Ethics in Nursing

By:
Daryl Joel Dumdum, RN, MD
www.docbutch.blogspot.com
 Outline
• PART 1 The Law
• Part 2 Ethics
• Part 3 Cases and Ethical Dilemmas
• Part 4 Social Media and its Impact in the
practice of nursing
• Part 5 Conclusion
 Part 1
• Part 1: The practice of the profession is
regulated by the state
– Licensing and Registration
– It is a privilege and not a right
– It can be suspended or revocated
– It’s all about safety or safe nursing practice
– R.A. 9165
 RA 9173
• Section 28. Scope of Nursing.
– when he/she singly or in collaboration with
another, initiates and performs nursing services to
individuals, families and communities in any
health care setting.
 RA 9173

– It includes, but not limited to, nursing care during

conception, labor, delivery, infancy, childhood,
toddler, preschool, school age, adolescence,
adulthood, and old age.
 RA 9173
– As independent practitioners, nurses are
primarily responsible for the promotion of health
and prevention of illness.
– As members of the health team, nurses shall
collaborate with other health care providers for
the curative, preventive, and rehabilitative aspects
of care, restoration of health, alleviation of
suffering, and when recovery is not possible,
towards a peaceful death. It shall be the duty of
the nurse to:
 Duties of NURSE
• (a) Provide nursing care through the utilization of the
nursing process. Nursing care includes, but not limited
to, traditional and innovative approaches, therapeutic
use of self, executing health care techniques and
procedures, essential primary health care, comfort
measures, health teachings, and administration of
written prescription for treatment, therapies, oral
topical and parenteral medications, internal
examination during labor in the absence of antenatal
bleeding and delivery. In case of suturing of perineal
laceration, special training shall be provided according
to protocol established;
 Duties of NURSE
• (b) establish linkages with community
resources and coordination with the health
team;
• (c) Provide health education to individuals,
families and communities;
 Duties of NURSE
• (d) Teach, guide and supervise students in nursing
education programs including the administration
of nursing services in varied settings such as
hospitals and clinics; undertake consultation
services; engage in such activities that require the
utilization of knowledge and decision-making
skills of a registered nurse; and
• (e) Undertake nursing and health human resource
development training and research, which shall
include, but not limited to, the development of
advance nursing practice;
• Provided, further, That in the practice of
nursing in all settings, the nurse is duty-bound
to observe the Code of Ethics for nurses and
uphold the standards of safe nursing practice.
The nurse is required to maintain competence
by continual learning through continuing
professional education to be provided by the
accredited professional organization or any
recognized professional nursing organization:
 ETHICS
• Moral principles that govern a person's
behavior or the conducting of an activity.
• Guiding Principles
• Rightness or wrongness of an act
 CODE OF ETHICS
• The nurse, in all professional relationships,
practices with compassion and respect for the
inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of
every individual, unrestricted by personal
attributes, or the nature of health problems.
• The nurse's primary commitment is to the
patient, whether an individual, family group,
or community.
 CODE OF ETHICS
• The nurse promotes, advocates for and strives
to protect the health, safety, and rights of the
patient.
 CODE OF ETHICS
• The nurse is responsible and accountable for
individual nursing practice and determines the
appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with
the nurse's obligation to provide optimum patient
care.
• The nurse owes the same duties to self as well as
to others, including the responsibility to preserve
integrity and safety, to maintain competency and
to continue personal and professional growth.
 CODE OF ETHICS
• The nurse participates in establishing,
maintaining and improving the healthcare
environment and conditions of employment
conducive to the provision of quality healthcare
and consistent with the values of the profession
through individual and collective action.
• The nurse participates in the advancement of the
profession through contributions in practice,
education, research, administration and
knowledge development.
 CODE OF ETHICS
• The nurse collaborates with other health
professionals and the public in promoting
community, national, and international efforts
to meet health needs.
• The profession of nursing, as represented by
associations and their members, is responsible
for articulating nursing values, for maintaining
the integrity of the profession and its practice,
and for shaping social policy.
 PART 2
• Ethical Principles
• Cases
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
CASE 1
Case 2
Case 3
Case 4
Case 5
Case 6
Case 7
 ETHICAL DILEMAS
• Patient Freedom vs. Nurse Control – What
happens when a patient decides to make a
personal choice about their treatment which
is in direct conflict with established medical
practices?
 ETHICAL DILEMMAS
• Honesty vs. Selective Information – In some
cases, families choose to withhold information
about a patient’s medical condition to avoid
causing them emotional distress. How does a
nurse decide what information to give the
patient?
• Dilemmas surrounding Minors – This is a
particularly tricky area because not only do
nurses have to consider the best interests of the
minor patient, but they also have to respect the
wishes and beliefs of the child’s parents.
 ETHICAL DILEMAS
• Patients’ Personal Beliefs – Sometimes, the
personal or religious beliefs of a patient may
clash with science-based empirical knowledge. A
patient’s right to make their own
choices/decisions must be carefully balanced
against a nurse’s responsibility to provide them
with the best care.
• Reproductive-rights – Nurses must deal with the
‘pro-life’ and ‘pro-choice’ head on, on a daily
basis. A patient’s choice may even clash with
their own personal moral views on the matter.
The impact of social media in the
practice of nursing
 Internet
• Is a powerful tool for knowledge
• Is also a double edge sword
• Could be a source or avenue of defamation
• Privacy concerns
• Think before you click
• Study before you believe
• Anti cybercrime law
 Conclusion
• Nursing Practice is a privilege and is not a
right. It is regulated by the state, thru
licensure and registration
• The ultimate goal is to provide SAFE nursing
practice
• Do good and Do no harm
• In the presence of a conflict, there are ways to
arrive in a resolution.
 Conclusion
• Ethical Dilemmas exist on a day to day basis.
Uphold your oath to provide safety and do no
harm
• Social media and the internet is a vary good
source of information, yet it can also be an
avenue of cybercrime. Be Responsible.
• Finally, you are a nurse for a reason. An
independent profession that is noblest of all.
“Thank you very much”
- Daryl Joel Dumdum, RN, MD