A Six-Part Exploration of Ethics, Essay Example

Introduction

Ethical issues are complex in nature and provide a basis for examining the key areas of an issue that must demonstrate full ethical accountability and strength at all times. This reflects a need to improve the understanding of ethics and how it impacts other persons who expect ethically-responsible decision-making on a continuous basis. There must be a greater emphasis on recognizing the advantages of ethics throughout daily living and in all types of decisions. However, ethics in the United States are compromised in many different areas, from politics to financial services to healthcare. There must be a greater emphasis on ethical principles and doing what is right in all situations, which may involve a leap of faith and the ability to go against the grain in many cases (Colson Center, 2015).. Throughout the healthcare system, striking a balance between these objectives must play a critical role in supporting patient needs and discovering a balance that will have a positive and lasting impact on their quality of life over the long term.

Body

Within the healthcare system, nurses must make difficult decisions that require a strong moral fabric and a basis for improving the lives of all patients. In the example involving the patient with multiple sclerosis, who is a close friend of mine, she faces a difficult state in which her health is severely compromised and in which she continues to struggle with the progression of her disease on a daily basis. With the loss of her husband and her grown children moved away, she appears to be facing a moral and ethical crossroads to some degree. As a nurse practitioner, it is my responsibility help her recognize that although she is experiencing a significant decline in her health, she should continue to fight and aim to overcome the struggles that she faces throughout her life. This set of circumstances is undoubtedly difficult for her; nonetheless, she should continue to follow the guidance of her physician and aim to be proactive in working towards a set of solutions that do not involve heavy doses of pain medication. Pain management, however, must be addressed and must coincide with the patient’s obvious state of loneliness and perhaps depression that is somewhat clouding her judgment in different ways. This is a difficult situation and requires the nurse to be mindful of the patient’s health and also her personal history in favor of understanding the dynamics of her condition, her current mental state, and how she might effectively respond to the demands of her health and the increased number of limitations that she continues to face.

My role as a nurse practitioner in this example requires a specific role within the nursing profession that is professional, supportive, and knowledgeable at all times (Joel, 2013). Since patients may struggle with a diagnosis, with their current overall health status, and throughout other areas of their lives, it is important for us to address these challenges with a comprehensive approach to care and treatment that will have positive and lasting benefits (Joel, 2013). From a philosophical perspective, it is necessary to develop an ethical position regarding this case that will support a responsible approach, such as the ethics of care model. This supports my need to maintain a positive and lasting personal relationship with this individual, while also balancing this role with my duty as a nurse practitioner to provide her with an ethically responsible perspective regarding her health status. My duty to my friend is only one part of the equation, as I must also offer her support and guidance in a professional capacity and encourage her to make positive decisions regarding her health on a regular basis. The ethics of care require a delicate balance in order to be successful in managing my relationship with my friend and my duty to serve as a nurse practitioner.

A disease such as multiple sclerosis with a continued progression and decline requires nurses to better understand the scope and nature of the disease, along with the trajectory of decline that is often evident within this patient population. From this perspective, it is important for nurses to recognize their responsibility to provide ethically responsible options for patients and to make decisions in the same manner that will have a positive impact on their lives. Although pain management is a difficult subject area, it requires nurses to explore all options carefully and to recognize that patients in a highly vulnerable disease state may not have the same perspective. Most importantly, we must administer information that will enable our patients to cope with pain more effectively and to not rely upon high levels of medication as a coping mechanism, as this is not the most viable solution for patients with respect to quality of life and overall tolerance (Broderick et.al, 2014). Nurses must focus on recognizing the bigger picture and on working with patients to identify their level of pain tolerance and a threshold of pain that will determine the optimal level of patient comfort that will positive impact patients as they struggle with a chronic and debilitating disease (Broderick et.al, 2014).

Conclusion

Ethical responsibility is a hallmark of nursing practice and requires a significant understanding of the challenges and limitations of disease states in order to exercise sound and reasonable judgment in working with all patients. In the example provided, it is evident that I am experiencing an ethical dilemma, but it demonstrates the importance of developing the appropriate response that will support my friend and aim to improve her quality of life. The use of the ethics of care model represents my responsibility to support my friend but also recognize her health-related needs as a nurse practitioner. I must learn how to address both areas in a compassionate yet professional manner and offer advice to her as a patient and as a friend, using ethical responsibility as my primary grounds in achieving this balance effectively and with the goal to do the right thing.

References

Broderick, J. E., Keefe, F. J., Bruckenthal, P., Junghaenel, D. U., Schneider, S., Schwartz, J. E., … & Gould, E. (2014). Nurse practitioners can effectively deliver pain coping skills training to osteoarthritis patients with chronic pain: A randomized, controlled trial. PAIN®, 155(9), 1743-1754.

Colson Center (2015). Doing the right thing: a six-part exploration of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.colsoncenter.org/ethics

Joel, L. (2013). Advanced practice nursing: Essentials for role development (3rd ed.) Washington, DC: F.A. Davis.