Ethics, The Ethics And Values Of The Nursing Profession

Ethics, the rules and principles that guide right behaviors or conduct, are foundational to the field of bioethics, which focuses on ethical issues in healthcare (Mclennon, Uhrich, Lasiter, Chamnes, Helft, 2013). Nurses are faced with ethical decision making principles daily when caring for their patients, some days more than others. According to Yoder-Wise (2011), ethics may be distinguished from the law because ethics is internal to an individual, looks to the ultimate â€Å"good† of an individual rather than society as a whole, and concerns the â€Å"why† of one’s actions (p. 91). In this particular situation, the nurse has to decide if she will respect the wishes of the patient’s family members or be upfront and honest with her patient and†¦show more content†¦The advantages of disclosing the diagnosis to the patient is that it allows her to decide the appropriate treatment course that she believes would be best for her. On the other hand, the corollary of beneficence, the principle of non-maleficence, states that one should do no harm (Yoder-Wise, 2011, p. 92). â€Å"Telling about poor prognosis to the patient may cause psychological harm to her. Therefore, in this situation the action of nurse by withholding truth about her diagnosis may enhance patient care and prevent harm† (Punjani, 2013, p. 2). The disadvantages of not disclosing the diagnosis and prognosis to the patient appears greater than the advantages. The principle of beneficence states that the actions one takes should promote good (Yoder-Wise, 2011, p. 91). The language barrier is being used to take advantage of the patient by the family to make medical decisions for her. The patient is competent with no mental incapacities and is able to make her own medical decisions with the assistance of an interpreter. The opportunity for her to notify family members and friends located both in Korea and the United States to say her farewells and to in form them of her condition will be taken away. She loses the inability to straighten out her affairs at home and any unfinished matters that may be pending. She may wish to spend quality time and share special unspoken conversations with her daughters and husband each independently. To add to an already complex