NURS 412: Ethics Policy Economics

Purpose of the Assignment: The purpose of the assignment is to provide the student with an opportunity to analyze an ethical issue in healthcare. An ethical decision-making model will be used along with application of ethical principles and the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses.

Student Approach to Assignment: I approached this assignment by recalling a personal experience I had within the clinical setting of an ethical issue. I applied ethical principles such as beneficence, autonomy, nonmaleficence, and veracity to determine the action I felt was ethically appropriate for the patient. I utilized an ethical decision-making model and identified possible outcomes for the patient, along with research that supported those outcomes. I concluded that the situation should be handled by prioritizing comfort care while also recognizing my personal biases and understanding the importance of supporting families who may be facing difficult decisions. 

Reason for Inclusion of the Assignment in the Portfolio: The inclusion of this assignment in the portfolio is important because it showcases my ability to apply ethical principles to support the decision I felt was ethically right for the patient. It is important to demonstrate my ability to follow ethical principles and use them to guide my patient-centered care. 

• Domain 6: Interprofressional Partnerships
  • (31) Articulates the values of the profession and the role of the nurse as a member of the interdisciplinary health care team.
    • In this assignment, I demonstrated the ability to articulate the values of the nursing profession and emphasize the importance of patient advocacy. The values of this profession can be supported by ethical principles that were included within the concept map. The role of the nurse as a member of the interdisciplinary health care team was supported by demonstrating patient advocacy and the nurse’s role in supporting families through difficult decisions. 
• Domain 7: Systems-Based Practice
  • (35) Describe the impact of healthcare cost and payment models on the delivery, access, and quality of care.
    • This was demonstrated in the assignment by highlighting factors that impact the care potentially provided to the patient. One of the possible patient outcomes identified was transferring to a healthcare living facility that cares for patients with complex diseases. Due to the families low income, it would make it challenging to send the patient to this facility and provide him with quality of care. 
• Domain 9: Professionalism
  • (41) Apply principles of professional nursing ethics and human rights in patient care and professional situations.
    • The four professional nursing ethics identified in this assignment were nonmaleficence, veracity, beneficence, and autonomy. The patient was unable to have autonomy due to the inability to speak and the severe neurological deficits. As healthcare professionals we should be doing to our patients (beneficence) and preventing harm (nonmaleficence). These principles were used to support the possible outcome chosen for the patient which was prioritizing comfort care/measures. 
• Domain 10: Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development
  • (43) Demonstrates accountability for one’s own professional practice
    • I demonstrate accountability for my professional practice by advocating for my patient and being responsible for his care. As a nurse, I am responsible and can be held accountable for providing patient-centered and ethically appropriate care for my patients. In this assignment, I identify the importance of the role of the nurse in difficult ethical decision making and the importance of responding appropriately to possible patient outcomes.