate to the controversial healthcare situation.

Explain how five of the nine provisions of the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses relate to and could impact the healthcare decisions made by nurses or clients in healthcare decisions that pertain to the controversial healthcare situation.

Formal style reflected throughout the document, including spelling/ grammar checks, APA format, references and in text citations. Web addresses included in references

ANSWER

Ethical Considerations in a Controversial Healthcare Situation: A Nursing Perspective

Introduction

This poster presentation aims to highlight the ethical principles, theories, and standards that guide ethical nursing practice in a current real-world controversial healthcare situation. By examining the situation through the lens of ethical frameworks and the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses provisions, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complex ethical dilemmas faced by healthcare professionals and the impact on patient care.

Controversial Healthcare Situation

The chosen controversial healthcare situation is the allocation of limited resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. As healthcare facilities faced overwhelming numbers of patients requiring critical care, decisions had to be made about resource allocation, such as ventilators and ICU beds (Kirkpatrick et al., 2020). This situation raised ethical concerns regarding fairness, justice, and the duty to provide equal care to all patients.

Ethical Principles Associated with the Controversial Healthcare Situation

Autonomy: Respecting patients’ rights to make decisions about their own care and ensuring their involvement in the decision-making process regarding treatment options and allocation of scarce resources.

Beneficence: Promoting the well-being and best interests of patients by striving to provide the most beneficial and effective care possible, taking into account the available resources.

Nonmaleficence: Avoiding harm to patients and minimizing potential risks associated with the allocation decisions, ensuring that they are made in an ethical and responsible manner.

Justice: Ensuring fairness and equity in the distribution of healthcare resources, considering factors such as need, urgency, and potential for benefit.

Veracity: Being truthful and transparent in communication with patients, their families, and the broader community regarding resource allocation decisions, their rationale, and potential implications.

Comparing and Contrasting Two Theoretical Frameworks

Utilitarianism: This ethical theory suggests that actions should be based on maximizing overall happiness and minimizing harm (Vearrier & Henderson, 2021). In the context of resource allocation, utilitarianism may argue for allocating resources to those with the greatest likelihood of survival or benefit, even if it means denying care to others who may have a lower chance of survival.

Deontology: Deontological ethics emphasizes the adherence to moral rules and duties. In resource allocation, this theory may prioritize the principle of equal treatment and respect for the autonomy of each individual, regardless of their chances of survival. It may argue against sacrificing one individual’s well-being for the greater good.

Impact of ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses on Healthcare Decisions

Provision 1: The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person. This provision emphasizes the nurse’s commitment to treating all patients with respect and dignity, regardless of their prognosis or likelihood of benefit.

Provision 2: The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, or community. This provision reinforces the nurse’s duty to advocate for patients and prioritize their well-being, while considering the fair allocation of resources.

Provision 3: The nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient. This provision highlights the nurse’s responsibility to protect and advocate for the rights of patients, including their right to equal treatment and access to healthcare resources.

Provision 4: The nurse has authority, accountability, and responsibility for nursing practice. This provision emphasizes the nurse’s accountability in making ethical decisions and upholding professional standards while navigating resource allocation challenges.

Provision 6: The nurse, through individual and collective effort, establishes, maintains, and improves the ethical environment of the work setting and conditions of employment (Haddad, 2022). This provision emphasizes the nurse’s role in contributing to the development of an ethical work environment that supports fair resource allocation and ethical decision-making.

Conclusion

In navigating controversial healthcare situations such as resource allocation during a pandemic, nurses must consider and apply ethical principles, theories, and standards. By incorporating ethical frameworks and the provisions of the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, nurses can ensure that their practice aligns with the fundamental values of respect, fairness, justice, and patient-centered care. Ethical decision-making in these challenging situations promotes the best possible outcomes for patients while upholding the integrity of the nursing profession.

References

Haddad, L. M. (2022, August 22). Nursing Ethical Considerations. StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526054/ 

Kirkpatrick, J. N., Hull, S., Fedson, S., Mullen, B., & Goodlin, S. J. (2020). Scarce-Resource Allocation and Patient Triage During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 76(1), 85–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.05.006 

Vearrier, L., & Henderson, C. M. (2021). Utilitarian Principlism as a Framework for Crisis Healthcare Ethics. Hec Forum, 33(1–2), 45–60.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10730-020-09431-7