Personal Ethical Dilemma

Personal Ethical Dilemma

Nurses make decisions under critical circumstances. The nurses can make most of these judgments more easily if they utilize the morals of right and wrong. (This first sentence makes no sense. I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.) According to Rainer et al. (2018), the decision, in this case, is made based on the system of behavior. Nonetheless, all nurses must develop and implement ethical values in their professional duties. There are many scenarios in my practice as a nurse that can be considered ethical dilemmas. In other words, I have come across many situations whereby I have to choose between the available competing alternative values. Regardless of my choice as a nurse, there is always a consequence attached. The reason is that ethical dilemmas often clash with the personal values of nurses as well as the required code of ethics. However, the most important thing is for the individual who faces ethical dilemmas to understand how to solve them.

As a nurse, I once encountered a patient, an expectant mother, who came to the facility complaining of constant headaches. This occurred during my clinical hour in nursing school while observing my preceptor because I am not an OB nurse. However, I was surprised that she was drunk in her condition. Often, nurses discourage pregnant women from drinking or smoking. The reason is that they put the life of the unborn baby at risk. In addition, such women put their own lives in danger. Therefore, I immediately realized that I had to act in good faith to save the unborn child’s life. I attended to the woman and discharged her. However, I tried to talk to her about her behavior, but she was resistant and did not want to listen to me. At that point, she made another major mistake. She reached out to her purse, took out a cigarette, and began smoking. I warned her and stated that I would take legal action.

After she left, I pondered over the event and decided that I had to do something. I shared the issue with my colleague, who reported it to the children’s affairs office and reported the matter. I had to release her personal information to the charge nurse before taking any action. However, I knew very well that it was unethical, just as it was illegal, to release patients’ personal medical information without their consent. I was moved by the guilt of risking an innocent child’s life when I was in a position to assist. Therefore, I proceeded with the process. I was aware that the act could land me in great danger, including losing my license, a hefty fine, or a jail term. The charge nurse I consulted was very cooperative and promised never to expose the issue to anyone else.

The charge nurse moved with care and approached the woman with my help and that of law enforcers. She was counseled by experts who educated her about the dangers of drinking and smoking during pregnancy. The good thing was that the woman never realized that I had released her personal information without her consent. Therefore, I was safe this time, but I vowed never to break my ethical values and professionalism. Nonetheless, I am proud today of saving the unborn child’s life. In some cases, I have witnessed such patients take legal actions against healthcare workers for allegedly breaking the nurses’ code of ethics by releasing their personal information without their knowledge.

In this case, I applied moral decision-making since the code of ethics requires nurses to observe the issues of autonomy and beneficence. However, I feel that there is a thin line between the two concepts since, on the one hand, the code of ethics and the law provide patients with the right to autonomy. The meaning of this is that they have a choice over their health. On the other hand, the concept of beneficence requires nurses to act in their judgment whenever they feel that the patient needs to be attended to in a given way or ought to act in a given manner. The duty-based approach theory informed the decision that I made. The theory maintains that people should do what is in the best interest of another person regardless of the consequences of those actions (Schwartz, 2016). However, the consequences, in this case, could have been enormous.

To sum it up, nurses are faced with ethical dilemmas frequently during their practice. The reason is that they have to occasionally make decisions based on the wrong and the right which might go against their ethical values or the requirements of the nurses’ ethical code of conduct. Such decisions are often associated with dire legal consequences. In my situation, I had to make the most difficult decision of acting in good faith to save a life and upholding the ethical code of conduct concerning autonomy. The duty-based theory maintains that one ought to do the right thing regardless of the consequences associated with those actions. However, it is always better to observe the required ethical values, as failure to do so as a nurse can lead one to great risks. Nonetheless, it is also important for the law to create a clear distinction between the concepts of beneficence and autonomy.

References

Rainer, J., Schneider, J. K., & Lorenz, R. A. (2018). Ethical dilemmas in nursing: An integrative review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(19-20), 3446-3461.

Schwartz, M. S. (2016). Ethical decision-making theory: An integrated approach. Journal of Business Ethics, 139(4), 755-776.