Ethics concepts and applications

Nursing Ethics

Alcohol consumption among underage adolescents in Australia remains a significant Public Health issue. According to the South Australian Alcohol and Drug Information Service, at least 85% of Australian schoolchildren aged 12-17 had tried alcohol, and half of those more than once (Drink Too Much, It Gets Ugly, 2010). While there are laws regulating the sale and consumption of alcohol, it is one of the passages of teen life and one of the mysteries of adulthood that many young people covet. What adolescents don't always realize is that they are at an even higher risk for addiction or substance related problems based on their cognitive ability to cope with certain situations, their physical size, and the fact that their brain is not fully developed. The younger the person, in fact, the less tolerance they have for the effects of alcohol, spiraling out of control at times due to social pressures and fear of not fitting in (Underage Drinking In Australia, 2005).

The Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses in Australia has been in place since 1993, and revised several times to align more fully with various international (UN and WHO) documents. It has also been constructed to be a professionally evolving document relevant to nurses at all levels of practice (Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia, 210). Value Statement 6 of the code notes that "Nurses value a culture of safety in nursing and health care." This translates into four key areas in which a nurse can provide effective care, leadership, information, and modeling behaviors based on health concerns, in this case, underage drinking.

Self -- Modeling professional behavior while at work and while out in the community is essential, as is avoidance of situation that may impair the nurses ability to provide quality care. Acting responsibly regarding alcohol, refraining from smoking, and certainly abstinence from illegal substance is not only moral, but models effective behavior.

Person (Health Consumer) -- Nurses usually go into the field of nursing in order to help people, realizing that humans are prone to disease, errors in judgment, and accidents. In terms of underage drinking, a nurse can act in a public health manner that identifies circumstances and situations that make a population vulnerable, and take steps to either mitigate those circumstances or educate to prevent them in the first place.

Colleagues -- Nursing is never a field in isolation. Instead, it works with a number of colleagues in various disciplines to support health issues. This would include teachers, school administrators, and members of the retail establishment that all might have an effect on underage drinking and the problems associated. Because nurses are advocates for health, they are often consulted by colleagues. In the reverse, nurses should network and advocate programs that seek to reduce situations that make a population vulnerable -- in this case, the buying and selling of alcohol to the underage; restricting venues in which drinking might be allowed; and working with the community to provide an educational liaison.