Sources of Ethical Dilemmas for Nurse Leaders

Sources of Ethical Dilemmas for Nurse Leaders

Nurse leaders may experience moral discomfort due to a variety of reasons. The emotional reaction of the nurses to the situation is the first source, which can result in feelings of fear, wrath, and frustration due to interpersonal value conflicts. The second cause of distress is the situation’s persistence, which may be caused by a lack of action because of organizational limitations. The third source of a dilemma is the environment’s complexity, which may make it challenging for the nurse to find a solution. Moral anguish can also be influenced by the nurse’s traits and the circumstances that are causing it. Nurse leaders may experience moral dilemmas when confronted with moral choices that contradict their moral principles and when constrained from acting in ways consistent with their moral code for various reasons.

How Nurse Leaders Should Handle Ethical Dilemmas

There are numerous actions nurse leaders can take to resolve moral anguish and ethical problems in the workplace. They must establish a welcoming environment where nurses can voice their concerns without fear of punishment. Second, they ought to offer instruction and training to assist nurses in recognizing and resolving moral problems. This might involve ethical decision-making, effective communication, and dispute-resolution instruction. Thirdly, nurse leaders should support laws and regulations that encourage moral conduct and advance the welfare of both patients and medical personnel. To deal with difficult ethical issues, nurse leaders might also seek assistance from ethics committees or other resources inside the healthcare system (Faraco et al., 2022). It is crucial to practice self-care to manage the emotional toll of moral anguish and prevent burnout. Nurse leaders can contribute to developing a work environment that values moral judgment and promotes the well-being of healthcare professionals by implementing these actions.

The 4As Framework Recommended By the AACN

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) suggests the 4As framework to reduce moral distress in critical care nurses. The four steps of the framework are Ask, Affirm, Assess, and Act (Edmonson, 2010). To complete the first stage, ask nurse leaders to examine themselves to find signs of stress in their physical, emotional, behavioral, and spiritual realms. The second stage, affirmation, calls for confirming and accepting one’s emotions and current circumstances and asking for help from coworkers or mentors. In the third phase, assessment, the nurse leader must employ critical assessment abilities to identify, classify, and prepare to act on the source of the distress while also comprehending the risks and rewards of doing so. It takes moral bravery, self-efficacy, and the capacity to frame the Act as profound caring to complete the final phase, Act, which entails creating the opportunity and atmosphere with the highest likelihood of success. Nurse leaders can handle and alleviate moral dilemmas by following these four procedures.

Recommendations to Increase Moral Courage in Nurse Leaders

Firstly, it is advised that nurse leaders employ a reliable survey technique to ascertain the level of moral distress that direct-care nurses are currently experiencing. Second, fostering moral courage can be accomplished through fostering a professional culture that encourages healthcare delivery practices, such as mentoring, peer support groups, and participative leadership models. Third, nurse leaders should choose a model with adequate funding to implement, maintain, and assess model results. This model should also align with the nursing department’s strategic goal. Lastly, nursing leaders should educate themselves on ethical theory and decision-making techniques.

References

Edmonson, M. C. (2010). Moral Courage and the Nurse Leader – ProQuest. Www.proquest.com. https://search.proquest.com/openview/0f272a75cd3ac304fd62115fd2761140/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=43860

Faraco, M. M., Gelbcke, F. L., Brehmer, L. C. de F., Ramos, F. R. S., Schneider, D. G., & Silveira, L. R. (2022). Moral distress and moral resilience of nurse managers. Nursing Ethics, 096973302210857. https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330221085770

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Based on the article, answer the following questions in a two-page (500-word) paper:

What are the sources of ethical dilemmas for nurse leaders?

Sources of Ethical Dilemmas for Nurse Leaders

How should nurse leaders handle those issues?
Explain the 4As Framework recommended by the Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN).
What are the recommendations that can increase moral courage in nurse leaders?