Ethical issues arise when decisions conflict with moral principles within an organization, institution, or society. There are many dilemmas faced by oncology nurses, such as the use or withdrawal of life support therapies. It is wrong issue because nurses lack the right to use or withdraw life support machines without the patient’s consent. Practitioners find themselves in challenges where there is no right answer, and they are required to mediate the situation. In this case, they are required to connect patients with clinical care during end-of-life situations. The quality of care includes patients’ privacy and relates to the ethical concerns in nursing practice.
Oncology nurses can mediate the entire process while preserving dignity to the patient and family members. Secondly, patient rights are an important ethical issue that every nurse should embrace in their practice. Privacy is an essential entity in medical care since it improves communication between patients and nurses. Consequently, some patients are strict with their religion which pushes nurses restrain services. It is a tricky scenario to act against own religious beliefs in nursing practice (Park, 2009). Oncology nurses should use the principles of human rights to enhance patient care. The principles of human care seek nurses to present dignity in their services.
Nurses should not show discrimination when serving patients, which is a principle articulated by the human rights agency. Every patient has the right to informed consent before treatment (Park, 2009). Patient-doctor information is crucial, and it seeks every oncology nurse to disclose treatment information to patients before treating them. There must be an agreement between caregivers and patients before administering any service. In this case, patients have the right to ask questions, and they can also turn down a suggestion. Minors and their guardians’ rights are a complicated matter to the nurses because, under age, people have total rights to reject or accept treatment.
Oncology nurses should involve both the parents and the minor before they administer treatment. For example, an under-age teen may seek to carry an abortion, but her parents may defy the request in fear of death. This is an ethical dilemma that requires an oncology nurse to solve by ensuring every involved party’s rights are protected. However, there are various ways nurses use to override the challenges brought by these ethical issues (Park, 2009). These techniques help them to protect both patients and hospital policies. Some nurses use personal values to solve ethical dilemmas, such as altruism and autonomy which help oncology nurses override these challenges in their practice.
Furthermore, they also discuss with peers and superiors to find an outstanding solution that protects a patient’s rights. These dialogues shape nurses’ thoughts, making it a collective responsibility (Park, 2009). However, there are scenarios where there is no complete answer to some ethical problems; hence, they rely on management to solve the issue. Oncology nurses also use the code of ethics guidelines to solve these dilemmas. American Nurses Association cissues. Moreover, the committee of ethics to solve these challenges. Technically, ethics committees address ethical issues that arise between patients and nurses. They are advisors who help nurses preserve the core values of hospital and protect patients’ interests.
References
Park, M. (2009). Ethical Issues in Nursing Practice. Journal of Nursing Law, 13(3), 68-77. doi:10.1891/1073-7472.13.3.68