Ethical Decisions in Nursing Practice: Decision-Making Frameworks and Stakeholder Management
Overview
This paper examines ethical dilemmas nurses encounter in clinical practice, particularly conflicts between patient autonomy and beneficence, and religious or family preferences versus medical procedures. The author proposes a deontological ethical approach combined with multidisciplinary stakeholder meetings and nurse ethicist consultations as a framework for navigating complex ethical decision-making while respecting patient and family values.
What this essay covers
- Introduction to ethical dilemmas in nursing and the balance between honesty, autonomy, and beneficence
- Nurse's role as educator and mediator in ethical conflicts involving families and patients
- Proposed approach using stakeholder meetings and ethics consultation services
- Deontological ethical framework as the primary decision-making strategy
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Ethical Decisions
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Ethical Decisions
When fulfilling their obligations, nurses experience ethical dilemmas requiring rapid and effective decisions. They have a responsibility to maintain honesty and withhold information if it improves the goals of caregiving. When families never want to disclose certain information to the patient, it is the role of nurses to determine the best alternative. There are other cases where nurses want to follow medical procedures but the patient or family’s religion is against the methods (Black, 2020). While the families adhere to their beliefs, nurses must mandate to provide appropriate medical services to save the patient’s life. In this regard, they must consider whether autonomy of patients and beneficence is most important.
Nurses play an essential role in ethical decision making to the families. They act as educators and guide families on the best alternative to choose without violating their values (Black, 2020). In order to be effective, I would hold meetings and invite different stakeholders to offer their guidance and opinion about the issue affecting the family and patient. Further, I would refer the families to on-site nurse ethicists and other ethical experts with ability to help and maintain confidentiality of a situation. The different ideas from the experts help the families to arrive at an informed decision about their issue.
The best theory or approach to guide me in the process is the deontological ethical approach, which assists in reaching the best decision for the family and patient.