Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare Systems Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example

Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare Systems Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example

How is Maureen’s situation affected by the structure of the nursing profession? Past and present

The structure of the nursing profession has affected Maureen’s situation both in the past and the present. In the past, Maureen was subjected to orders that limited her opinions about the physician’s judgment. Research shows that practitioners should adhere to the guiding rules that align with autonomy, objectivity, and a positive outlook for a patient (Haahr et al., 2019). Therefore, all choices of healthcare treatment for patients must be founded on carefully analyzing the patient’s condition and interests. In this case, the physician Dr. Ludwig’s and Maureen’s interests conflicted, leading to an ethical dilemma. Maureen is made to choose between options considered equally desirable and undesirable; hence she makes the best-fit decision to help her maintain her work, but the decisions might negatively impact the patient.(Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare Systems Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

Maureen’s decision to get her degree in nursing practice enabled her to have authority over her choices. In the present, the structure favors Maureen after pursuing her degree. Maureen can adhere to the bioethical principles without straining (Cao et al., 2020). According to studies, one of the bioethical principles is respect for autonomy, which refers to individuals having personal values and beliefs to make choices regarding treatment healthcare treatment based on the individual’s preference and understanding of the patient’s condition.(Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare Systems Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

What other current and past factors appear to impact her situation?

Other factors that might have impacted Maureen’s situation included the hospital policy that required the nurses to double-check with the other physicians who wrote the order. Despite the physician making a wrong judgment and being corrected, he did not bother changing his reasoning with the nurse (Zaghini et al., 2020). Research shows that a lack of organizational justice might lead to poor work engagement, nurse turnover, and poor-quality care (Li et al., 2020). The committee meant to ensure fairness in the organization took a long time to respond to some issues. However, even after responding, they were biased and favored the physician’s judgment showing a lack of organizational justice, significantly impacting the hospital’s quality of care, the number of nurses, and the turnover intention. It is also evident that physicians like Dr. Ludwig bullied their way to maintain their position by not being willing to accept that they were wrong in providing poor healthcare (Crawford et al., 2019). Such actions give nurses no empowerment, support, or autonomy, diminishing their mental and physical health since they are undervalued.(Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare Systems Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

What changes in healthcare delivery in the past ten years have played a role in this case?

In the past decade, several changes in the healthcare system delivery have played a role in this case. There has been an emphasis on patient safety and quality of care, as well as a greater focus on interprofessional collaboration between healthcare providers. Research shows hospitals should hire clinically competent nurses to improve healthcare quality, encourage collaborative working relationships, adequate staffing, autonomous nursing practice, and offer managerial support (Llop-Girones et al., 2021). Including these components and factors in daily healthcare can improve patients’ experiences. Nevertheless, nurses must reconcile with the cost-effectiveness and accountability of their decisions by gaining autonomy over their beliefs and practices to improve patients’ well-being.(Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare Systems Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)

What changes are needed in the healthcare system to prevent the mistakes illustrated in this case? Present specific recommendations.

Several changes must be made in the healthcare system to prevent such mistakes. First, healthcare should be able to give the nurses support and resources that will help them make informed decisions (Li et al., 2020). In this case, nurses can gain autonomy when they feel physicians are not appropriately judging a patient’s condition. Second, they should provide better systems for communication between nurses and physicians to avoid overload and allow accurate information exchange. Lastly, hospitals should adapt to the use of organizational justice, which will ensure effective policies and procedures are stipulated. Implementing such changes will ensure that mistakes like Maureen’s are prevented in the future.(Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare Systems Comprehensive Nursing Paper Example)