The Belmont Report: Basic Ethical Principles and their Application
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The Belmont Report: Basic Ethical Principles and their Application
Insights about Nurses’ Role
The role of a nurse is to observe ethical principles in the provision of care. Nurses have a responsibility to adhere to considerations such as beneficence, justice, and respect for persons (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2017). Nurses should learn to balance persuasion and undue pressure without coercing patients. The responsibility is to educate patients about the risks and benefits of a treatment procedure.
Dealing with Conflicting Opinions
When practitioners experience conflicting opinions they should remember the Hippocratic Oath to protect patients (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2017). It is important to protect patients while using the best judgment. Assessment of the benefits and risks is important in decision-making (Onovo, 2019). Despite the conflicting opinions, the focus is on the patient’s safety.
Accountability of a Nurse
A nurse is accountable to a patient who is receiving care. The focus is to uphold beneficence to avoid harm while providing all the information to achieve informed consent (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2017). Another accountability is on the family, such as providing on the progress a patient is making. Accountability is vital in achieving patient trust and satisfaction (Onovo, 2019).
Balancing Conflicting Loyalties
Nurses should observe informed consent by providing elaborate information to patients (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2017). The information should help the subjects make the right decisions. For example, a nurse can respond to conflicting loyalties by providing the risks and benefits of a treatment procedure.
Guidance of a Code
When a response is expected momentarily, a nurse should stick to beneficence, by making all decisions to protect the interest of a patient (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2017). Justice can be used to determine the response needed in a spur of a moment.
Ideas from the Learning Exercise
The video prompts me to think about informed consent and the balance between persuasion and undue influence. Nurses have to adhere to the balance between persuasion and coercion that can comprise care.
References
Onovo, G. N. (2019). Fundamentals of nursing practice and the culturally diverse ESL nursing students: The students’ perspectives for teaching and learning in nursing. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 14(4), 238-245.
U.S Department of Health and Human Services (2017, October 26). Part 3 – The Belmont Report: Basic Ethical Principles and their Application. {Video}. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6AKIIhoFn4&t=3s