Nursing 108

N108: Transition to the Registered Professional Nurse Role Study Guide Veracity: Telling the truth and not intentionally misleading another • Fidelity: The obligation to uphold all commitments and agreements that one has made to self and others • Autonomy: The right to self determination and freedom of choice • Beneficence: The obligation to do good to others and prevent evil • Nonmaleficence: The prevention of intended harm to another • Justice: The obligation to be fair to all individuals Ethical Theories • Utilitarianism/teleology: Written by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873); states that an action is “right” when it causes a “right result” (good end); the end justifies the means; produces greatest good for the greatest number of people • Deontology: Writtent by Immanuel Kant (1724-1804); states that ethical decisions are made from unchanging principles and moral rules (universal values) and considered separately from the consequences; one uses rules or principles to determine how they should act and are universally accepted • Consequentialists: Decide the right action according to the expected consequence of the act • Nonconsequentialists: Consider only the rule, not the consequence of the act • Gilligan and Noddings: Believed that people are motivated by their love for others; beneficence is the highest idea value • Rationing: Allocation of scarce resources, duties, or obligations; prima facia duties should be followed if there is no other moral duty higher Ethical Dilemmas and Decision Making In the formal sense, ethics is a branch of philosophy (the study of beliefs and assumptions) referred to as moral philosophy. Ethics offers a formal process for answering the question about what one ought to do in a given situation. Understanding some of the basic ethical principles and guidelines assists in making logical and appropriate decisions. It helps to idetify motives for action and define relationships between human beings. Process of ethical decision making: • Determine if the issue is an ethical dilemma • Gather data relevant to the issue • Examine and determine your own values on the issue • Verbalize the problem • Consider possible courses of action • Negotiate the outcome • Evaluate the action Moral principles and rules: •

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