Academic research and study topics

Nursing

Scenario Analysis

The Global Challenges of HIV / AIDS and the Living Environment

People living with HIV / AIDS face physical, social and emotional needs that are genuine and must be acknowledged. As the AIDS epidemic spreads globally because of immigration and proliferation of unprotected sex and drug use, more communities are becoming affected by HIV / AIDS. Right from the point the disease is identified, people experience various forms of discrimination at the workplace or in social relationships. People may want to associate less with HIV / AIDS infected people because of social pressures.

In such a scenario, they need social and emotional support from their family members and medical experts. HIV / AIDS affects families in different ways depending on the age of the HIV-positive people (Hunter, 2012). Depending on the age of the patient, the living environment Their need to feel accepted must be addressed by being provided opportunities to become involved in social environments such as birthday parties, weddings and team sports that reflect group life in their particular culture. The living environment also needs to accommodate emotional needs of feeling worthy and appreciated. People suffering from HIV / AIDS may experience self-guilt and feel resentful at being treated unfairly. These negative emotions should be replaced with positive emotions by encouraging them to be hopeful for the future and to reflect on their past struggles and accomplishments.

As the disease progresses, people may develop fear, anxiety and even depression. This should be addressed by providing them with a caring and supportive living environment. Family members who can provide moral and psychological support should be present without compromising the self-reliance of the people. Religious guidance may also help to keep morale high. With due course if there is no improvement, people may need more attention to their physical health. The need for professional medical and nursing help becomes necessary. The people may even have to be shifted to a hospital to be taken care of under professional guidance.

Part 2: Ethical Response to Confidentiality Issues

In the given scenario, Kirsty is facing an ethical dilemma because she promised Steven not to disclose the personal communication between the two where he shared Bert's state of depression and hopelessness. This may be interpreted as thoughts of ending his life because of loneliness. As a result of her commitment to their profession and her promise to Steven, Kirsty is experiencing a dilemma where she has to determine the most ethical solution. A number of approaches may be applied to identify the most appropriate action. The deontological approach argues that Kirsty should perform the duty of care and protection of life she owes to Bert, which is a stronger duty than her duty to maintain the promise of confidentiality with Steven (MacKinnn, 2011). Therefore, she can share information with the relevant staff so that Bert's negative feelings can be improved. The utilitarian approach argues that Kirsty should take a decision that maximizes the benefit for the maximum stakeholders (MacKinnn, 2011). Therefore, she should share the information with the staff because it would help her to get Bert out of his feelings of hopelessness, possibly save his life and meet her professional ethical standards. Related to the utilitarian approach, the consequentialist theories argue that Kirsty should do what would have the least non-moral consequences for her. Therefore, she should disclose the information about Bert's feelings because not doing so would likely result in her losing her job or being sued by Bert's family for not acting to protect his life. Legalistic moralist would argue that Kirsty should keep her promise under all circumstances because keeping a promise is an absolute good. Finally, ethical realism may also argue for Kirsty to save Bert's life by breaking her promise because Steven's resentment would be a small cost to bear for saving Bert's life.