Introduction
In order to better understand the concern of the registered nurses that have filed the complaint against that coordinator, it is important to observe what is considered adequate ethical nursing practices. There are seven fundamental components of nursing practice that are ethical and of high integrity. First, justice encompasses behavior and processes that are fair and usually involve distributing care in a way that is just and equitable (Registered Nursing, 2022). Second, beneficence refers to decision-making that prioritizes the well-being and identity of the patient. Third, nonmaleficence reflects practices that do not harm the patients. Fourth, accountability requires nurses to take responsibility for their decisions and actions. Fifth, fidelity encompasses practices to which nurses adhere to professional promises that they have expressed. Sixth, a nurse respects and constructs practices with a focus on patient autonomy and self-determination. Seventh, veracity requires a nurse to be wholly truthful with patients.
Discussion
Having outlined the fundamentals of nursing ethics, it is clear that the actions of one of the coordinators had invalidated a number of ethical principles. By encouraging data misrepresentation the nurses were unable to be honest with patients, assure them of no harm, consider the best options for their interventions, be accountable for their decisions, and were unable to remain loyal to their promises to upkeep medical integrity. Modified data allows for a variety of complex concerns that can negatively impact the care patients receive as well as the reduction of ethical practices. As such, the concern regarding ethical considerations that the nurses reported was significant, especially when considering the prior issues related to information misrepresentation that the coordinator has committed. However, due to the internal issues at the clinic, both nurses were unfairly treated after the reports had been made.
As such, it is vital to consider the existing concern among the parties involved, which are the nurses, the clinic’s attorney and the coordinator, and the Department of Health. Similarly, there are three dimensions of potential conflict, including conflicts of ethical, legal, and interpersonal nature. The nurses had expressed reasonable ethical concern over ongoing events in the clinic and were unjustly punished for what could be considered whistle-blowing regarding a potentially detrimental systemic issue. The coordinator and involved attorneys also largely disregard the harm that such unethical behavior has done.
The case also includes legal conflicts that are addressed by both the nurses and the management at the clinic. The nurses were unfairly terminated, likely due to their reports to the Department of Health. However, they are within their rights to provide confidential complaints to the Department. The Joint Commission does not provide whistle-blowers with protection, but national agencies such as the Department of Health can provide the nurses with protection (American Nurses Association, n.d.). However, substantial documentation is often an expected component that would allow the nurses to blow the whistle on the coordinator involved in information misrepresentation. As such, the compromise of the confidentiality of the nurses by the management at the clinic may have been against their rights as observed by the Department of Health.
Conclusion
There is also a chance that interpersonal conflicts abound throughout the case. This is largely due to the unprofessionalism observed by the coordinator and the attorneys. The reduction of the privacy and confidentiality of the nurses is a great concern. Similarly, their termination despite being long-term employees suggests that the management at the clinic refused to solve the issue in a professional manner. The possibility of prior interpersonal conflict between the nurses and the coordinator is also possible, but reasonable documentation can ascertain what the reason was for the filing of complaints.
References
American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Things to know about whistle blowing. Nursing World. Web.
Registered Nursing. (2022). Ethical practice: NCLEX-RN. Registered Nursing. Web.