Applying the ANA Code of Ethics to the Case
To facilitate the environment for fast recovery, nurses must administer medications to patients in a timely fashion. For this purpose, an efficient information management framework must be deployed. In the case under analysis, a nurse failed to use the available data management tools and, therefore, neglected the needs of a patient by providing her with the medication of smaller intensity than required (Vicodin instead of morphine). Thus, the treatment process was delayed. From the perspective of the ANA Code of Ethics, the identified incident is misaligned with the second and the fourth provisions of nursing ethics. Particularly, the case in point illustrates a complete lack of commitment to the patient and her needs as the primary focus of care (American Nurses Association, 2001).
Furthermore, the nurse has failed to take the actions that can be deemed as “consistent with the obligation to provide optimal patient care” (American Nurses Association, 2001, p. 15). Indeed, a closer look at the situation will reveal that the nurse admitted failure to follow the schedule and provide the patient with the required medication by the existing prescription. The identified course of action can be described as a complete failure of providing patient care of even moderate quality, not to mention the current high standards of care. Therefore, the fourth provision of the ANA code linked to meeting patients’ needs and maintaining a high quality of care must be addressed. The statement in question refers to the necessity for a nurse to use their authority wisely and make sure that the setting for delivering optimal patient care is created (American Nurses Association, 2001). Thus, the incident represents the violation of two crucial provisions of the ANA Code.
Response to the Patient’s Daughter
Staff Nurse Perspective
It will be necessary to assure the patient and her daughter that the problem will be reported and that the appropriate actions will be taken. Particularly, it will be crucial to make sure that the patient should feel secure and that the manager should be made aware of the problem. Furthermore, a staff nurse will have to administer the necessary treatment to the patient.
Charge Nurse Perspective
A charge nurse will have to reconsider the schedule and make sure that the staff nurse that will replace the current one should be aware of the patient’s needs and health record. Therefore, transferring the essential information to the staff nurses should be considered another crucial task of a charge nurse. Also, a charge nurse will have to make sure that the required medication (i.e., morphine) should be available. Ordering the medicine and the necessary supplies will be the next step that a charge nurse will have to take to handle the situation.
Superior/Nurse Manager Perspective
Finally, a superior nurse must analyze the situation and either dismiss the nurse that failed to meet the needs of the patient or change the nurse’s behavior and values based on which her decision-making process is currently made. The needs of patients must become the priority based on which the nurse must make the related decisions. It could be argued that, with the introduction of the transformational leadership model, it will be possible to convince the nurse in question to change her behavior and attitude toward patient-oriented ones. Thus, the premises for an improvement in the quality of patient services will be made, and future instances of negligence will be prevented efficiently (Marshall & Broome, 2016).
Telling the Patient about the Order
Telling the patient that nothing has been ordered is unethical and, therefore, unacceptable. It is crucial to tell the patient the truth to respect the patient’s rights. Therefore, the nurse should have kept track of the order and made the information available to the patient immediately (American Nurses Association, 2001).
References
American Nurses Association. (2001). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Web.
Marshall, E. S., & Broome, M. E. (2016). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.