Question

1. Write an composition explaining the relationship between ethics, morals, and deontology. In the content of the composition; The importance of ethics, morality and deontology concepts in nursing should be explained. What kind of problems the inadequacy of these concepts will lead to in nursing should be explained with examples

Answer 1

Before answering this question we must know the meaning of ethics ,morals and deontology.

ethics is a set of conduct, what is wrong and what is right.

Ethical dilemmas arise as nurses care for patients. These dilemmas may, at times, conflict with the Code of Ethics or with the nurse's ethical values. Nurses are advocates for patients and must find a balance while delivering patient care. There are four main principles of ethics: autonomy, beneficence, justice, and non-maleficence

Morals, however, are not guidelines, rules of conduct or codes of behavior. They are not prescribed or imposed on you by schools, churches or professional or business organizations. Morals are personal. They come from within and are based on your beliefs and principles regarding right and wrong.

deontology

In practical ethics, two arms of thoughts exist in decision-making: Utilitarian and deontological. In utilitarian ethics, outcomes justify the means or ways to achieve it, whereas in deontological ethics, duties/obligations are of prime importance (i.e., end/outcomes may not justify the means).

deontology is ethics of duty where the morality of an action depends on the nature of the action, i.e., harm is unacceptable irrespective of its consequences.

importance and problem arises due to inadequacy of

ethics

Nurses encounter situations almost every day that require a strong understanding of ethics. Education and guides like The Code help them navigate murky waters in which the right thing to do is not always clear.

Here are situations nurses face almost every day:

• Obtain informed consent. Unless the patient is unconscious, the nurse has a responsibility to obtain a patient’s consent prior to any treatment or procedure. Sometimes the patient will refuse treatment. Nurses ensure the staff follows the patient’s wishes.
• Maintain patient confidentiality. While not everyone on the staff needs to know about the patient’s history or situation, nurses must decide who needs to know without violating confidentiality.
• Tell the truth. Most patients trust nurses, which is one of the reasons the profession has the highest rating for ethics and honesty. Nurses must remain truthful even when reporting news the patient does not want to hear. They also depend on patients to share correct information about their medicines, conditions and other issues.
• Deal with beliefs that conflict with empirical knowledge. Patients and their families may refuse standard treatment that has been proven effective. For example, some religions forbid blood transfusions. Should the nurse explain the benefits of the recommended treatment? Or should the nurse respect the patient’s decision?

Ethical guidelines help nurses work through difficult situations and provide them with a moral compass to do their jobs fairly. At the same time, these guidelines promote high levels of care and attention.

morals

Morals and nursing practice
In nursing, as in life generally, you are presented with all sorts of issues and situations to which you will react. The way you deal with problems that arise will be based on the values that you have and the moral standpoint you take.

Many of the problems you face have to do with things like honesty, doing good, having a choice, valuing someone's worth and being fair about something. Philosophers have tried to put these issues into a coherent order. The list of 'core principles' shown in the box (page 40) provides a way of looking at such issues.

When providing healthcare, pre-registration students in particular (but not exclusively) often experience a challenge to their own values and face situations that are new and require them to make decisions that oppose their own beliefs.

deontology

I don’t think the word deontology properly can be applied to nursing. Nurses are expected to be non judgmental and without personal dogma guiding their practice. Nurses work within several systems that, or most often is coordinated by a nurse. Systems for quality develop through the practice of trial and error, costs, losses (risks/benefits) and tertiary failure or success. This is provided by science which are facts based on the scientific model of research. There’s no philosophy of to “do the right thing” because by it’s nature and purpose that is what is already inherent to the nursing profession or any healthcare profession.

I’ve never needed to entertain deontology in my practice because nursing has a bases in theory which is much more facile with enough complexity to cover virtually all possibilities. Strident or rigid philosophy, no matter how nobel or genuinely focused to benefit the patient alone can only fail the majority.