Ethics in nursing practice during pandemic

Ethics in nursing practice during pandemic

Introduction

An influenza pandemic is a significant threat for all over the globe with governments across the globe have investigated continuously to measure ways of dealing with the arrival of the virus. However, the preparedness level across countries varies between countries. In addition, all epidemics of infectious diseases raise several ethical issues within the health care professionals, particularly the nursing, from restriction of individual freedom to allocation of triaging resource (Simonds & Sokol, 2009, pp. 303-309).

The epidemics of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) put forward the question of how well the health care professionals are prepared, as well as, plan in cases of pandemics. The focus of the SARS epidemic was in the health care facilities, with the medical staff being the majority of the people affected. All health care professionals, working in a hospital, suffer from some risk of infection; however, the level of risk may not be distributed equally. Some specialists are subject to high risks, within the hospitals, such as nursing staff, primary care and emergency room staff. In addition, the nursing staff is likely to spend more time with patients in close contact; they may be at higher risks (Simonds & Sokol, 2009, pp. 303-309).

Discussion

Ethics and Preparedness in Pandemics

It's difficult to predict when the pandemic will occur; however, the important component is the prior planning, which can prevent a bigger disaster. In accordance with the ethical priorities, there are two primary factors during a crisis of public health, comprising of saving lives, as well as, keeping the society functioning. As a consequence, it is essential for the nurses to employ in critical thinking, as well as, reflections relating to ethics, to be a component of planning in pandemic events. This is likely due to the different priorities in a pandemic situation from the usual decision making. In addition, the science alone cannot offer enough relief. Every type of resources is likely to be severely taxed during an infectious pandemic. Furthermore, the moral distress is likely to be high, because of difficulties nurse face in providing efficient care, which according to them morally essential. Previous pandemic situations have demonstrated that ignoring the ethical issues and concerns can lead to serious consequences consisting of loss of trust, reduced morale, confused role of nurses, stigmatization of vulnerable communities, as well as, misinformation. Furthermore, the cases where the regulation is apparent, there are unpredictable consequences, information is consistently evolving or unknown completely, and all choices are a matter of life-and-death, the values regarding fairness happen to be the most vital factor (Payne & Rushton, 2007, pp. 356 - 360).

The American Nurses Association (ANA) published The Code for Nurses (The Code), offers the standard guide for ethical reflection and planning. The standards are nonnegotiable, which take into account all nursing activities and surpasses the particular policies or practices of any institutions. However, in a pandemic situation, The Code can be questioned due to the drastic shift in the priorities, with ...