Running head: BENCHMARK- ETHICAL DILEMMA

Benchmark- Ethical Dilemma

Jordyn Elwell

Grand Canyon University: NSG-436

August 9, 2020
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BENCHMARK- ETHICAL DILEMMA

Benchmark- Ethical Dilemma

Ethical dilemmas are very common in the nursing workforce and contribute to many

decisions that a nurse will have to make. When these dilemmas arise, it is important for nursing

staff to understand how to solve it while referring to principles, rules and standards of guidelines

(Huber, 2018). This paper will thoroughly address an ethical dilemma regarding religious beliefs

along with skills to resolve the issue, and a possible solution all while keeping the patient as safe

as possible and using proper leadership influences.

Ethical Dilemma and Justification

Ethical dilemmas that arise can involve many different situations but one that may be

commonly seen is the decision between science and spirituality. Many nurses face the ethical

dilemma of choosing to treat the patient with scientific methods that could help the patient or

following the patient’s religious beliefs which may go against the scientific method. An example

of this kind of ethical dilemma would be whether or not to give a patient a blood transfusion to

save their life although that goes against their religious beliefs. While the blood transfusion may

be lifesaving, there are patient rights and ethical standards that should be addressed before

making a decision.

Standard Application and Providing Safe Client Care

In this particular situation, giving a blood transfusion would ultimately be keeping the

patient safe if it was necessary to keep them alive after losing a significant amount of blood.

While it might seem like the best way to keep the patient alive, going against the patient’s wishes

is overall neglecting to respect their rights. To keep any patient safe, it would be important to

assess their records and look for any signs that they would reject care due to religion or even

DNR. If none of that is found in the chart, it would be keeping the patient safe to do everything
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to keep them alive. However, giving a patient care that is against their plan of care is not taking

care of the patient in a holistic point of view.

Ethical Decision-Making Skills

Making an ethical decision may be hard for some nurses, especially when there are

differences in opinions and beliefs. Since nurses face these dilemmas frequently, there are many

tools and principles that can be reviewed to help guide them to making the right decision. The

ANA created the Code of Ethics to give nurses a specific and reliable resource to reference when

they come across a situation that may involve making an ethical decision. An ethical principle

that must be addressed in a dilemma such as this is autonomy. It is important to acknowledge

each person and respect their differences, which in this case is their religion and beliefs. Each

patient has the right to their own choices when it comes to their treatment and nurses need to

respect and grant them that right. Other ethical principles that can be addressed in these

dilemmas include beneficence, justice and nonmaleficence (Haddad & Geiger, 2020).

Solution and Leadership Influence

When facing an ethical dilemma, it can be very beneficial to reach out to other nurses,

especially ones who are experienced and may have dealt with issues like this before. Discussing

ideas and solutions among other nurses and nurse managers might help the nurse to understand

what the real ethical solution is while looking beyond just what they think is right and what

follows their own personal beliefs. In this situation, it would be ethical to respect the patient’s

wishes, beliefs and religion and avoid performing a blood transfusion even though it could be

lifesaving. In the Code of Ethics, it states that nurses need to respect human dignity and respect

the choices of the patients which would be a big factor in the decision for this situation

(American Nurse Association, 2020). It would be important to remember that every patient has
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the right to choose their treatment and if they decide to decline treatment due to religious beliefs,

the nurse needs to understand that and respect it.

Conclusion

It can be hard for a nurse to make an ethical decision when that decision may go against

their own beliefs or opinions, but it is important to do what is at the best interest of the patient

and follow their rights. Nurses have many resources available to them to help them make the

right decision along with professional personnel such as nurse managers. Acknowledging the

ethical dilemma while maintaining the safety of the patient, using professional skills to address

it, and using resources to come up with a solution are all important when an issue arises and

needs to be professionally addressed.

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References

American Nurses Association. (2020). Ethics and human rights. Retrieved from

https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/

Duquesne University. (2020, June 05). Ethical Issues in Nursing: Explanations & Solutions.

Retrieved from https://onlinenursing.duq.edu/blog/ethical-issues-in-nursing/

Haddad, L., & Geiger, R. (2020). Nursing Ethical Considerations. Statpearls. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526054/.

Huber, D. L. (2018). Leadership & nursing care management (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.