Solutions
ANA's Code of Ethics for Nurses 1. Respect for human dignity
2.Respect for individual right to self-determinism
3. Primary commitment to the patient (defined as individual, family, group, or community)
4. Advocacy for the patient
5. Participation in the creation, maintenance, and improvement of healthcare environments
6. Advancing the profession
7. Collaboration with others to meet health needs
8. Shaping social policy
issues in healthcare having an ethical component 1. Failure to adopt technology or use it
adeptly
2. Lack of regard to data integrity such as discrepancies in record information that are noted but
no corrective action is taken
3. Failure to address threats to privacy and personal health information
4. Inappropriate access of PHI without a need to know
5. Failure to keep informed of emerging developments and issues
6. Failure to recognize and use technology to advance the profession
, Ethical Decision Making Questions With
Solutions
7. Failure to engage in policy discussions that impact healthcare delivery.
8. Failure to recall that the patients is their primary focus
9. Failure to actively participate in the selection use, and/or evaluation of technology that has the
potential to improve healthcare.
3 ethical issues that can result in patient harm 1. Noting discrepancies in record
information without corrective action is irresponsible. - Nurses need to demonstrate
accountability for data integrity or risk that it may be compromised.
2. Failure to adopt technology or not using it well or as designed can also jeopardize patient
safety. - example might be an APN who continues to use written notes when automated
documentation is the expectation. This deviation might be quicker and easier initially for the
individual provider, but it creates a fragmented patient record, increasing the likelihood that
important information will be lost, and because it is unstructured data, it is invisible for data
analysis.
3. The biggest ethical challenge comes when nurses fail to embrace their roles in shaping health
policy and social change.
- Nurses need to be aware of the facts related to features of HIT legislation, particularly the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).
- ACA was intended to improve care and reduce disparities and help reform healthcare.
- Distributive justice is the major ethical principle underlying health-reform initiatives.