PROFESSIONAL NURSING PRACTICE

Professional Nursing

Professional Nursing

Introdcution

For the purpose of this assignment, ethics in relation to nursing will be discussed. “Ethics; A code of principles governing correct behaviour, which in the nursing profession includes behaviour towards patients and their families, visitorsand colleagues” (Oxford Dictionary of Nursing 2004).

This assignment will consider autonomy as identified in a practice placement, but will also look briefly at the ethical principle of non-malefience that is relevant in this assignment. It will also closely look at this issue and will describe how the principles of ethics apply to practice. In accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2004).

Any names of patients referred to in this assignment have been changed to protect their confidentiality. The NMC states as a registered nurse you must guard against breaches of confidentiality by protecting information from improper disclosure at all times. The placement referred to in this assignment is an Elderly Mentally Infirm (EMI) home, which is located on Merseyside.

The United Kingdom Central Midwifery and Health visiting Council (UKCC 2002, clause 6)). Which is now known as The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Also state that “Health Care Professionals should recognize the respect the uniqueness and dignity of each patient and client, and respond to their need for care irrespective of their ethnic origin, religious beliefs, personal attributes, the nature if their health problems or any other factor”.

Autonomy (“Greek: Auto-Nomos - nomos meaning "law": one who gives oneself his own law) means freedom from external authority”: Wikipedia, encyclopedia (2004).

On this placement, there were several examples of how autonomy influenced care delivery; this assignment will address two of these examples. The first incident involved an eighty six year old lady called Betty, who suffered with severe dementia, the Practice nurse from her surgery was coming into the home to administer the flu injection to her and several other clients. It had been recorded in Betty's case notes that she had had a fear of needles in the past and had refused several injections before her mental health had deteriorated, Does an autonomous decision have to be rational? "In the ideal of autonomy day - to -day decisions should be rational, i.e. consistent with the person's life plans" Hope, Savulescu and Hendrick, (2003 p 34).

Betty had no living relatives to contact to discuss her treatment. Patients suffering with dementia cannot always exercise autonomy. A client may be mentally incapacitated for various reasons. These may be temporary reasons, such as the effect of sedatory medicines, or longer-term reasons such as mental illness. It is important to remember that capacity may fluctuate, sometimes over short periods, and should therefore be regularly reassessed by the clinical team treating the client. The principles of consent continue to apply to any medication for conditions not related to the mental disorder for which they are being treated. The assessment of their capacity to consent to or refuse such medication therefore remains important.

Life Span Communication

In its exploration of the role of communication in human development, this volume:

overviews the theoretical and methodological issues ...