ethics and bioethics of professionalism subject

Ethics and bioethics topic of professionalism.

1. ethics and bioethics

2. E thics The word ethics is derived from the ancient Greek word ehtikos , which means relating to one’s character. Ethikos derives its name from the root word of ethos . It refers to customs , habitual usages, and conduct. It is about defining the moral dimension in life including duties , responsibilites , justice , conscience,and other social concern.

3. Definition Ethics is the science of the ideal human character or the science of moral duty . R ushworth kidder Ethics is a set of concept and principles that guide us in determining what behaviour helps or harms sentient creatures. Richard william paul and Linda Elder

4. Bioethics Bioethics is the science that deals with the rightness and wrongness of actions within the scope of medicine, nursing, and allied health. It is the study of ethics concerning health and human life ( eg . Decision about abortion or end of life) Bio ethics is the application of general ethical principles to health care. Bioethics can be described as a sub category within ethics. It addresses ethical issues such as those that arise from technological advancement and advances in science. Stem cells , cloning , genetic engineering are some of the most bio ethical issues.

5. Ethical principle’s The principles of biomedical ethics include four principles that serve as guidelines for fundamental moral behaviours . These includes :- AUTONOMY, BENEFICENCE , NON MALEFICENCE, JUSTICE . These are the universal norms shared by all persons committed to morality that help in choosing the best actions to during complex situation of ethical dilemmas .

6. Fundamental ethical principle’s Principle’s Meaning Beneficence This principle emphasizes the importance of do good or acting for the benefit of the patient . Non maleficence This principle emphasizes the importance of do not harm or prevent harm Autonomy This principle emphasizes the right to determine for own treatment or choices of actions (self determination ) Justice This principle emphasizes the fairness or equitableness and appropriate distribution of health care resources and services .

7. Ethical principle applied in nursing Ethical principle’s Application in practice Autonomy Allow patients to make decision without judgment Beneficence Doing the right thing for patients . Non maleficence No intentional or unintentional harm Veracity Being truthful with patients . Fidelity Being loyal and true to their professional duties through efficiently rendering high quality and self care . Justice A group of patient must receive equal and fair care Accountability All professional and personal consequences for nursing actions must be accepted Standard of the best interest When a client is unable to make an informed decision regarding their health care , a decision is made on their behalf . obligations Rights that are owned to others

8. Application of ethical principle’s Ethical principles are guiding or governing principles these principles are generally accepted by the public and are founded on human aspects . By adopting ethical concepts , nurses can become more organized in their ethical problem solving. These principles can help nurses analyze conflicts and can also be utilized as frame work for resolving ethical issues. The ethical principles are as follows:-

9. Beneficence Beneficence is Doing good . It is an absolute necessity for all health care providers. This principle considers that the primary goal is to be able to provide quality care for the clients who seek it . Beneficence refers to the ethical principle of the duty to promote good and prevent harm . Nurses must have the obligation to do well. This means taking steps that are beneficial to clients and their care givers . Two elements of beneficence are providing benefits and balancing harms .

10. cont Example :- providing suitable positions with comfort devices for a client experiencing respiratory distress. However , doing good might equally increase the likelihood of causing harm. Example:- A nurse has started a blood transfusion to save the patient life but the patient might start having some mild allergic reactions. Sometimes implementing the principle of beneficienance can be difficult because it is hard to determine what is best for someone else and who is most qualified to make that decision .

11. Non maleficence Non maleficence refers to the obligations to do not harm . As a core obligation health care professional must practice non maleficence . Both the Hippocratic oath and the Nightingale pledge declare that healthcare professionals should not do harm to patients. Non maleficence encourages nurse to considered the benefits and risks of treatment with great care . This principle asserts the ethical question : will this treatment modality cause greater harm or more good for the client ?

12. Cont It is a legal necessity that healthcare professionals do not injured their patient , whether intentionally or unintentionally. However , the principle of non maleficence in healthcare is often broken to achieve a greater benefit for the in the long term, for example :- a client might have to undergo painful surgery and chemotherapy to remove cancerous growth. This could protecting his life , it is also worth noting that unintentional harm in nursing is relatively acceptable . In addition, the principle of non maleficence necessitates that nurses must safeguard vulnerable population such as children , mentally ill , the unconscious , and someone unable to defend

13. Veracity Veracity is truthfulness. It means that the healthcare provider must tell truth, not deceive clients or intentionally mislead them. The principle of veracity, although not a legal requirement in a foundation for a trusting relationship between a client and nurse which is essential to any therapeutic relationship. Nurses are sometime hesitant to convey the bad news their condition because they are uncomfortable doing so. However, feeling uneasy is not a good enough excuse to keep clients from learning the truth about diagnosis , treatments , prognosis.

14. Cont. While nurses have an obligation to be truthful, clients have to right to across information about their condition. Placebo medication use is a common example of veracity being violated. Medical errors are another issue that has been related to this principle. Many believe that medical errors should not be disclosed if clients are not hurt. However reporting errors has an essential duty to the nurse prevent further associated consequences. Although it may be seem easy to disclose the truth it can be difficult to determine how much truth to share . This may look simpler but in practice , the choices are not always easy.

15. Fidelity Fidelity describes faithfulness to agreement and keeping promises. In the field of health care, fidelity refers to a professional’s commitment to the promises and duties that come with their professional’s fidelity is the foundation of accountability and it upholds clients advocacy. Nurses can demonstrate fidelity by communicating the client’s point of view with other health team members by supporting the patient’s decision , even if the nurse does not even agree with his or her preferences.

16. Justice The principle of justice rests on fairness. It is obligation to be fair to all. It states that everyone has the right to equitable treatment regardless of color, gender, or marital status. The American Nurses Association (ANA) code of ethics for nurses (2014) begins with the concept of justice :- “the nurse in all professional relations practices compassion and respect for each individual’s inherent dignity , worth and uniqueness without regard to social and economic status, personal attributs of the nature of their health problems.”

17. Cont The ethical principle of justice nurse mandates that nursing care should be distributed equally, based on need , and priority basis. there are many situation in which nurses must act with justice. For example :- A nurse visiting a client at home finds her feeling depressed. She knows that she can help the client by spending some extra time talking to her however, this would be a time consuming task for her next client . who requires qualitative nursing care . Therefore to promote justice, the nurse has to weigh the significant benefits and burdens of both the client and act accordingly.

18. Cont. According to American Nurses Association ANA 1991 ,there are three sorts of conduct that are seemed unjust :- When implementing policies/rules there is discrimination and arbitrary uneven treatment. Taking undue advantage of another and, Making false or derogatory comments about someone else.