Importance of Ethics in Healthcare Industry

What is Healthcare Ethics?

Medical ethics are is highly valued in providing accurate information to all parties involved; this is a healthcare principle. On the other hand, medical personnel may feel compelled to withhold information from their patients, which could be bad news and impact the patient's development. The ethical paradigm's branch of philosophy is morally appropriate behavior based on adherence to established standards set by nursing educators, who act as our role models both in life and in the healthcare sector. It theoretically addresses general attitudes, opinions, and beliefs (Harabišová, 2018).

In the healthcare industry, conveying awful news has always been a challenge. Maintaining the confidentiality of patients’ information is among the nursing codes of ethics, which are provided to enhance the wellbeing of patients and safeguard their dignity. It is critical to remember that nurses are sworn in to protect and promote their patients' access to high-quality healthcare. As a result, they should conceal any information they acquire from the patient or their significant others. This assignment aims to share my knowledge about the importance of integrity in the healthcare industry versus information withholding. Therefore, in this study, I aim at creating both legal and ethical decision-making dilemmas that will involve an advanced practice in the field of a nurse practitioner. Towards the end, I will provide appropriate recommendations that can be used to address these dilemmas.

Mrs. Walter, fifty-two years old, has breast cancer. Unfortunately, her condition was not detected early. Thus, the medical care she needs at this point is focused on relieving pain and increasing the likelihood of survival. She was a teacher, and her students and colleagues adored her. Doctors observe, however, that her symptoms will worsen because she has no chance of recovering from her breast cancer. Mrs. Walter might be dramatically affected by this information, and she might develop depression. Cancer had spread to other organs, and her health condition is deteriorating day in day out. Her chances of survival have plummeted dramatically. However, the nurse wants to share this information with her but he is afraid of the patient’s reactions. It is overwhelming for the nurse to share information about a patient who is dying and, in our case; it was even more difficult because our patient did not have written and verbal guidance. As such, the nurse is caught in a bind because he is unsure of Mrs. Walter’s reaction when she receives the information about her deteriorating health. He is undecided about sharing all these details with the client or withdrawing some.

Conveying Bad News in Healthcare Industry

Ethical codes are essential aspects of the nursing profession because they represent moral values in academic and clinical settings. The most crucial step toward having proficient and morally competent nurses who arrange for quality care is to establish and adhere to professional performance principles by emphasizing ethical principles (Momennasab et al., 2021). It is critical to understand that strict codes of conduct govern healthcare. This influences how medical practitioners provide healthcare and how patients recover. Essentially, it aids in determining their scope of practice. Various ethical codes apply in this situation. According to the American Nurses Association, the nursing Code of Ethics provides that nurses must be committed to respecting, promoting, uphold and protecting the fundamental rights of both patients and providers of healthcare (Momennasab, 2021). This is a primary document- it should be referenced and not a secondary authorTherefore, Unless Mrs. Walter was incapacitated; she was in charge of all decisions concerning her health. Notably, this ethical principle is called autonomy and it provides that patients have the right to decision and self-determination and therefore it is imperative that medical practitioners must provide all medical information to their patients. If her privacy is not respected, then she may sue the hospital.

While some legal entities have recognized therapeutic privilege as a mechanism for promoting patient wellbeing and preventing more harm, I am of the position that this is not ethically justifiable. goodSince information is a strong tool for both good and harm, withholding it from patients is a way of disempowering them and calls for greater justification than patient welfare.good Even though there is legal recognition of withholding a patient’s information, it cannot be applied on ethical grounds. Other than breaching autonomy, withholding a patient’s information does not benefit the patient and actually can cause more harm than good. As a result, a nurse who withholds a patient’s information violates the ethical principles of autonomy, non-malfeasance, and beneficence.

Other than beneficence, non-malfeasance is another ethical principle evident in our case. According to this principle, medical practitioners should never do harm to their patients and they are encouraged to select the medical intervention that can lead to less harm and achieve more benefits. In our case, the obedience to this principle is much evident since the reason why our nurse was delaying to share the critical information with the patient was that he was trying to do less harm to the patient.