Ethical and bioethical issues

DHSR Approved Curriculum-Unit 5 1


Ethical and Legal IssuesIntroduction

As a member of the health care team, the nurse aide will frequently be faced with ethical and legal decisions that govern his or her actions. A knowledge of ethical standards, resident’s rights and legal issues are important for the protection of nurse aides, employers, and residents.



5.0 Define ethics.

5.1 List at least six basic rules of ethics for the nurse aide.


Ethics• Discipline concerned with right or

wrong conduct• Guides to moral behavior• Making choices or judgments


Nurse Aide Ethical Standards

• Show respect for each resident as an individual

• Understand the limits of role–Perform only acts for which

adequately prepared–Perform acts only within legal scope

of nurse aide


Nurse Aide Ethical Standards(continued)• Carry out assignments to best of

ability• Be loyal:

–Maintain a positive attitude toward institution that employs you

–Support co-workers


Nurse Aide Ethical Standards(continued)

• Be responsible citizen at all times –Respect others–Respect values that differ from yours


5.1.2 Identify the kind of information that should be kept confidential.




• Resident information should be kept confidential (continued)

– Refer questions about resident’s death to supervisor

– Respect personal religious beliefs



• Respect privacy of others:– while dressing– while performing personal hygiene– during examination or treatment– during visits with clergy– during visits with spouse or

significant other



• Put resident’s needs ahead of your own

• Be sincere, honest and trustworthy in performance of duties– caring and concerned– “golden rule”



Why Employ Ethical Principles?


5.1.3 Explain why nurse aides should not accept monetary tips for a health care service.


• Do not accept monetary tips– Residents are paying for service– You are paid to provide service– Do not discriminate regardless of

race, creed, color, age, financial resources

– Provide care based on need



• Do not accept monetary tips (continued)

– Display tactful and courteous refusal of tips

– Display continued desire to be helpful



Husted’s Formal Ethical Decision Making Model



5.2 Demonstrate skills supporting age appropriate behavior by encouraging the resident to make personal choices, and by providing and reinforcing other resident’s dignity.


Age Appropriate Behavior

• Dependent elderly residents are not children

– If resident seen as a child

– If resident treated as a child

– Then resident behaves as a child


Age Appropriate Behavior(continued)

• Residents are treated as adults in manner appropriate to person’s age

• Age-appropriate considerations:– Recreational

activities– Social activities

– Style of dress– Hair style and

grooming






Age Appropriate Behavior(continued)• Guidelines for Nurse Aide (continued)

– Encourage resident to make choices:• select clothing to wear• select books to read• select television programs to

watch


Age Appropriate Behavior(continued)• Guidelines for Nurse Aide (continued)

– Encourage resident to make choices:• select food and nourishments• select activities of interest• select friends




Bioethics - what is itBioethics - what is it• Bioethics is a specific discipline that probes the Bioethics is a specific discipline that probes the

reasoning behind our moral life within the context of the reasoning behind our moral life within the context of the life sciences; how we decide what is morally right or life sciences; how we decide what is morally right or wrong biosciencewrong bioscience

• Ethics is different from morals. Ethics tries to probe the Ethics is different from morals. Ethics tries to probe the reasoning behind our moral life, by examining and reasoning behind our moral life, by examining and analyzing the thinking used to justify our moral choices analyzing the thinking used to justify our moral choices and actions in particular situationsand actions in particular situations


Bioethics – what is itBioethics – what is it• Bioethics is normative ethics applied to the practice of Bioethics is normative ethics applied to the practice of

science and medicine. It falls under the general group of science and medicine. It falls under the general group of applied and professional ethicsapplied and professional ethics

• It is predicated on an assumption that some solutions to It is predicated on an assumption that some solutions to the ethical problems that arise in science and medicine the ethical problems that arise in science and medicine are more moral than others and that these solutions can are more moral than others and that these solutions can be arrived at by moral reasoning and reflectionsbe arrived at by moral reasoning and reflections


Bioethics – what is itBioethics – what is it• It is a branch of knowledge like mathematics, and It is a branch of knowledge like mathematics, and

thinking in this field is not wholly different from thinking in thinking in this field is not wholly different from thinking in those other fields, however it cannot be reduced to them. those other fields, however it cannot be reduced to them.

• Bioethical conclusions cannot be unambiguously proved Bioethical conclusions cannot be unambiguously proved like mathematical theoremslike mathematical theorems

• Research ethics or more specifically health research Research ethics or more specifically health research ethics is the branch of bioethics that deals with issues ethics is the branch of bioethics that deals with issues relating to the ethical conduct of researchrelating to the ethical conduct of research


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Ethical and bioethical issues