Human life is sacred. The teaching about life is similar in its application in both religious perspectives as well as in nursing perspective. Just as the way religions such as Catholic Church view the aspect of human dignity, so is the way nursing profession view it. This discussion will focus on some of the major key principles of Catholic Social teachings and their application in nursing practice.
Dignity of a human person
According to the Catholic Church teachings, human life is sacred, meaning that it5 has been sanctified and should be given the respect it deserves. Their teachings also argue that human dignity depicts moral values in the society, and therefore, human dignity is the foundation of behavioral teachings in the society. In other words, human life is so precious in such a way that its gives direction on how people should relate with each other, as well as their social interaction. Hence, respecting human dignity is the foundation of respecting an individual, and this promotes unity (Catholic Charities Office for Social Justice).
In nursing practice, dignity of human life is very paramount as well. Nurses take Hippocratic Oath which is derived on the respect for human dignity. The Oath states that all nurses should desire to protect human life by all possible means, and save it where they can (Miles, 2005). Again, in nursing practice, disrespect of human life comes in where nurses go against Hippocratic Oath, as well as medical ethics, by not taking part in preserving human life, but instead terminate human life. A good example is the euthanasia, which is well known by many physicians as doctor-assisted dying. It is against human dignity because nurses are supposed to preserve human life by all possible means, other than helping a sick person to die earlier than he or she should. Therefore, nurses can display dignity of a human person by saying no to doctor-assisted dying, and providing the best care for the wellbeing of the patients.
Solidarity
Catholic Church also teaches something very interesting about solidarity. According to their social teachings, solidarity is minding about other people, whether related or not. In other words, each person should be concerned about other people, regardless of where they come from or the skin of their color. Catholic Church teaches that all people in the entire world are one family regardless of the many differences they may have, and they should learn to love each other with the love of the neighbor (Catholic Charities Office for Social Justice).
In nursing practice, solidarity is also important and has a magnificent impact to both the nurses and the patients as well. Solidarity in nursing practice means being there for each other, and can vividly be elaborated in two forms as shown below;
Solidarity between patients and nurses
Solidarity between nurses
Solidarity between nurses and patients comes in when nurses take patients as their brothers and sisters and treat them the best way they can, without favor. On the other hand, patient should consider nurses as their neighbors who are willing to help them in their current condition, and give the necessary information about themselves to the nurses for easy diagnosis. Solidarity between nurses comes in when nurses help each other in execution of their day to day duties. This means than one nurse can work on behalf of another nurse in case he or she is absent, sick, on leave or in case he is under stress or tired (McVicar, 2003).
Rights and responsibilities
Catholic Church teaches that protecting the rights of people improves their dignity, meaning that every person should know his or her responsibility towards each other. Every person has a right to live and enjoy life, but not until people realize their responsibility towards human life, human dignity cannot be hailed (Catholic Charities Office for Social Justice).
In nursing practice, it is important for nurses to know that even the critically ill patients have a right to life (Annas, 2004). After realizing that, they should know what their responsibilities are towards protecting the rights of the patients to life. In other words, nurses should use their knowledge in conjunction with the current technology to treat their patients efficiently, and be open to other nurses for assistance to uphold life, as it is the right of all people to live. Again, nurses should discourage euthanasia, as it does not uphold human right which is associated with their rights as human beings.
In conclusion, there is a close association between Catholic teachings and nursing ethics. Similarly, life is viewed in a similar way, and it is supposed to be respected in the honor of the dignity of people. Nurses should practice respect for human dignity by treating their patients in the best ways possible to restore their health.
References
Annas, G. J. (2004). The rights of patients: the authoritative ACLU guide to the rights of patients. NYU Press.
Catholic Charities Office for Social Justice: KEY PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING. Retrieved from https://www.cctwincities.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Key-10-Principles-of-CST_1-pager.pdf
McVicar, A. (2003). Workplace stress in nursing: a literature review. Journal of advanced nursing, 44(6), 633-642.
Miles, S. H. (2005). The Hippocratic oath and the ethics of medicine. Oxford University Press.
