Introduction
Nursing is a field that requires practitioners to apply outlined ethical guidelines and focus on the best ways to transform their patients’ experiences. In the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, readers can acquire numerous ideas regarding the concepts of informed consent and confidentiality and their relevance in medical practice. This reflection relies on the issues outlined in this text to explain the true meaning of ethics in health and medicine.
Reflection
Ethics is a field that guides people to act in a moral manner and engage in actions that could become universal laws. The American Nursing Association (ANA) provides a code of practice which all practitioners need to follow without negotiation. They should offer personalized services, but the demands of their patients first, and avoid malpractices that have the potential to undermine the effectiveness of the profession (Noroozi et al., 2018). Practitioners who promote such aspects will become competent caregivers in their respective fields.
The unlikely story of Henrietta Lacks is worth analyzing since it describes how scientists and medical practitioners used her cells without the permission of any family member. Such decisions would later lead to critical advances in the field of medicine, such as human cloning and vitro fertilization. Unfortunately, Lacks’ immortality remains controversial since the researchers obtained and preserved her genes and cells without her consent. Additionally, her children and husband would also become victims of continuous scientific invitations without getting their approval (American Nurses Association, 2015). This malpractice would also expose some of the unethical experimentations that many scientists conducted on African Americans.
From this understanding, it is agreeable that the decisions some of the researchers made in the studied story would eventually have significant consequences. The first implication is that the move to clone human cells is unacceptable and against the ethical principles of nursing. For example, the act is unjust and capable of affecting the overall experience of the victim and his or her relatives. The second one is that the use of human subjects in undisclosed research studies is unethical and against the consent of the targeted individuals (Skloot, 2011). These aspects explain why Henrietta’s daughter was devastated after receiving the news of her mother’s cells. She became concerned since she was not sure how she might have died and the challenges went through.
The insights gained from the text offer convincing reasons for pursuing ethical practices in all medical fields. The ANA codes are capable of compelling individuals who are in the nursing profession to act ethically, promote patient autonomy, and engage in advocacy. Such professionals will remain committed to the individuals they serve, address emerging problems, and seek informed consent (Biros, 2018). These experts need to remain committed to the community they serve if they are to record positive results. Nurses and clinicians who consider the information obtained from the studied book will find a compelling reason to make ethics their primary guiding principle for their respective decisions.
Conclusion
The above reflection has explained why medical practitioners should follow the outlined ethical values. The insights gained from the identified text should encourage researchers in the field of medicine to do what is right and avoid every possible consequence. Such a practice will transform the image of the healthcare sector and eventually support the delivery of high-quality, culturally competent, and personalized medical services.
References
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics with interpretative statements. Silver Spring.
Biros, M. (2018). Capacity, vulnerability, and informed consent for research. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 46(1), 72-78. Web.
Noroozi, M., Zahedi, L., Bathaei, F. S., & Salari, P. (2018). Challenges of confidentiality in clinical settings: Compilation of an ethical guideline. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 47(6), 875-883. Web.
Skloot, R. (2011). The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. Broadway Books.