A dilemma refers to a situation where an individual is unable to choose between two choices with unsatisfactory alternatives. Clinical dilemmas are conflicts to the human health condition and life itself (Kohrt, 2017). There are types of clinical dilemmas which include; treatment dilemma, nurse dilemma, patient dilemma and ethical dilemmas. Moreover, individuals suffering from a clinical dilemma, maybe having symptoms that they are not sure if they are sick or not. Such symptoms include chronic anxiety, chronic depression, persistence headaches, fatigue and chronic bronchitis. Clinical dilemmas have impacts on both the nurses’ patients. The consequences include wrong decision making, inadequate medication, poor diagnosis and miscommunication between nurses and patients. This paper will address the application of ethical decision making in healthcare delivery.
However, an ethical dilemma is a conflict between two or more ethnical solutions in which they could all be used in the decision making and provide the right answer. While working with patients, nurses need nursing ethics which will help them make the right decision. Besides, being a nurse, ethical dilemmas are issues that one has to deal with hand in hand. Caring for patients in the patients’ unit can be a handful because the patient unit extends to the point of including the extended family. Ethical dilemmas are issues that generally do not have the right answer, the wrong answer, and at times, there are no resolutions of the matter (Mishra, 2016).
Moreover, nursing is responsible for promoting and providing quality services to patients and saving lives by giving them the right medication. Usually, nurses have ethical dilemmas while servicing patients. The common ethical dilemmas include; lying to patients, disclosing medical information, boundaries of ethical problems, incompetence among the young adults and proper and genuine utilization of resources.
Typically, some of a patient’s family members instruct and demand the medical providers not b tell the patient the illness that they are suffering from. The restriction and demand made are so tempting to the nurses and the institution. If nurses tell the patients the sickness, this would be wrong to the family. By giving the right information to the patients, it affects the working relationship of the family, patients and the medical providers (Farazmand, 2019). This leads to lack of trust and the family can end up suing the nurse and the institution. Therefore, nurses need to follow orders and wishes from the patient’s wishes family.
Moreover, disclosing medical conditions, this is an ethical dilemma because It makes the medical providers deceptive to the patients. It is important not to disclose any information to patients when they are not allowed to. This strengthens the ability of the nurses to maintain ethical principles. Therefore, nurses need to understand the importance of following and committing to nursing ethics that will help to be more professional in moral dilemmas. Nurses need to maintain and create an ethical working environment. Adequate working environment enhances excellent performance. This is because the foundations of relationships amongst the nurses and other employees and the patients will be great. Moreover, ethical principles allow patients to be confident when giving their personal information to nurses.
Usually, proper and effective methods of using medical resources are essential. Medical providers are expected to distribute and utilize the medical resources equally to all patients. Right treatment should be administered to all patients, and all patients should receive respect and quality services (Nelson, 2017). When patients are given the proper treatment and respect, they develop confidence with the caregivers and recovery becomes more practical to them. Therefore, nurses need to distribute and utilize medical resources equally to ensure that right and adequate treatment have been delivered. Moreover, the ethical dilemma affecting nurses in health care institutions is when a nurse wants to report about inappropriate behaviours from young adults. The nurse feels that the problem should be addressed because it affects the safety of the patients’ health while on the other side, the nurse hesitates to report the matter because it might lead to worsening inadequate staffing.
However, the consequences of having nursing ethics in medical institutions include, the nurses can understand their responsibilities. This allows them to perform their duties efficiently and effectively. Also, by being aware of their work, they can raise questions about ethical concerns which might interfere with their career. Moreover, nursing ethics allows both medical providers and patients to be more aware of the moral culture. This helps in ensuring peace and respect amongst employees and employers and the patients. Nursing ethics ensures that the right behaviours are practised in the healthcare institution. Besides, nurses are expected to provide patients with the proper treatment and offer the best quality of services. Ethics allows the institution management to hold relevant and compelling discussions that lead to the development of the institution. Therefore, nursing ethics in health cares is essential because it leads to high-quality services and construction.
Typically, when choosing ethical choices for nurses, it is essential to select nursing styles that will benefit everyone in the healthcare institution. The following factors should direct the choice of ethics in nursing. They include compassion and respect which develops professional relationships, commitment to the patients, protection of the patients’ health, rights and safety, the responsibility to serve others and for personal growth and maintain the integrity of the nursing professional (Farazmand, 2019). Moreover, these rules allow the nurses to create excellent ethical regulations that will facilitate in ensuring good quality of services and development of the institution is achieved. Therefore, it is vital to have practical factors that assist health cares in choosing the best nursing ethical.
Moreover, nursing ethical dilemmas ensure that nurses perform their best in their roles. This allows patients’ needs to be met through good and quality services. Also, nursing ethics allows respect and professionalism in the institution are achieved. Everyone in the health care institution follows the rules and helps in creating a pleasant working environment. Besides, nursing ethics helps nurses to achieve their personal goals and those of the institution.
However, Mrs Jody Smith is wholly paralyzed due to the surgery that she underwent for an artificial hip replacement. She is tired of the physical and occupational therapies, and this creates a dilemma between her family and the medical providers (Nelson, 2017). Both the doctors and the family are very optimistic that she will get well soon. For Mrs Smith to recover quickly, she should go on with her therapies at the rehabilitation centres. Also, she should perform her simple tasks which will help in her movement and recovery. Medical providers should continue encouraging that she will be well and administer the right treatment to her. Both family and doctors should not tell Mrs Smith of how bad her condition is, but they should encourage her to go on with her medications.
In conclusion, clinical dilemmas give false realities to the patients. This is because they are always conflicting with the body. Nurses face an ethical dilemma when dealing with their patients. Moreover, nursing ethics helps the nurses to provide quality services and the right treatment to patients. Besides, nursing ethics allow employees and employers to create a pleasant and friendly working condition. With nursing ethics, healthcare institutions can accomplish their objectives.
References.
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Adhikari, S., Paudel, K., Aro, A. R., Adhikari, T. B., Adhikari, B., & Mishra, S. R. (2016). Knowledge, attitude and practise of healthcare ethics among resident doctors and ward nurses from a resource-poor setting, Nepal. BMC medical ethics, 17(1), 68.
Farazmand, A. (2019). Emerging Challenges in Healthcare Administrative Ethics. In Handbook of Comparative and Development Public Administration (pp. 953-964). Routledge.
Westling, C. R., Walsh, T., & Nelson, W. A. (2017). Perceived ethics dilemmas among pioneer accountable care organizations. Journal of Healthcare Management, 62(1), 18-27.