New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing Lecture Notes (CHN211) - PDF

New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing (CHN211) Lecture No. (4) Dr. Doaa Abd Elhameed Assistant Professor at Faculty of Nursing- Mansoura University  New Mansoura University Faculty of...

New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing (CHN211) Lecture No. (4) Dr. Doaa Abd Elhameed Assistant Professor at Faculty of Nursing- Mansoura University  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing Ethical principles of health education [Lecture 4]  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing Outlines oDefinition of concepts oImportance of Ethics in Nursing oEthical principles 1. The principle of autonomy 2. Beneficence (doing good) 3. Non-maleficence (doing no harm) 4. Justice (fairness) 5. Veracity (the principle of truth telling) 6. Confidentiality 7. Fidelity oCode of Ethics or Standard of Professional Conduct I. Responsibility to the public II. Responsibility to the profession III. Responsibility in the delivery of health education IV. Responsibility in research and evaluation  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing Definitions of main concepts: Concept of Ethics  Ethics is the discipline dealing with what is good and what is bad and with moral duty and obligation.  Ethics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the moral value of human conduct and the rules that govern it. It is the right thing to do for society and self.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing Concept of Moral: Refers to those beliefs about how people ought to behave. Nursing Ethics: Refers to ethical issues involved in nursing practice. Nursing Ethics is also defined as the discipline of evaluating the merits, risks, and social concerns of activities in the field of nursing.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing Importance of Ethics in Nursing: 1. Ethics provides a frame of reference for decision making and action to be taken in a complex situation. 2. It provides us with the rules and principles to ethical decision making. 3. Provides a base for regulating the relationship between nurse, patient, coworkers, society and profession. 4. It gives us standards of practice and profession.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing 5. Ethics in nursing promotes the sense of fundamental responsibilities of nursing care as to promote health, to restore health, to prevent illness and to alleviate suffering. 6. It fuels the development of caring attitude, sense of responsibility and accountability. 7. It promotes an environment in which the values, customs and religious beliefs are respected.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing Ethical principles: Ethical principles can help us in the confusing array of decisions that we take every day. Situations that we face can be complex and/or distressing, with no simple single solution. Ultimately we have to make a decision based upon what we consider to be the best option under the circumstances. Sometimes that decision may be guided by trying to do the best for the many, while at other times it may be guided by following certain rules.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing Basic Ethical Principles 1. The principle of autonomy 2. Beneficence (doing good) 3. Non-maleficence (doing no harm) 4. Justice (fairness) 5. Veracity (the principle of truth telling) 6. Confidentiality 7. Fidelity  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing 1. The principle of autonomy Autonomy involves respecting another person’s rights and dignity such that a person reaches a maximum level of fulfillment as a human being.  In the context of health promotion and health care, this means that the relationship between health worker and community member is based on a respect for him or her as a person and with individual rights as: The right to information. The right to privacy and confidentiality. The right to appropriate care and treatment.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing 2. Beneficence (doing good) Beneficence means doing or promoting good for others as well as preventing or avoiding harm for others.  The main aspect in health education in relation to beneficence is to ensure that the individual is informed and understands the information and its full implications. E.g. provide information about emergency first aid to reduce the risks of HIV infection or accident.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing 3. Non-maleficence (doing no harm) Non-maleficence holds a central position in the tradition of medical ethics and guards against avoidable harm to subjects. In short, it refers to non-infliction of harm to others. E.g. use of sterile needles. This principle is closely related to the issue of informed consent. It is implicit that if consent is informed, then harm cannot be inflicted by a health educator as the individual is aware of the risks, implications, possible treatment, time factors and prognoses.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing 4. Justice (fairness) This principle states that human being should treat other human being fairly and justly in distributing goodness and badness among them.  Justice can be maintained through: Treating people fairly Not favoring some individuals/groups over others Acting in a non–discriminatory way Respect for people's rights Respect for the law  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing 5. Veracity (the principle of truth telling) It is defined as the obligation to tell the truth, being honest and not to lie or deceive others. The rule of truth telling can sometimes be overridden by other important factors, such as a responsibility to avoid unnecessary distress. It is also true that some elders do not always wish to be told the full truth.  For example, an 80 year-old female in the intensive-care unit asks the nurse, ―Am I going to die? The nurse responds ―You are very ill. That is a possibility. It is the duty to exclude unauthorized persons from gaining access to patient information.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing 6. Confidentiality It is a right central to the concept of an individual‘s autonomy. Each person has the absolute right to expect that medical or any other private information will not be shared with others without her express permission or that of her surrogate or agent if she cannot grant permission. The nurses must become knowledgeable about what information must not be disclosed, which information can be disclosed, and who should have access to that information. Exceptions: Protecting one person‘s privacy harms another or threatens social. As drug abuse in employees, elder and child abuse.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing 7. Fidelity: Nurse should keep commitments and honor their word to clients. Fidelity is often related to the concept of faithfulness and the practice of keeping promises.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing Code of Ethics or Standard of Professional Conduct A code of ethics is a set of guidelines that is designed to set out acceptable behavior for members of a particular group, association or profession. Health educators follow some codes when making professional decisions: I. Responsibility to the public II. Responsibility to the profession III. Responsibility in the delivery of health education IV. Responsibility in research and evaluation  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing I. Responsibility to the Public A Health educator’s responsibility is to educate people for promoting, maintaining, and improving individual, family, and community health. When a conflict of issues arises among individuals, health educators must consider all issues that promote wellness through principles of self- determination and freedom of choice for the individual. Health educators support the right of individuals to make informed decisions regarding health. Health educators protect the privacy and dignity of individuals. Health educators respect and acknowledge the rights of others to hold diverse values, attitudes, and opinions. Health educators provide services equitably to all people.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing II: Responsibility to the Profession Health educators are responsible for their professional behavior, and for promoting ethical conduct among their colleagues. Health educators maintain, improve, and expand their professional competence through continued study and education. Health educators encourage and accept responsible critical discourse to protect and enhance the profession. Health educators are aware of possible professional conflicts of interest, exercise integrity in conflict situations, and do not manipulate or violate the rights of others. Health educators give appropriate recognition to others for their professional contributions and achievements.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing III. Responsibility in the Delivery of Health Education Health Educators promote integrity in the delivery of health education. They respect the rights, confidentiality, and worth of all people. Health educators are sensitive to social and cultural diversity when planning and implementing programs. Health educators are informed of the latest advances in research, and practice, and use strategies that are contribute to development of professional standards, guidelines, and experience. Health educators are committed to evaluation of both program effectiveness and the methods used to achieve results. Health educators empower individuals to adopt healthy lifestyles through informed choice rather than by coercion or intimidation.  New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing IV. Responsibility in Research and Evaluation Health Educators contribute to health of the population and to the profession through research and evaluation activities. Health educators support principles and practices of research and evaluation that do no harm to individuals, groups, society, or the environment. Health educators ensure that participation in research is voluntary and is based upon the informed consent. Health educators respect the privacy, rights of research participants. Health educators treat all information obtained from participants as confidential unless otherwise. Health educators who serve as research or evaluation consultants discuss their results only with those to whom they are providing service, unless otherwise. Health educators report the results of their research and evaluation objectively and accurately. New Mansoura University Faculty of Nursing