PICACHE, Leo Marie C.

| NUR192
Health Care Ethics |Sir. Paul O. Dayandayan

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
Give at most 3 examples each and explain on how the 4 elements of ICN Code of Ethics can be
practically applied in the various health care setting.

NURSES AND PEOPLE

1. My first example if a patient is a wanted by the law. Based on the ICN code of ethics first
element is nurses and people that is the primary professional responsibility of a nurse
requiring a nursing care. If I were the nurse, I must provide my patient his human rights
which is his right to be cured whatever his standing in the society may it be a culprit or a
law-abiding citizen, I should also consider the values, customs and of course the spiritual
belief of the individual, the family, and the community. Being a nurse, I should have my
professional values which is to respect the patient, to response to his needs, to show
compassion for them to trust the medication and my integrity for them to get the support
from their family and most from the patient itself.
2. The second would be if a patient is a street dweller. This case maybe a bit complicated I
liked to showcase this topic given this opportunity, if given this case I would
wholeheartedly seize it for this is the moments that I could show and reflect Florence
nightingale passion to help and cure the sick as best as we could with or without the fame
and support from wealth and power. But as I say this is a complicated case where at
present in our society maybe not in every step but whether we accept it or not this is the
biggest problem which is the poor and the less fortunate people do not receive the
medical attention that should be given to them for the reason that they lack financial
attributes, but though this is only my personal thoughts, and no offense meant to our
present situation.
3. The third will be those patients who refused to accept medical treatment though they
required a nursing care. This cases maybe rare but still possibility may occur. In
accordance with the 4 elements of the ICN code nurse’s primary professional
responsibility is for people requiring nursing care thus facing this kind of case we still
must provide them the human rights, values, customs and the spiritual belief for these
individuals, the family if they have one and the community. We still should apply our
professional values to respect their rights, to response to their needs, to show our
compassion as a nurse for them to trust our integrity in helping those who are sick. That
is what our pledge to profession.
NURSES AND PRACTICE
1. First example given the opportunity to work with other people for enhancing your
knowledge but because you have already work 10 years as a nurse you declined a said
offer because you think that you have already gained a long year of experience. In this
scenario if I am the nurse, I would willingly grab the said offer for I know that as a nurse
I should carry a personal responsibility and accountability for my nursing practice and I
should maintain my knowledge and know how in the process of continual learning in my
chosen field. I should maintain a standard of my personal health and my ability to provide
a care that would not compromise the patient.
2. Second if the nurse is currently experiencing a health problem but just taking it lightly
thinking that it is just a normal thing that sometimes people experience of having a thing
or two. Well in this example if I am the nurse, I should take into consideration that being
in this medical field where I am always required to be fit, I should be very vigilant to
maintain my health in order to provide my patient the care that would not compromise
their health if the situation were beyond my own capabilities and know how.
3. Third you receive order from someone, though he/she is also from same field, but you
find it strange receiving the said information regarding the matter. Specifically, if the
order requires you to use technology and other scientific advances that would affect
cultural and ethical behavior. If I am the nurse my first impulse is to use my judgement
regarding the individual competence when accepting and delegating responsibility. A
nurse should provide and ensure the use of technology and scientific advances that is
compatible with the safety, dignity, and rights of people. A nurse should strive to foster
and maintain a practice of culture to promote ethics thus an open dialogue is a must for
such a given situation.

NURSES AND PROFESSION

1. A patient’s family and relatives are much dependent on an herbal treatment. This family
insists on their knowledge about herbals and promote the said treatment to a patient that
is presently in your care under the medical administration. Under the elements of ICN
code of and ethics a nurse assumes the major role in determining and implementing
acceptable standards of clinical nursing practice, management, research, and education.
Based on this scenario the family’s insistence can be pacified if the nurse is able to
convey her activeness in developing a core research based professional knowledge that
supports evidence based practiced. Therefore, as a nurse we should always based our
conducts regarding this kind of situation on evidence that is provided by the medical
society and its concerned persons.
2. A rich patient is ordering a nurse to hinder the truth about an examination result thus
offering a huge sum for the secrecy. If I were the nurse this will be me once in a lifetime
 chance to promote the nurse core professional values which is INTEGRITY. A chance
for me to relay to people that although we need money, still we must stand with our
moral and principle that whatever decision we take our integrity should always prevail no
matter what it takes as long as we abide with our oath to serve people with our core
values.
3. Smoking is one of most dangerous habit that causes one of the killer diseases in the
world and that is CANCER. Years of trial and error, studies and experiment have gone a
long way that reach to conclusion that smoking is dangerous to health not only the
smoker but most especially the person that can sniff and inhaled the smoke that the
smoker produces. Based on this reality one of the ICN CODE OF ETHICS 4 elements
which is the NURSES AND PROFESSION a nurse practice to sustain and protect the
natural environment and is aware of its consequences on health. In this scenario the
nurses should be able to convince people that SMOKING is really hazardous to health
and its environment thus doing these nurses would be able to contributes to ethical
organizational environment and challenge the unethical practices and settings.

NURSES AND CO-WORKERS

1. An ordinary citizen is talking to a male student who is eating on the street and without
hesitation throws the garbage on the street. The ordinary citizen tries his best to tell the
student to pick up his garbage and throws it in the designated area for garbage. A nurse
from a duty pass by and catch this scene with out any ado the nurse helps the citizen to
enhance the students the good outcome if the garbage was thrown in the right place. In
this ordinary situation the nurse was able to sustain a collaborative and respective
relationship with an individual in another field aside from her co-worker.
2. A patient in a clinic is having a heated argument with a medical staff, which the latter
tries to slap the patient due to so much anger. When the argument reached to the peak a
nurse come out from a room and tries to pacify the anger of both parties specially the
medical staff. The nurse immediately attends to the patient for it is her responsibility to
take appropriate action to safeguard individuals specifically a patient when their health is
endangered by a co-worker.
3. Based on the second example the action of the nurse is very appropriate just this is one
way to support and guide the co-worker to advance the ethical conduct towards anybody
specially to the patient or to any individuals or community that would endanger the health
of anybody. The nurse did not only take appropriate action but also was able to inject the
ethical conduct to the co-worker.