Running head: AN ETHICAL DILEMMA

An Ethical Dilemma in Nursing Practice Brandi Anastacio a!iolani Communit" College

AN ETHICAL DILEMMA

# An Ethical Dilemma in Nursing Practice

This ethical dilemma encom!assed client A$ an elderl" %emale that had &een recentl" admitted into the hos!ital due to an in%ection o% her s'in gra%t site$ !ost right mastectom"( )he is alert$ oriented and inde!endent( )he shared a room *ith client B$ another elderl" %emale that a!!eared incoherent and &ed &ound( A%ter arri+ing to the unit at ,am$ I entered their room and noticed an isolation cart &eing !laced &" the door( I !aused and as'ed the !rimar" nurse *h" it *as !laced there( )he stated that client B *as -ust diagnosed *ith ha+ing MR)A .Methicillin Resistant )ta!h Aureus/ in her s!utum and *as &eing !laced in contact isolation( I as'ed i% either !atient *ould then &e !laced in a !ri+ate room$ since client A did not share the same MR)A diagnosis( )he re!lied that since the hos!ital0s acuit" *as currentl" high and their sim!l" *ere no !ri+ate rooms a+aila&le at this time$ *e *ill -ust ha+e to ma'e it *or' until one is a+aila&le( I *as sur!rised at this res!onse$ &ut continued *ith m" !lans o% care( Client A0s hus&and arri+ed on the unit at a&out 11am and *as as'ed to !ut on a go*n$ %ace shield and glo+es( Naturall"$ he had numerous 2uestions a&out *h" he *as as'ed to do this and *orried a&out his *i%e sharing a room *ith someone that *as contagious( I had a +er" di%%icult time ans*ering his 2uestions *ithout arousing his concerns %urther or creating negati+e %eelings to*ard the sta%% and %acilit"( Client A *as trans%erred at 1:31!m to another room( The ethical !rinci!les that *ere challenged in this situation *ere non male%icence$ !ri+ac" and +eracit"( 4Non5male%icence$ or do no harm$ is directl" tied to the nurse6s dut" to !rotect the !atient6s sa%et"7 .)il+a 8 Lud*ic'/( This *as a con%lict &et*een !atient sa%et" and %acilit" ca!acit" &ecause although sta%% *anted to !rotect the client %rom in%ection$ the %acilit" did not ha+e the resources to %ollo* through$ &ut remedied it as soon as the" *ere a+aila&le( The ne9t ethical !rinci!les$ !ri+ac" and +eracit" *ere challenged *hen client A0s hus&and as'ed

AN ETHICAL DILEMMA

2uestions regarding the isolation !recautions and his *i%e0s care( Although client A0s hus&and demanded ans*ers$ *e still had to !rotect the !ri+ac" o% Client B( I had to remain as truth%ul as !ossi&le$ &ut not di+ulge in%ormation regarding client B or her care( 4Pri+ac" &elongs to each !erson and$ as such$ it cannot &e ta'en a*a" %rom that !erson unless he:she *ishes to share it7 .)il+a 8 Lud*ic'/( ;!on re%lecting on this situation$ there are a %e* things that ma" ha+e &een done di%%erentl"( <irst$ *e ma" ha+e o%%ered to not onl" go*n client A0s hus&and$ &ut the client hersel%( This *ould ha+e !romoted non male%icence( Also$ I *ould ha+e as'ed the nursing manager to s!ea' to client A and her hus&and$ e9!laining the situation and that e+er"thing *as &eing done %or a 2uic' trans%er$ ensuring +eracit"( Then$ I *ould state that I could not share an" in%ormation regarding the other client0s care$ &ut o%%er !atient education on the t"!e o% isolation the other client *as under$ so that the" ma" !rotect themsel+es *hile a*aiting a trans%er$ dis!la"ing the ethics o% !ri+ac" and non5male%icence( =+erall$ the situation *as dealt *ith in the &est a&ilit" o% the sta%%$ &ut im!ro+ements can al*a"s &e made( This *as a di%%icult situation that could ha+e resulted in negati+e re!ercussions on the client$ sta%% and the %acilit"( 4Nurses must e9amine the con%licts arising &et*een their o*n !ersonal and !ro%essional +alues$ the +alues and interests o% others *ho are also res!onsi&le %or !atient care and health care decisions$ as *ell as those o% !atients7 .ANA/( This is going to &e an ongoing struggle in nursing$ &ut is a necessit" in !ro+iding the &est !ossi&le care %or each o% our clients(

AN ETHICAL DILEMMA

> Re%erences

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