Running head: ETHICAL DECISION MAKING 1

Ethical Decision Making

Makenzie Bradley

Grand Canyon University: NSG 436

11/30/2019
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Ethical Decision Making

Nurses face ethical dilemmas a significant amount and to deal with it, they problem

solve. They use critical thinking and decision-making skills on the daily to resolve and ensure

ethical violations do not occur. One common ethical dilemma nurses face is withholding

information from the patient as requested by the family. In this paper, the ethical dilemma of

withholding information will be analyzed, the morals and standards that can be utilized to

resolve this issue will be discussed, and an explanation on a possible solution will be provided.

Analysis of the Ethical Dilemma

Nursing care is not just the care of the patient, but the family as well. Therefore, nurses

also must take the family’s wishes into consideration. When the family’s values and beliefs

differ from that of the patient, nurses face an ethical dilemma. Families may ask the healthcare

team to downplay or avoid disclosing the severity of a diagnosis to avoid putting a burden on the

patient. However, nurses have a moral and ethical obligation to educate their patients on their

health (Writers, 2019). Patients have the right to be fully informed of their medical condition,

based on the individual’s right of freedom to make decisions on his or her own behalf, without

the manipulation of others (Sarafis, Tsounis, Malliarou, & Lahana, 2013). For these reasons, I

stand with the patient and believe they should be informed on all facets of their health.

Provisions Used to Resolve the Ethical Dilemma

When nurses are in a dilemma such as this, it is important for them to consider their own

beliefs and moral standards before making a decision on how to move forward. According to the

Code of Ethics for Nurses, there are many reasons to support nurses who choose to disclose

medical information to their patient. The third provision explains a nurse’s role includes

promoting, advocating, and protecting the rights, health, and safety of the patient (American
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Nurses Association, 2015). This explains the importance of respecting patient autonomy because

it is their right to know about the health. Additionally, the fourth provision discusses how the

nurse has authority, accountability and responsibility for nursing practice (American Nurses

Association, 2015). This includes making decisions, educating, and taking action to promote

health and provide optimal care. The Code of Ethics for Nurses was created to serve as a

nonnegotiable ethical standard statement of the obligations and duties of every individual who

enters the nursing profession (American Nurses Association, 2015). Therefore, it acts as a guide

for nurses to aide in decision making and use as support to resolve issues.

Solution to the Ethical Dilemma

A great way for nurses to approach the dilemma of whether or not to withhold

information pertaining to the patient’s health is to establish trust with the patient and assess their

capability to learn, as well as their coping skills (American Medical Association, 2019).

Communication is also important to specify the patient’s preferences regarding what medical

information they want to receive. Some patients may not want to know, hence why their family

members ask the healthcare team to withhold their medical information. If they would like full

disclosure, then it is up to the nurse and health care team to make a decision based on what is

best for them. My leadership style is similar to that of a democratic leadership, in which input

from other health care professionals is inputted and considered. In this case, this would be

beneficial because it is important for the whole team to be involved and aware of what is going

on so that they all respect the patient’s wishes.

Conclusion

Ethical dilemmas are complicated because there is not always a clear answer. Each

situation is unique and should be analyzed to determine what the best solution is. Once the
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situation is analyzed, the next step is to determine if there are any ethical standards created to

help guide nurses in making a decision. Awareness of one’s own beliefs plays a role in decision

making, as well as input from other health care professionals. Nursing is about teamwork, and

getting help from other professionals is beneficial to making a confident decision and solution.
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References

American Medical Association. (2019). Withholding Information from Patients. Retrieved from

https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/ethics/withholding-information-patients.

American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of Ethics PDF. Retrieved from

https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/code-of-ethics-

for-nurses/coe-view-only/.

Sarafis, P., Tsounis, A., Malliarou, M., & Lahana, E. (2013, December 20). Disclosing the truth:

a dilemma between instilling hope and respecting patient autonomy in everyday clinical

practice. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4825228/.

Writers, R. N. S. (2019, September 18). How Nurses Can Avoid the Most Common Ethics

Violations. Retrieved from https://www.registerednursing.org/how-avoid-common-

ethics-violations/.