Flashcards
Ethical Theories & Principles
Cards in this deck (21)
- 1What is ethics?Ethics is not a black-and–white subject which you either know or don’t know…Ethics always involves thinking and feeling, study and practice, knowledge and intuition. As such, ethics involves the whole person of you the nurse, and the whole person of the patient or client. This is a tall order: it is also a personal challenge.
- 2What is a theory and how is it applied to ethics?helps us understand why things are the way they are
Can be used to develop decision making tools for application in the clinical setting.
Provide us with a framework to help us do the right thing or make the right decision
A theory is a proposed explanation for a class of phenomena. A given theory is not necessarily truth or reality, but it might shed light on the truth.
Historically: Ethical theories were developed to support arguments with reason. Arguments without reason were discouraged. Science prevailed. Emotional responses were devalued. Nursing moved towards science and away from being an art. Nurses studied chemistry, physics, mathematics…and less about humanity.
But Florence said we need both. Is this right? - 34 Major Ethical Theories: DeontologyDeontology (Immanuel Kant): ethical theory based on the belief that humans have the capacity to think through problems and determine the right action based on duty or moral obligation.
Involves logic and emphasizes individual rights, duties, and obligations
Related to the term “Duty”. Doing one’s duty is right and failing to do one’s duty is wrong
A group of ethical theories based upon a point of view that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of an act rather than the rightness or wrongness of the consequences that may occur as a result.
Right and wrong are based on universally shared principles ( justice, fidelity, etc)
Requires you to look back at the nature of the act itself, evaluating it in terms of duties and obligations
If followed, your action will be ethical
Our duty is determined by MAXIMS – logical principles are based on reason (truth is right)
Once we determine what a maxims is – referred to ‘categorical imperative’ the rule has NO EXCEPTION - 4Deontology Cont'dAn act is right if it satisfies the demands of some overriding principle or principles of duty
BUT - Our duties are complex and vary dependent on the situation (e.g. duty as a parent, duty as a peer)
The consequences do not matter – doing your duty is most moral
There are no exceptions to doing your duty (even for good reasons or following your values) - 54 Major Ethical Theories: UtilitarianA form of ethics theory that defines “good” in terms of goals or consequences, usually useful in promoting happiness and well-being
Determines right from wrong by focusing on the outcomes
Starts with the premise that happiness/pleasure is a moral good and that we can bring about such happiness as a consequence of our actions
Theory hold that the most ethical choice in a situation is one that will produce the greatest good for the greatest number
Believe that the ethical choice is the one with the best outcomes, consequences or results
No absolute principles, rules, moral codes, duties
Is based on assumption that good can be quantified and that we can calculate the relative good or harm
e.g evaluate happiness, welfare, pain, pleasure, risk, costs, benefits
“the end justifies the means”
“the greatest good for the greatest number” - 64 Major Ethical Theories: Feminine PerspectivesNewer…an alternative to traditional ethical theories
Not one theory, but rather follow common values – social justice, relationships, and community
Argue that theorists must make sense in the real world and cannot be based primarily on abstract notions
Believe that there is more to ethics than abstract reasoning: there is the context, relationships and the unique interests of the individuals involved
Criticize that the moral experience cannot help us in caring for vulnerable populations
1. Care-focused- argues that a feminine, relationship-focused style of moral reasoning works just as well as a male, justice-focused style
2. Power-focused approaches are concerned with why women usually have less power than men
Both perspectibves agree that any feminsist approach to ethics must:
View men and women as having different life situations/experiences
Provide ways to undermine the subordination of women
Offer methods for dealing with issues that arise
Take the moral experience of all women seriously - 74 Major Ethics Theories: Ethics of CaringBelief that we should start with the personal story and the experiences of an individual
Greater importance on the emotional responses to ethical choices
Dynamic approach (not a “fit all”)
Emphasis is on the explanation, rather than the justification, of a choice
“Nursing ethics” is in this group
1. Persons are understood to have varying degrees of dependence and interdependence on one another.
2. Individuals impacted by the consequences of one's choices deserve consideration in proportion to their vulnerability.
3. Details determine how to safeguard and promote the interests of those involved. - 84 Ethical Elements of CareAttentiveness: Attentiveness is crucial to the ethics of care because care requires a recognition of others' needs in order to respond to them.
The question which arises is the distinction between ignorance and inattentiveness. Tronto poses this question, "But when is ignorance simply ignorance, and when is it inattentiveness"?
Responsibility: The problem associated with this second ethical element of responsibility is the question of obligation. Obligation is often, if not already, tied to pre-established societal and cultural norms and roles. Responsibility is ambiguous, whereas obligation refers to situations where action or reaction is due, such as the case of a legal contract. This ambiguity allows for ebb and flow in and between class structures and gender roles, and to other socially constructed roles that would bind responsibility to those only befitting of those roles. - 94 Ethical Elements of CareCompetence: To provide care also means competency. One cannot simply acknowledge the need to care, accept the responsibility, but not follow through with enough adequacy - as such action would result in the need of care not being met.
Responsiveness: This refers to the "responsiveness of the care receiver to the care".
responsiveness is another method to understand vulnerability and inequality by understanding what has been expressed by those in the vulnerable position, as opposed to re-imagining oneself in a similar situation - 10What are ethical principles?Serve as rules to guide moral conduct and to assist us in taking consistent positions on specific and related issues
Are expressed in many professional codes of ethics
Autonomy (Similar to CNO's Respect for Life)
Beneficence (Similar to CNO's Fairness)
Non-Maleficence (Similar to CNO's Truthfulness)
Justice (Similar to CNO's Client Choice)
Fidelity (Similar to CNO's Privacy/Confid)
Veracity (Similar to CNO's Maintaining Committments/ Client well-being) - 11AutonomyCompetent individual is free to determine and to act in accordance with a self-chosen plan
We have an obligation to respect the autonomy of other persons with respect to decisions concerning their own lives
Founded on respect for persons- human dignity
Some persons are unable to act autonomously owing to immaturity, incapacity and lack of info
Can conflict be beneficence (ie assisted suicide)
Respect for autonomy is part of the purpose of informed consent
Failure to provide a pt with adequate info limits that person’s autonomy and interferes with his or her rights
Support during decision making
Holistic approach to health
Respect rights to privacy
Respect rights to confidentiality
Supports health care decisions
ADVOCACY!!! - 12BeneficenceSets a higher standard than non-maleficence in that one must make a positive move to produce some good or benefit to another
Obligation to bring about good in all our actions
Linked to taking positive steps to prevent harm
Not paternalism (“father knows best”)
Can there be conflict with principle and autonomy (ie accountability, practice environments) - 13Non-MaleficenceDo no evil or harm
Prevent evil or harm
Remove evil or harm
Do or promote good
Where harm cannot be avoided, we are obligated to minimize the harm we do
Is concerned with the rule of doing no harm
Obligates nurses to act in such a way that we prevent or remove harm – we are always taught “safety first” - 14JusticeProviding care to all persons regardless of race, gender, religion and culture
Fairness
Accountability
Autonomy
Liberty
Without compensation
Need to balance the rights of one individual or group against another - 15How should resources be distributed?Need – distribute according to need or when needs cannot be met, the most urgent needs should be given priority
Equality – all in the same boat – dismiss discrimination – all share the same resources in heath care system
Utility – should allocate resources to achieve the max. Best bang for the buck
Liberty – should allocate resources based on individual choices/needs
Restitution – should allocate resources to those who have been dealt with unjust
Effort – how much support or energy is going into this - 16FidelityThe foundation of the nurse-patient relationship
About loyalty, keeping promises, truth telling (veracity) and being faithful to those entrusted to our care
Failure to remain faithful in dealing with others denies individuals the full opportunity to exercise free choice in a relationship, therefore limiting their autonomy.
Can there be conflict with beneficence and non mal. (ie duty of care, confidentiality, caring for difficulty patients) - 17VeracityDuty to tell the truth
Conflicts arise when truth may result in harm
Is central to ensuring and maintaining trust within the nurse-client relationship
Linked to respect for persons - 18How do ethical principles link with ethical theories?Ethical theories provide us with a framework to help us do the right thing or make the right decision
Starting point when we are faced with an ethical dilemma - 19What is an ethical dilemma?A difficult problem that seems to have no satisfactory solution and no clear course of action
Gives rise to questions such as:
“What should I do?” “
“What should we do?”
”What harm and benefit results from this decision or action?” - 20Who do nurses maintain commitments to?Clients, themselves, colleagues, nursing profession, other HCP, quality practice setting
Clients also includes the family, but client comes first - 21How do nurses maintain commitments?Putting needs and wishes of clients first
Identifying when client’s needs conflict with family members
Identifying resources and supports to enable clients to follow their wishes
Identifying when their values and beliefs conflict with the clients
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- CNO PNR300 (Week 1 ) Flashcards on Ethical Theories & Principles, created by Chris Ramgulam on 05/02/2019.
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- Chris Ramgulam · Feb 2019
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- Feb 5, 2019
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