485: Test 1 Ethical and Bioethical Issues in Nursing

Rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group or culture.

A system of principles that govern the actions of the nurse in relation to patients, families, healthcare providers, policymakers, and society as a whole.

Interdisciplinary field within healthcare that has evolved with modern medicine to address questions that arise as science & technology produce new ways of knowing.

A succinct statement of the ethical values, obligations, duties, and professional ideals of nurses individually and collectively.
It is the profession’s non-negotiable ethical standard.

The fundamental responsibility of the nurse is fourfold:
What are they?

What are the 4 principles that guide current bioethical decision-making?

What are some ethical issues that arise created by technology?

The equitable distribution of scarce resources among all socioeconomic groups and populations.

What are some examples of distributive justice in the allocation of scarce resources?

The limitation of access to or the equitable distribution of medical services through controls.

The ethical requirement of distributive justice assumes______ will be needed

Self-determination. Respect for the patient’s decision-making capabilities.

Promote good
Professional duty and moral obligation to undertake positive actions aimed at safeguarding the health & welfare of patients.

Do no harm. The harm should not be disproportionate to the benefits of treatment

Fair & equal treatment for all. Patients receive what they deserve & have their needs met.

Truth telling. Information should be accurate & truthful.

Dedication, loyalty, advocacy

“Father’s Knows Best” approach

Benefit vs. Risk

Selfless concern for the well-being of others.

Respect for the inherent worth & uniqueness of people & populations.

Acting in accordance with an appropriate code of ethics.

Fair & equal treatment to all regardless of economic status, race, age, disability, sexual orientation, and ethnicity.

A choice between two actions that will affect the well-being of a person

What are the most common ethical & bioethical issues encountered in nursing?

Generally consist of doctors, nurses, on-staff chaplain, social worker, administrative personnel, legal representative, and a surrogate decision maker for the patient.

What are the four topics for analysis in clinical ethics cases:

An approach that supports what is best for most people, rooted in the assumption that an action or practice is right if it leads to the greatest possible balance of good consequence or to the least possible balance of bad consequence.

An approach that is rooted in the assumption that humans are rational and act out of principles that are consistent and objective and compel them to do what is right.

is the philosophical study of the nature of being, becoming, existence or reality as well as the basic categories of being and their relations

focuses primarily on anticipating, preventing, diagnosing, and treating symptoms experienced by patients with a serious or life-threatening illness.

The ultimate goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient & the family, regardless of the diagnosis.

4 Barriers to Palliative Care in the Acute Care Setting

Project was initiated in February 2000 and has trained over 17,500 healthcare professionals representing all 50 states.

Patients at the end-of-life with the awareness of imminent death must complete certain tasks to experience a peaceful death.
What are the tasks?

How many provisions are there in the ANA code of ethics?

What are essential nursing values?

What are the most common ethical & bioethical dilemmas encountered in nursing from the powerpoint?

How will ethical & bioethical issues in nursing & health care affect your professional practice?

What are the ethical concepts applied to nursing?

What are the four ethical principles that guide current bioethical decision-making?

What is the difference between ethics and bioethics?

What is distributive justice and what is its assumed ethical requirement?

What are the barriers to palliative care discussed on the powerpoint presentation?

What is double effect?

What four conditions make double effect ethically acceptable?

What is palliative sedation?

What is medically futile treatment?

What are the six benefits of palliative care in the improvement of quality of life?

What was identified by the Institute of Medicine IOM as a specific gap in end-of-life care in the acute care setting?

Pain in palliative care patients is further complicated by the presence of other symptoms. What are the 8 symptoms listed in the textbook?

What is the “work of dying”?

What were two landmark cases discussed in the textbook that helped establish the patient’s right to refuse life-sustaining medical treatment? What did they generate support for?

Quinlan- use of hospital ethics committees to review decision to withdraw life-sustaining treatments
Cruzan- patient self-determination act. Patient needs rights and safeguards in the form of clear and convincing evidence in the interest in preserving life.