The word dilemma means being in a situation that requires critical decision making. The uniqueness of dilemma is no matter what you choose the other option ends up costing you. Dilemmas require one to weigh which option you will choose in relation to what consequences you can handle. Below in our nursing assignment paper we are going to discuss about dilemmas that nurses are hit by.
What is ethical dilemma in nursing
When expounding what is meant by ethical dilemma in relation to nursing, you have to understand that not every step or decision that registered nurses choose is an easy endeavor or clear. In some case decisions are not clear and whatever choice the nurse does there will be consequences. When nurses are faced by such dilemmas, personal values are broken.
Ethical dilemmas in nursing scenario
There is a scenario in which a girl has a heart condition. The girl is six weeks pregnant and the doctor has given instructions that the girl should perform an abortion. The girl is religious and believes that abortion is killing in the eyes of God. She believes that God will protect her till childbirth.
The girl has asked you as the nurse for your opinion on the said scenario and you are a born catholic who does not believe in abortion either. In cases like this where patients ask nurses for an opinion to know which choice to make can lead to a dilemma. You have values that go along with the patient but the advice of the doctor states otherwise.
These are the kind of scenarios being conversed in this paper. Scenario where the opinion of the nurse differs from the patients or the doctors instructions is what brings about dilemmas to nurses. Scenarios that lead to dilemma are created as a result of patients deciding situation that entail life and death, refusal of treatment, presence of incompetence among other nurses or being given work that goes against the morals and beliefs of the nurse.
The easiest way to identify a dilemma is to ask yourself how you feel about the assignment that has been placed on your shoulder. If you find yourself in a scenario where you deem two of the choices are correct but with different consequences then you are in a dilemma.
Ethical dilemma in nursing examples and solution
Below are more illustrations of examples of ethical dilemma in nursing similar to the one above. The scenarios below will illustrate how each decision that you choose as a nurse has consequences.
A patient arrives in the hospital together with a family member. The patient is seventeen years of age. The doctor has diagnosed the patient with sexually transmitted infection. You and the doctor have been notified by the patient that it is the wish of the patient that doctor patient confidentiality is observed.
You are presented with a scenario that the adult family member is outside waiting for results. Privacy is one of the conditions that lead to nurses being in dilemma moments. Laws have come to be that allow minors to have doctor patient confidentiality. Years ago, guardians were allowed full access to every data about minors in hospitals.
It is important for you as a nurse to read the laws present in the jurisdiction that you exercise your profession. Having comprehension of the consequences may help you avoid getting legally charged. Though you might think it is in the best interest of the patient, for the guardian to know the condition, it is better to stick on the safe side of the law.
An accident has occurred and a Jehova’s Witness member is among the injured members that have been brought in. The patient is comfortable with undergoing surgery but is not open to the concept of blood donation. Reason for refusing blood donation is that it goes against the beliefs of the patient.
You are presented with a scenario of life and death and the patient has already lost a lot of blood. Other times the patient will be light headed and faint due to lack of enough oxygen supply in the head but had already instructed you not to do blood transfusion.
In this case you should document what the patient said and why the patient refused the procedure. You should ensure that you do not perform any procedure that the patient has refused on religious basis. Documentation of the reason why you did not do the blood transfusion will save you from legal charges.
Julian has twins and is refusing vaccination to be administered to the kids. The kids have already joined play group class but have never undergone vaccination. She believes that the government forcing her to allow the vaccination process to be done is in violation of her right to make decisions about the kids.
In this scenario you are presented with a problem of if the kid are not vaccinated, they are vulnerable to infections. You are conflicted with the opinion of whether to safeguard the kids from infections or continue with what the guardian has instructed.
Nurses are usually given a declination form. The guardian should sign the form if they intend to refuse the administration of the vaccines. Your job as a nurse is not to force the guardian to allow administration of the vaccine. You should not also engage in forceful administration of the vaccine. Instead, you should try to convince the guardian to allow you to administer vaccination via telling them the benefits.
Victor is a patient who has been admitted to your hospital for a long time. During his time at the hospital, he has created a cordial relationship with nurses and more so with his bed mate Vincent. Victor has been improving and you have ordered that he is safe to continue with his day to day activities. After being discharged, victor replies on a tweet that you have tweeted asking about how Vincent is. Victor goes ahead to say he has not conversed with him ever since he was discharged.
You are in a dilemma of whether to tell Victor how his friend is fairing. Technology is a good tool and nurses should be allowed to indulge in using social media. In this case you should respect professional relationships.
Confidentiality of patients is present and active at all times. You will be held responsible for anything you disclose about your patient. You should avoid having patients in your personal life.
You have been handed a form to visit a patient and get consent that the procedure is done. During the reading of the questionnaire set to be answered, you notice that the patient does not comprehend difficult concepts and the literacy levels that the patient has are low.
You are faced with a dilemma of you have to compete your task and the patient does not seem to understand. You have a schedule that is heavy and explaining seems to be time consuming and with little results.
You should understand that the patient should comprehend what is going to happen in the procedure. If you notice that the patient has difficulty trying to comprehend what is in the form. Inform the doctor to give a thorough explanation. Most people have a hard time understanding material that is medical related. This case occurs a lot during consenting operations
DNR ethical dilemma in nursing
DNR means do not resuscitate. If a patient does not wish resuscitation to be performed on them and a doctor orders a DNR, there can be dilemma situations that occur even though the situation may seem already decided. Even though the patient made the decision, the family members may not be in agreement with the DNR ordered.
In other cases some nurses have different values and would prefer to save lives. The nurses usually have the impression that a DNR does not mean do not treat the patient.
Dealing with ethical dilemma in nursing involving DNR
You should ensure that you follow through with the DNR order placed by physician. If you perform resuscitation in cases where a DNR order has been placed, you will be held liable. Other times resuscitation can be stopped if it is discovered that a DNR order was in place.
There was a scenario where a patient became unresponsive when undergoing a scan and the patient becomes unresponsive. The radiologist decides to start resuscitation as the patient is unresponsive. Being in the process of resuscitation, he is notified that there was DNR order. He stops immediately and lets the patient die.
To wind up
This article has information on ethical dilemma in nursing situation and how to tackle some examples. If you come cross scenarios conversed about in the paper, it is safe to be equipped in order to know what decision to pursue. Ensure that you have enough knowledge on the laws of the region you are practicing in. Wishing you all the best in the decisions you undertake during your nursing profession.
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