Advanced Nursing Ethics and Values
(b) Justify the importance of ethical theory -- provide one example: The use of virtue ethics, according to the peer-reviewed Business Ethics Quarterly, is a way of providing resources for "moral thinking"; and for nurses that understand and apply virtue to their work have the background and knowledge as to what to do (that is moral) in any situation (Audi, 2012, p. 273). The virtuous nurse must have beliefs that can be shared and learned by those around the nurse, and there are six dimensions to Audi's approach: a) in the field of work, virtue ethics emphasizes "how one reaches it"; b) the target for virtue ethics in nursing is the "well-being" of others; c) the beneficiaries of virtue ethics are those benefiting from nurses' professionalism; d) a good nurse is a leader with high levels of intellect; e) virtue ethics calls for a nurse's motivation to contribute to others' health; and f) the carrying out of virtue ethics is the grounding of conduct (Audi, 275).
(c) The principle of confidentiality vs. reasonable limits
ONE: Explain the elements of the principle of confidentiality: According to Nursing World the principles of confidentiality include: a) a patient's right to privacy regarding health information; b) a patient's right as to disclosure of -- and access to -- health information; c) a patient's right to supplement his or her health information; d) a patient needs to know how health records are used, and those records cannot be disclosed without patient consent; e) safeguards should protect the health information; f) violations of health information should have penalties; and g) federal legislation should be enforced to protect confidential health information (Nursing World).
TWO: Summarize the concept of reasonable limits: there are moral limits that are placed on individuals and nurses in a healthcare setting; at what point does the patient refuse medical intervention (even though it is intended for the patient's welfare) and at what point does the nurse make an autonomous decision notwithstanding the patient's resistance? (Fry, et al., 2010). THREE: A rationale for breaking confidentiality: There will be circumstances during which the...
If the patient's health is in jeopardy, as is the case in the scenario for this paper, confidentiality can be violated (Fry, 164). FOUR: Reasonable limits apply in most cases because laws require the healthcare sector to honor confidential patient information, but when a woman has breast cancer the healthcare professional is obliged to break confidentiality to save the patient's life.
(d) Identify how to solve conflict between two or more ethical principles
ONE: an ethical principle that is in conflict if confidentiality is broken is Moral Particularism (an action that involves the breaking of a promise is one that "counts against" morality in any given case) (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). TWO: an ethical theory that supports a decision to break confidentiality is Utilitarianism. In order to determine which course of action is right, using Utilitarianism (the policy that "…would bring about the greatest net benefits to society…" or, would provide the greatest good for the greatest number" of people), and the greatest good will come from letting the patient's family know that she has cancer. (Andre, et al., 2008).
(e) Discuss the influence of culture on values
ONE: The cultural values of Mrs. Z allow that when she is being attended by a female doctor, her family does not need to be in the room during the consultation. Mrs. Z fears the truth about her problem, and her family should know, but the American cultural (and legal) approach to healthcare decisions protects Mrs. Z's privacy in this matter. This presents a conflict of values based on different cultural approaches to values. TWO: Nursing interventions that could resolve this ethical conflict: Moral Particularism is a concept in which moral principles "…are at best crutches that a morally sensitive person…" does not in every instance require (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). In other words, confidentiality may be an ethical/legal value that applies in healthcare settings but when it comes to a question of life or death, and a woman is obviously hiding the truth from her family (and putting her life in…
