Discussion 4: Ethical Dilemmas
Psychology has multiple different branches that pertain to a unique field of interest. For example, ethics is one specific branch that is highly intertwined with the field of nursing and faith communities. This branch entirely focuses on what is correct and what is wrong. Bioethics is the term referring to nursing and ethics. An ethical dilemma is a situation in which at least two equally justifiable courses of action or judgment but a person is uncertain which to pursue or choose. Often, this situation does not end in a win-win situation; yet it results in at least one loss. Nurses along with other health professionals are most seen to enter ethical issues and dilemmas. This is mainly because respectable, professional boundaries were not imposed directly between the patient and the professional. There are five common scenarios regarding healthcare ethical issues: patient confidentiality, consent, malpractice, negligence, and lastly patient relationships. The outcome of ethically based dilemmas normally ends with either one or a mixture of the following: disappointment, anxiety, confusion, discomfort, and or distress.
A scenario where an ethical dilemma is enacted and for the worst would be to provide extraordinary measures to save the life of an individual that suffers from severe, late stage, Alzheimer’s disease experiencing septic shock from aspiration pneumonia. Understanding the role of values that are held within an ethical issue requires a true comprehension of where these values form, how they influence us, how they are classified, as well as what happens when values conflict. There are five unique types of values: moral values, non-moral values, religious, cultural, and professional values. Thus, the crossing of certain values or lack of having a certain value can most definitely result in an ethical dilemma.
