NR 581 Week 6 Assignment

NR 581 Week 6 Assignment

Student Name

Chamberlain University

NR-581: Foundational Concepts for Advanced Nursing Practice

Prof. Name:

Date

Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare

Introduction

Ethical dilemmas are a common challenge in healthcare, requiring careful consideration and professional judgment. Advanced practice nurses (APNs) play a critical role in navigating these dilemmas through collaborative decision-making, patient advocacy, and the use of ethical frameworks. The purpose of this presentation is to explore how APNs contribute to resolving ethical dilemmas and ensuring patient-centered care.

Advanced Nursing Role

1. Collaborative Decision-Making
   Advanced practice nurses engage in interdisciplinary collaboration to address ethical dilemmas effectively. By working alongside physicians, social workers, and ethicists, they ensure that diverse perspectives are considered, leading to informed and ethical patient care decisions (Smith et al., 2020).

2. Patient Advocacy
   As patient advocates, APNs safeguard patients’ rights, ensuring their preferences and values are prioritized in healthcare decisions. Advocacy involves facilitating informed consent, promoting patient autonomy, and intervening when ethical concerns arise (Johnston & Kelly, 2018).

3. Ethical Decision-Making Frameworks
   APNs utilize structured ethical frameworks to analyze dilemmas and develop ethically sound solutions. These frameworks, such as the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics, help nurses balance competing ethical principles and make morally justified decisions (Fry & Veatch, 2016).

Description of an Ethical Dilemma

A common ethical dilemma in healthcare involves balancing patient autonomy and beneficence in end-of-life care decisions. In this scenario, a terminally ill patient wishes to discontinue life-sustaining treatment, but family members oppose the decision. The stakeholders include the patient, family members, healthcare providers, and institutional policies, all of whom are affected emotionally, psychologically, and legally.

Ethical Analysis

The ethical principles involved in this dilemma include:

• Autonomy – Respecting the patient’s right to make decisions about their own care.
• Beneficence – Ensuring actions taken are in the patient’s best interest.
• Nonmaleficence – Avoiding harm to the patient.
• Justice – Providing fair and equitable care.

The ANA Code of Ethics provides guidance, particularly Provision 1, which states that the nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient. This provision underscores the importance of respecting patient autonomy while considering ethical and legal implications (ANA, 2015).

Recommendations

1. Facilitate Family Meetings
   Open communication between healthcare providers, the patient, and family members is essential to understanding values, preferences, and ethical concerns. Family meetings help clarify the patient’s wishes and provide emotional support.

2. Implement Palliative Care Consultation
   Palliative care specialists can provide comprehensive support and guidance, ensuring that ethical dilemmas are addressed with sensitivity and expertise. Their involvement can help align care with the patient’s goals and preferences.

3. Document Decision-Making Process
   Thorough documentation of discussions and decisions ensures transparency and accountability. This process protects patient rights and assists healthcare providers in ethical and legal justification of care decisions.

Conclusion

Advanced practice nurses play a crucial role in addressing ethical dilemmas in healthcare. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, patient advocacy, and ethical decision-making frameworks, they ensure that ethical challenges are navigated effectively. By prioritizing patient-centered care and adhering to ethical principles, APNs contribute to equitable, compassionate, and legally sound healthcare decisions.

Table Format

References

• American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. ANA Publications.
• Fry, S., & Veatch, R. (2016). Case studies in nursing ethics (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
• Johnston, C., & Kelly, C. (2018). Advocacy by nurse practitioners: A human right. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 30(5), 269-275.
• Smith, A. et al. (2020). Interprofessional collaboration: A qualitative study of advanced practice nurses’ perspectives. Journal of Nursing Management, 28(3), 584-591.