PHI-FPX3200-Tonya's Case: Ethics and Professional Codes

Tonya's Case: Ethics and Professional Codes 

School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Capella University

PHI-FPX3200-Ethics in Health Care

May 26, 2023

Tonya's Case: Ethics and Professional Codes

When providing treatment to patients, medical personnel should adhere to a strict code of ethics. When making treatment choices, doctors may refer to the code's guidelines. The four concepts of non-maleficence, beneficence, justice, and autonomy form the basis of this ethical framework. Nurses may best serve their patients by adhering to these guidelines as they go about their everyday work. In this study, we examine the applicable professional ethical standards as they relate to Tonya's situation. It provides an examination of the impact that conceptual frameworks have on Tonya's case-specific ethical decision-making in nursing practice.

Relevant Ethical Principles and Moral Theories

The doctors who are responsible for Tonya's treatment collaborate to try to restore her health. Tonya's situation is consistent with the Kantian moral theory and the autonomy principle. Patients need the greatest treatment possible as they make a full recovery (Doernberg & Truog, 2023). Tonya's damaged ACL necessitated immediate surgical intervention. The unexpected heart arrest caused the medical team to adjust the treatment plan, which led to a discussion on Kant's moral philosophy. The result was unplanned, but doctors are expected to look out for their patients' best interests in accordance with their professional code of ethics. The hospital also has an obligation to protect the patient's and her parents' right to make their own decisions about her care. Despite medical staff's contrary recommendations, it should maintain the parents' decision to ventilate the patient. Since Tonya is still a juvenile, her parents may choose the court proceeding that is in her best interest.

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Professional Code of Ethics

The American Nurses Association (ANA) stresses the importance of nurses adhering to the nursing code of ethics while caring for patients. The four pillars of this guideline all work together to improve the standard of nursing practice. These ethics standards encourage honest dialogue and deliberation while providing medical treatment to patients (Andrade, 2019). This sets the stage for the healthcare staff and the patient's family to negotiate an acceptable solution to an ethical dilemma. Tonya's medical prognosis notwithstanding, the care team should treat her loved ones with kindness and consider them an integral part of her treatment group. When caring for patients, the medical staff should maintain high standards of honesty and professionalism. Practitioners have a responsibility to provide safe, effective treatment for patients in accordance with the code. To resolve the ethical dilemma with Tonya's family, the medical team turns to evidence-based practice. The ethics group's responsibility is to investigate any ethical problems and provide explanations if needed. There is disagreement between Tonya's family and the doctor, who both think she should be taken off the ventilator. A compromise should be reached that gives Tonya's loved ones time to absorb the news of her prognosis.

Organizational Values and Accrediting Bodies

This situation raises an ethical dilemma that must be examined by the ethics board. The case procedures are reviewed by a committee made up of medical professionals, administrative staff, and ethical experts. Prior to making a choice, it considers the institution's guiding principles and policies. The choice would be based on an analysis of whether or not the quality of care provided by the nurses and doctors is at least adequate (Iserson, 2020). Evidence-based practice literature should be used to support transparency and quality assurance. The Joint Commission (TJC) is one accreditation body that provides guidelines on health standards while providing care to a patient. TJC encourages medical professionals to provide patients the highest standard of care possible. The parents insist that the hospital give them time to comprehend the prognosis because they have a right to know whether or not Tonya's body and heart are still alive. All parties concerned must reach consensus on a tactic that strikes a middle ground between competing moral and ethical ideas.

References

Andrade, G. (2019). Medical ethics and the trolley problem. Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, 12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31346396

Doernberg, S., & Truog, R. (2023). Spheres of Morality: The Ethical Codes of the Medical Profession. The American Journal of Bioethics, 1-15.

https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2022.2160514

Iserson, K. V. (2020). Healthcare ethics during a pandemic. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 21(3), 477. https://doi.org/10.5811%2Fwestjem.2020.4.47549