Ethical Principles in Nursing Practice

Nurses' Fundamentals and Ethics

• The fundamental responsibility of nurses related to promoting health is to prioritize patient well-being and autonomy.

Nurses Code of Ethics

• An essential element of the Nurses Code of Ethics is promoting patient autonomy and dignity.

Autonomy and Informed Consent

• Autonomy is related to informed consent in healthcare as it involves respecting patients' decisions and ensuring they have the necessary information to make informed choices.

Ethical Principles

• The ethical principle that involves the healthcare provider's obligation to do no harm is known as non-maleficence.
• Veracity refers to the truthfulness and honesty of healthcare providers in their interactions with patients.
• Open disclosure in healthcare involves providing patients with honest and transparent information about their care, including any adverse events.
• Patient autonomy is a key responsibility of nurses, involving respecting patients' decisions and promoting their independence.

Decision-Making and Patient Safety

• The purpose of using decision-making models in nursing is to facilitate critical thinking and effective problem-solving.
• A key component of patient safety is ensuring patients receive accurate and timely information about their care.

Medication Errors and Response

• If a nurse makes a medication error, they should report it immediately and take steps to rectify the situation.

Ethical Principles in Practice

• The primary ethical principle that supports giving a patient an injection for pain relief is beneficence, which involves doing good for the patient.
• The ethical principle that guides how patients with the same urgent medical needs should be treated is justice, which involves fairness and equality.

Breach of Veracity

• A healthcare provider breaching the principle of veracity might withhold information from a patient or provide false information.

Privacy Act 1988

• The primary purpose of the Privacy Act 1988 in Australia is to protect patients' personal information and ensure confidentiality.

Conflict between Principles

• When a healthcare provider needs to disclose sensitive information about a patient's condition to provide appropriate care, the principle of veracity (truthfulness) may come into conflict with patient privacy.
• The principles of veracity and autonomy in healthcare ethics are interrelated, as respecting patients' autonomy relies on providing them with truthful and accurate information.