The health of humanity is the most valuable and important aspect of the life of modern society. Its preservation and strengthening are considered the primary tasks of countries around the world. In this process, an important role belongs to such medical specialists as nurses. This work requires performing tasks on an equal footing with the doctor, such as collecting anamnesis, making a preliminary diagnosis, and constantly monitoring the patient’s condition. In addition, during the provision of medical care, nurses may face problems related to ethics. Awareness of these specialists on the topic of morality plays a vital role in the effectiveness and usefulness of providing medical care to patients.
The ethical responsibility of the medical council is to observe moral principles during the provision of medical care. Thus, incorrect diagnosis, treatment, and inappropriate attitude of medical personnel to the patient can have severe physical and moral consequences. Unethical actions include disclosure of medical secrets, refusal to assist, violation of privacy. It is important to note that the ethics of nursing is one of the sections of bioethics. It consists of the expression of humanism, which should be applied at all stages of medical activity.
Medical ethics consists of special rules of conduct for medical personnel, which rely on general principles of morality. All the relationships and connections that arise during the provision of health care are involved in this process. Among the main principles of ethics, in this case, are respect for the life, dignity, and rights of the patient and respect (Winland-Brown et al., 2015). Thus, situations of varying degrees of complexity may arise, and patients may be of different genders, ages, nationalities, social and health statuses. The medical examiner must find a particular approach to each situation, based on morality, in order to achieve the best results and avoid negative consequences.
A nurse should be a professionally competent specialist who has the personal characteristics and skills necessary for this work. One of the relatively complex aspects may be genetic research. Montgomery et al. (2017) emphasize that “nurses have minimal genetics education and may not feel comfortable incorporating genetics assessment and implications into a patient care plan” (p. 10). This problem can also attract ethical consequences due to the lack of qualification of the medical staff.
That is why, to provide effective care to patients, medical personnel are obliged to develop their knowledge in various healthcare fields constantly. In addition, it is essential to monitor physical and mental health since this profession requires responsibility, concentration, and moral stability. Nurses are more responsible than anyone else for the ethical environment in the workplace (Lachman et al., 2015). They are aware that no circumstances justify unethical behavior in stressful and crisis situations. These medical workers should control not only the process itself but also observe the behavior of patients and anticipate their actions during the provision of care. This is necessary for timely correction of the course of the situation and maintaining the psychological component.
Thus, a nurse is a representative of a complex and responsible profession in the medical sphere. They must have the skills to diagnose diseases, including genetic ones, treatment, comprehensive patient care, rehabilitation, and disease prevention. In addition, these specialists have essential knowledge in ethics, which can help solve issues related to morality. Everyday tasks assigned to a nurse make her profession multifaceted and technologically complex.
References
Lachman, V., O’Connor Swanson, E. & Winland-Brown, J. (2015). The new ‘code of ethics for nurses with interpretative statements’ (2015): Practical clinical application, Part II. MEDSURG Nursing, 24(5), 363-368. Web.
Montgomery, S., Brouwer, W. A., Everett, P. C., McGreal, S. B., & Eggert, J. (2017). Genetics in the clinical setting: What nurses need to know to provide best patient care. American Nurse Today 12(10), 10-16. Web.
Winland-Brown, J., Lachman, V. & O’Connor., E. (2015). The new ‘code of ethics for nurses with interpretative statements’ (2015): Practical clinical application, Part I. MEDSURG Nursing 24(4), 268-271. Web.