Significant Ethical Concerns in Nursing

All the professions has some or the other ethical issues. But sometimes, these issues are made big and hyped, if any public representatives are involved. Similarly, field of nursing also has some ethical concerns. Nonetheless, the nurses as well as the doctors are thoroughly trained how to deal with the patients and the medical staff while working together.

Some of the most significant ethical concerns in nursing are listed below:

• Approval & Capability: According to the American Hospitals Association a patient has a right to be informed about the medical results and he also has full right to refuse the treatment. But, this is possible only if the patient is in his senses to recognize and comprehend the treatment. If the patients are not under their conscious, they don’t have the right to deny or grant the treatment they are being provided with. In cases with the mental patients, sometimes families of these patients fall short of understanding that doctors have much better knowledge than them and this may cost the life of the patient.
• Disobedience by the Patient: There are times, when patients receive the same treatment for the same problem or ailment, but there is no progress in health. It is not right that all the money is spend on the treatment where there is not much improvement in health. This is said to be one of the major ethical concerns in nursing field.
• Privacy & Self-sufficiency: Another major ethical concern in the field of nursing is that clash of professional ethics (medical professionals) and patients’ rights. It is absolutely essential for the medical personnel to disclose all the information about the illness and the treatment required to cure the ailment. Nonetheless, this self-sufficiency usually conflicts with nursing ethics, where it is necessary to preserve superior level of privacy concerning the health of the patient and its treatment.

Sometimes, the family members fail to understand all the information given by the nurse concerning the health and treatment of the patient. Therefore, this can give result of some major misunderstandings, which could in turn harm the patient. But, sometimes one needs to keep the information pretty private just for the sake of the patient.

The ethical concerns in the field of nursing are quite alike when compared to the issues faced by other health care providers, such as physicians, surgeons etc.

As a result, the ethical concerns in the field of nursing must be seen as the flourishing nursing professional in the field. As a nurse, one is in constant touch with the patients, so there are times, when nurses need to handle situations, such as providing information about the sickness along with the treatment to the patients as well as to their family members. And in case there is any conflict between the opinion of the doctors or medical professionals and the patients, it is required to be sorted out with peace and harmony.

It has been seen that the nurse managers at premeditate levels used these ethic codes more frequently than those who are in charge of the ward