An ethical problem. An ethical problem exists when health professionals face challenges or threats to their own moral duties and values. This leads to an ethical problem that needs to be solved. In nursing, the ethical principle of autonomy is the right of the patient to make his or her own health care decisions. For example, a patient has the right to refuse treatment. Applying a rules-based approach to our patient situation would ensure that the patient is not taken care of if they could not tolerate it. Note that this approach does not protect the patient from the situation where care is no longer available because it cannot meet the standard. Traditionally, the ethical decision-making process and the final decision has been the fate of the doctor. This is no longer the case; The patient and other healthcare providers are at the heart of the decision-making process based on their specific expertise.
For example, case managers have expertise in quality of life issues and, in this role, can make significant contributions to lifestyle discussions and decisions related to life challenges, particularly in dealing with incurable diseases and end-of-life dilemmas (Leuwenburgh-Pronk et al., 2015). So when we talk about ethics, there`s something you need to know called an ethical dilemma. And an ethical dilemma is essentially just a conflict of values that causes distress. So it could be something that is for the nurse, for the family, for the patient himself. Decisions about withholding information involve a conflict between truthfulness and deception. There are times when the legal system and professional ethics agree that deception is legitimate and legal. Therapeutic privilege is invoked when the healthcare team makes a decision to withhold information that is considered harmful to the patient. Such a privilege is naturally challenged and taken very seriously by ethics committees. Historical medical codes dealt with issues such as do no harm, do not commit suicide, do not engage in sexual acts, do not reveal secrets, but said little or nothing about telling the truth and avoiding lies [6], codes of medical ethics have traditionally ignored the obligations and virtues of truthfulness [1]. The historical absence of a requirement for truth in medical ethics has much to do with the moral assumptions of ancient cultures. In previous cultures, it was an ideal to treat others like a father treats a child. Paternalism was something virtuous; The opposite was to treat the other as a slave.
In early Greek culture, the good doctor or leader treated the patient or citizen as a son or daughter and not as a slave. He did what was best for the “child,” but never asked for his consent.[6] The Hippocratic Oath does not recommend truthfulness, nor does the World Medical Association`s Geneva Declaration. The American Medical Association`s (AMA) Principles of Medical Ethics from its inception until 1980 made no mention of commitment or the virtue of truthfulness and gave physicians complete discretion over what to communicate to patients [1]. The 1980 revision recommended that a physician be honest with patients and colleagues and strive to expose physicians who lack character or competence, or who engage in fraud or deception. This first official reference to truthfulness in doctors` codes remains very abstract and deals more with errors of honesty between colleagues than finding the truth towards patients [6], and the 2001 revision shows that doctors “should be honest in all professional interactions”. Despite this traditional neglect of truthfulness, the virtues of openness, honesty, and truthfulness are among the character traits widely and rightly praised by health professionals and researchers [1]. Truthfulness is not a fundamental bioethical principle and is only mentioned in passing in most ethical texts. At its core, it`s respect for all people by being honest. Truthfulness is the opposite of the concept of paternalism, which assumes that patients only need to know what their doctor wants to reveal.
It is important to note that ethics committees make recommendations for action, but do not force decisions. For example, if there was an ethical dilemma and the committee reviewed the situation and made a recommendation, the patient or family might decide not to take that recommended action. However, the institution`s ethics committee had the opportunity to explain what it felt was in the best interest of the patient or what was ethically correct. Thus, from the above, we see that the case manager, PT and OT are facing an ethical emergency. They know the right steps they want to take, but they are not able to take those steps because of institutional constraints. There are many models of ethical decision-making that help organize the individual`s thoughts. Some are quite simple, for example, the model of the tilt factor. It refers to a complete, accurate and objective transmission of information, as well as how the professional promotes the understanding of patients or subjects. In this respect, truthfulness is closely linked to respect for autonomy [1]. Bacon`s comment that “knowledge is power, but honesty is authority” is especially true for physicians.[7] Medical personnel should communicate clearly to the best of their ability and avoid misunderstandings where possible.
The physician must honestly represent the client`s point of view and wishes. Abundant documentation increases the credibility of medical personnel with regard to the principles of truthfulness. When case managers recognize an ethical problem but do nothing, it says: In nursing, the ethical principle of loyalty means being faithful or loyal, which means keeping promises made to patients. For example, a nurse who told her patient that he would come back in 30 minutes to check his pain would come back or delegate someone else to come back if he was tied up. An ethical dilemma. This type of problem involves two or more morally correct action plans where only one can be followed. By choosing one approach over another, the practitioner is doing something right and wrong at the same time. The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a professional organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the advancement of nursing, and it is the group that sets the ethical standards of nursing for the nursing profession. We`re going to give you an example here on the map, but there are so many ways to have an ethical dilemma, and that`s whenever there`s a conflict or disagreement between what the family wants and the patient, or what the doctor thinks, is in the best interest of the patient, that kind of thing. So you`ll hear that over and over again in nursing school, because it`s important to know what we do when we have an ethical dilemma? Truthfulness can be violated in several ways. Omission means that critical relevant facts are intentionally omitted when disclosing the patient`s medical information. Commission means that medical staff intentionally tell a lie to the patient or her family.
A third, more subtle way to violate the principle of truthfulness is to wrap the truth in so much medical jargon that the patient or his family will not be able to understand it. In nursing, the ethical principle of justice means treating fairly. For example, if you were juggling multiple patients, you wouldn`t provide better care based on who has the best insurance. Nurses who practice justice do not care for patients differently based on their race, gender identity, sexual orientation or religion. Nurses who practice fairly take care of their patients equally. It is the responsibility of the professional to reflect on the chosen course of action and take into account all the necessary steps to avoid this type of ethical situation in the future. The responsibility for changing behaviour lies not only with the individual, but also with the institution. Often, after an ethical dilemma arises in an institution, policies and procedures are designed and put into practice to prevent future controversies and delays in similar experiments. Rules-based: Follow the rules, duties, obligations or ethical principles that already exist The following card, card number three, when you participate, covers: “What are the ethical principles in nursing?” What has the ANA established as ethical principles for us? You will see here on the map that we have a table, so let`s define the principles, and then we will give you some examples. So I`m not going to go through all the examples, but there are certainly a lot of different ways to look at these principles in action. The principle of truthfulness, a term often used in the medical profession, refers to the ethics of telling the truth and is a guide to the behavior of doctors.
Although this principle is not a law, the violation of ethical principles, including truthfulness, results in a loss of credibility and respect among other professionals and patients. Because medical staff hold a position of trust in the community, they are bound to high standards that promote accountability and overall professionalism.