Utilitarianism in Nursing (Essay Sample)

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Utilitarianism in Nursing
Utilitarianism can be referred to as an ethical theory which states that the moral worth of any action can only be determined by what it contributes to general utility. Thus, it applies the concept of consequentialism which means that the worthiness of a moral action is only measured by the final outcome; the judgment of an action is exclusively based on the outcomes obtained. In the contemporary society, the idea of utilitarianism has been, most of the time, confused or rather equated to the view of "the end justifying the means." A utilitarian would rather consider lying in situations where the benefits of an action outweigh the possible harm. For instance, in nursing as a career, a practitioner has to decide on the effective treatment procedures that would benefit a patient. A procedure that has the least risks and tends to benefit the patient is what utilitarianism advocates for (Crisp, 201).
There are a number of contemporary aspects in nursing where utilitarian applies. For instance, fever, for many years, has been a usual childhood ailment that is encountered by nurses at hospitals or rather at health facilities. Most nurses deem fever to be harmful and tend to administer antipyretics even when the children are asymptomatic. This behavior in nursing have always confused the parent’s perception of fever thus increasing anxiety and fear. Reviewing the alternative solutions that are meant for fever management will enable nurses to make appropriate decisions about the treatment to be used on various levels of fever. The outcomes of such treatment methods should be seriously considered at this point (Broom, 43).
Historically, fever in children was treated by use if ice sponge baths, isopropyl added to bathing water and swaddling or covering children with extra or heavy blankets. These procedures were used without considering their outcomes. However, the most recent nursing practices has proven that the body cooling methods lead to more shivering, discomfort in children and more crying. Thus, deciding on an effective body cooling method for patients with fever calls for nursing ethics and application of consequentialism approach in utilitarian theory.
Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is the most recommended choice of drug in fever treatment. This kind of treatment is mainly used by nurses due to its static benefits to the patients; a well-tolerated analgesic effect and infrequent or minor complications. In addition, ibupro...