Nursing Ethics: Caregiver as a Patient Advocate

Nursing is not just merely giving concern to the people who are inflicted. Nursing is being a patient’s right activist. It is recognizing the human rights of the patient and guarding these rights. In patient care, there are numerous moral problems and these can lead to infringement of the privileges of the patient. For the nurse not to be engaged in any complaints or troubles, he/she must be able to conform to the regulations, customaries, and ethics that affect the nursing practice.

What is a patient advocate?

A patient advocate is somebody who look after the right of his/her patients no matter what setbacks will happen during the patient care. Being a patient advocate is thinking of the needs and rights of the patient first before making decisions and acting about a dilemma.

What are the common moral problems met by care providers?

a.    Euthanasia

Nursing practitioners are in the dilemma of choosing whether they can participate in mercy killing or euthanasia. They want to end the suffering of their patients but at the same time, they know that they should not engage in such act because it is against the law and morality. It is against the will of God.

b.    Informed Consent

Another ethical issue that is commonly taken for granted by most of the nursing care providers is the informed consent. Informed consent is informing all the dangers and benefits of a specific process or cure before initiating it. The moral predicament crosses the threshold when an individual is not in the aware mind or when the danger or benefits are not clarified.

c.    Right to Refuse

The patient has the right to refuse to procedures and treatments suggested by the physician, whether it is really beneficial or not. No nurse is license to engage in battery or assault just to administer the medication or force the patient to undergo a certain procedure.

d.    Confidentiality and Privacy

Nurses should keep in private the privilege communication that their patients are sharing with them. The nurse utmost consideration in every procedure is to dafeguard the privacy of the patient.

What can I anticipate my supporter to do?

The task of the patient advocate is to safeguard the rights of the patient during their stay in the hospital premises or until the end of their treatment regimen. Your patient advocate with a alert eye for possible clashing treatment modalities and prescriptions deal with any issues that may infringe one’s right. It is the duty of every Patient Advocate to maintain patient privacy according to local and national laws, treating all patient and family information as privileged and protected. As well, Healthcare Provider communications are treated as highly private and honored, whether or not those communications are precise to the patient.

A patient advocate should be knowledgeable in law and rights of the patient. So it will be beneficial for him/her to have law books where he/she can read and be reminded of laws and bills that affect the practice of nursing and safeguard the right of the patient.

The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, or community. The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient (American Nurses Association).

Look for <a href=”http://www.wizardbooks.info/nursing-ethics-caregiver-as-a-patient-advocate/”>second hand law books</a> where you can browse more on rights and privileges.

Suggested Further Reading: <a href=”http://wizardbooks.info.com”>second hand text books</a>