Ethical Issues in Patient Restraint, Coursework Example

Ethical principles impact daily decision-making within nursing practice; therefore, it is necessary to acknowledge the areas that are most critical to nurses in a variety of settings. For example, nurses working with patients with mental illness or with older adults may require the use of restraints in some cases, but the use of these restraints must be heavily monitored in order to promote ethically responsible decision-making (American Nurses Association, 2015). From an advanced practice perspective, expert knowledge and resources must be available to ensure that nurses are properly trained to make decisions that will positively impact their patients and support models of care that promote patient safety at all times (Chism, 2013; Zaccagnini, Short, Peterson, & Ringdahl, 2014). Since the use of restraints is often controversial, advanced practice knowledge of their benefits versus their disadvantages must be addressed and support their use only under the appropriate conditions.

The use of restraints must ultimately protect patients from unnecessary risk or harm and provide benefits to patients; therefore, this decision must be carefully examined and supported by leadership and fall within the ethical principles of the nursing profession (Gallagher, 2011). Many nurses are against the idea of using restraints, as they believe that this is a largely unethical practice; however, others believe that it is the most appropriate method in order to protect patients from harming themselves and harming others (Gallagher, 2011). Regardless of which side nurses support, it is their responsibility to set an example for others to follow and to carefully execute the use of restraints only under specific conditions (Gallagher, 2011). Advanced practice nurses must establish regulations regarding the use of restraints and be able to exercise sound discretion in making decisions that will establish a strong precedence for compliance among nurses who work with high-risk patients who may require restraints under specific conditions.

References

American Nurses Association (2015). Code of ethics for nurses. Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/mainmenucategories/ethicsstandards/codeofethicsfornurses

Chism, L.A. (2013). The doctor of nursing practice: a guidebook for role development and professional issues. Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Gallagher, A. (2011). Ethical issues in patient restraint. Nursing Times, 107(9), 18-20.

Zaccagnini, M., Short, G., Peterson, G.J., & Ringdahl, D. (2014). The Doctor of Nursing Practice Essentials: A New Model for Advanced Practice Nursing. Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.