Ethical Practices Research Assignment

Ethical practices, particularly for advanced practice nurses whose decisions will often mean the difference between life and death, demands perpetual vigilance and insightful examination. Even as nurses are faced with a better-informed public, globalization, patient demographic diversities, new legislations, professional standards updates, communication changes, practice area differences, disease evolutions, technology changes, and resources scarcity, their ethical practices act as the foundation that they hold constant in their professional duties (Ball et al., 2015). The present analysis discusses the ethical concerns of a typical medical care case. Ethical Practices Research Assignment

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Discussion

The scenario under review involves a 27-year-old man who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. The patient has been admitted to the emergency room with an extreme flare-up of the condition thus requiring immediate and urgent medical care. During the medical assessment, the patient explains that he has not been using the required medication for his condition. Further review of the situation determines that he faces financial difficulties that have limited his capacity to purchase the prescribed medication over the last few months. His financial situation has not improved even as he is admitted for emergency care and he is concerned that receiving care would only worsen the situation. He explains that the care is likely to be costly and is anxious that since he is unable pay for the less costly medication (thus landing him in the present situation where he requires emergency care), he is even less likely to pay for the more costly emergency care. The scenario makes it clear that although the patient is cognizant of how important medication is towards controlling his condition, his unfavorable financial situation limits his capacity to acquire the required medication. In essence, he us unable to meet his need for medication to control his previously diagnosed Crohn’s disease. Based on this awareness, the ethical dilemma presented to medical personnel is how to ensure that the patient’s unfavorable financial situation does not limit his capacity to access the required emergency medical care not to talk of continued access to the required medication even after being discharged from the facility. To be more precise, the patient’s situation shows that he requires care that would not worsen his financial situation while addressing his medical needs. As a nursing practitioner, it would be prudent to discuss financial and treatment options with the client, while also presenting financial resources available to patients with difficulties in paying their bills (Ball et al., 2015; Porter-O’Grady & Malloch, 2016). This would entail introducing financial advisors who would present the patient with options that ensure he receives the required care in an acceptable payment plan (Kaakinen et al., 2015). Also, the nursing personnel could explore the availability of waiver systems that could reduce the financial burden on the patient (Finkelman, 2016). Ethical Practices Research Assignment

Conclusion

One must accept that in carrying out professional duties, advanced practice nurses are faced with ethical dilemmas. These dilemmas place the nurse in a position where he or she must make a choice between protecting the patient’s human rights and operating within the dictates of their professional standards. In such cases, there is no definite right decision and whatever choice the nurse makes will be viewed by some as bad while others will see it as good, whether in the legal or moral sense. For that matter, the nurse has to apply his or her personal definition of ethics in making the choice that he or she considers as being the right one, even as professionalism provides a guide. Consequently, different nurses will choose different options when faced with the same dilemma.

References

Ball, J., Dains, J., Flynn, J., Solomon, B. & Stewart, R. (2015). Seidel’s guide to physical examination (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.

Finkelman, A. (2016). Leadership and management for nurses: core competencies for quality care (3rd ed.). London: Pearson Education.

Kaakinen, J., Coehlo, D., Steele, R., Tabacco, A. & Hanson, S. (2015). Family health care nursing: theory, practice, and research (5th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis Company.

Porter-O’Grady, T. & Malloch, K. (2016). Leadership in nursing practice: changing the landscape of healthcare (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Ethical Practices Research Assignment