Example Of Essay On Ethics In Professional Nursing

Advance directives refer to the methods used to communicate and document a person’s preferences in regards to life-sustaining treatment in the event that they become incapable of expressing those wishes for themselves. Advance directives takes two forms: an instruction directive, which details what life-sustaining treatments a person would want or not want in given circumstances; or a proxy directive, which clarifies who is to make health care decisions if the person becomes incompetent
Advance directives come in numerous formats, and the version used may differ depending on the region of the country. Most formal advance directives permit people to specify the kinds of interventions they may need, given different levels of health and potential treatment circumstances.
In regular practice, and in a variety of settings, helping clients plan for their future treatment through the advance directive may be the responsibility of nurses as part of the healthcare team. Nurses are well equipped to facilitate the initiation of advance directives because of their novel relationship with clients and families.
The first step in supporting clients who are acknowledge end-of-life decisions should be for nurses to reflect on their own values and beliefs connected with these issues and to be comfortable with them. Moreover, nurses should be well informed about advance directives, ethics of treatment at the end-of-life, the client’s medical and nursing care status, and the socio-demographic characteristics of the client that might impact decision-making.
A second measure for the nurses is to start dialogue with clients to assist them define their beliefs, values, and personal understanding in the conditions of their present circumstances. At that point the nurses teach how to disclose all of these ideas and wishes in a living will and also explain how to choose a substitute decision maker.
Another role in connection to advance directives is nurses’ responsibility as client advocates, and their knowledge on the client preferences. Many nurses are legally bound to ensure that treatments consistent with the client’s wishes as communicated in the advance directive.
The nurse’s role may be instrumental in guaranteeing effective communication of the client’s treatment wishes, and the presence and content of an advance directive, to the other members of the healthcare team. This may incorporate alerting others to a change in the client’s wishes, or advocating on behalf of the client in situations where the client’s wishes or/and advance directive are not followed.