Daily Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing Practice

This paper discusses the ethical dilemmas faced by nurses in their everyday practice. The paper examines how nurses can become aware of potential ethical issues and how they can address them to ensure that patients receive the highest standard of care. It provides an overview of common ethical dilemmas encountered in nursing, such as end-of-life decisions, allocation of resources, patient autonomy, and informed consent. Additionally, it looks at strategies nurses can use to effectively deal with these situations and suggests ways to promote ethical decision making within the profession.

Nurses are often the front line of care, with many ethical issues arising in their daily practice. Some of the most common dilemmas involve decisions relating to end-of-life care and resource allocation. End-of-life decisions can be particularly difficult for nurses as they need to balance respecting patient autonomy while also providing comfort and relief from pain or suffering. Resource allocation is another difficult dilemma nurses face as they must determine how best to use limited resources so that all patients receive optimal care. Additionally, informed consent is an important ethical consideration for nurses, as they should ensure a patient understands any risks associated with any treatment before it is administered.

For nurses to successfully address these types of dilemmas, it is essential that they have the proper training and support. Nurses should become familiar with ethical principles, such as autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and respect for others, in order to make informed decisions. They should also work closely with other healthcare professionals to ensure all aspects of the situation are considered before making a decision. Additionally, developing a clear policy regarding end-of-life care or resource allocation can help ensure that these difficult decisions are made in a consistent manner.