Nursing Ethical Dilemma Situation (Essay Sample)

Nursing: Ethical Dilemma
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Nursing: Ethical Dilemma
Nursing ethical dilemma refers to a situation where nurses face moral problems and are required to make choices. Moreover, in healthcare setup ethical principles compete for priorities thus posing a challenge to nurses which forces them to face a dilemma (Rainer, Schneider, & Lorenz, 2018). In such a case, the reaction may not be clear and choices are not perfect. As a result, choices may lead to a deterioration in the quality of patient care, difficult clinical affairs, and ethical distress. Besides, nurses know what is right to do but the situation forces them to do otherwise. Nurse managers are prone to ethical issues in nursing and moral distress due to their guidance and monitoring roles. Nurses lookup for nurse managers to decide for them thus posing a challenge to them. Therefore, this paper gives deep-rooted information on the nursing ethical dilemma case, ethical concepts and theory involved in the situation, and the effects of the ethical concepts and theories.
Nursing Ethical Dilemma Situation
There are several nursing ethical dilemmas that nurses face in healthcare. However, the most common one is a situation where the nurse is to decide between healthcare and resource allocation (Scott et al., 2018). Notably, the cost of healthcare is rising which puts nurse managers in peculiar with planning constraints and patient needs. Additionally, several healthcare facilities have scarce resources that put patients at high risk for accessing quality care they require (Scott et al., 2018). Moreover, these resources range from medical equipment to working staff. The scarcity of medical resources poses a challenge to nurses while offering medical care to patients in that they are limited to what to use. Also, when the health facility does not have enough task force patients may end up waiting for long hours without service which also attitudes a risk to patients.
Ethical Concepts and Theories Involved in the Situation Identified
Ethical principles guide nurses on how to offer their services in healthcare facilities. Additionally, they help them in making decisions in a compromised situation. On the other hand, nursing theories help nurses to describe the level of nursing practice and what is expected of them. However, in the above case, there are ethical principles and nursing theories involved (Scott et al., 2018). To start with ethical principles, there are philosophies involved which include justice and fairness, beneficence, fidelity, and veracity. Justice and fairness are fundamental in any healthcare facility in that it ensures all patients are given equal opportunities despite their social classes. Moreover, beneficence guides nurses to do the right thing to the patient. On the other hand, fidelity allows nurses to stick to their professional promises and responsibilities. Lastly, veracity helps nurses to be truthful to patients.