Nurses are health care professional that provides care, including the prevention of diseases and injuries, and treatment of illnesses. While providing these health care services, these health care professionals deal with matters that relate to ethics and human rights. For this reason, there are a number of key elements that have been put in place to guide the nursing profession. This includes the accreditation process for education, nursing certification and licensure, and relevant code of ethics. In partnership with the "Center for Ethics and Human Rights", the "American Nurses Association" (ANA) has created a nursing code of ethics, which is composed of nine provisions, Provisions 1-9. This paper will discuss the main points or highlights covered in Provision 1, what I learnt from reading this provision, and how I will apply it in my clinical practice.
The Main Points/Highlights
Provision 1 addresses nurses' relationships with patients and their obligations. The provision holds "The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person" (Winland-Brown et al., 2015, 269). According to this provision, nurses are expected to consider the needs and values of patients, colleagues, and other people as well as establish relationships of trust with patients. In addition, nurses are required to respect the dignity and rights of not only all patients but also all human rights. As such, Provision 1 covers five key areas, namely, "Respect for human dignity, relationships with patients, the nature of health, the right to self-determination, and relationships with colleagues and others" (ANA, 2014, 2).
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With regard to the respect for human dignity, one of the fundamental principles that underlie the practice of nursing and other health care professions are the respect for "the inherent dignity, worth, and human rights" of all people irrespective of their status (ANA, 2014, 11). According to this principle, every individual has the right to health care. As such, when providing care, nurses ought to take into account the needs as well as the values of each individual.
Nurses ought to establish trustworthy relationships with patients. In this regard, nurses are required to take into account several factors when providing care. Some of these factors include lifestyle, culture, and religious or spiritual beliefs, among other factors (American Nurses Association, 2014). Such considerations ought to ensure the provision of quality health care while respecting patient decisions. However, it is important to note that this respect does not require nursing practitioners to approve or back all of the choices made by the patients.
Another key area covered in Provision 1 is the nature of health. This principle holds that nurses ought to respect "the dignity and rights of all human beings" (ANA, 2014, 12). In particular, nurses should provide care to all people regardless of the factors contributing to their health statuses. This is because all individuals are worthy, and their worthiness is not affected by their illnesses, disability status, or proximity to death. Thus, nurse practitioners should provide care in accordance with individual needs and values.
Respect for human rights requires the recognition of the right to self-determination. According to this principle, when receiving care, patients have the moral and legal right to know the kind of care they will receive. In particular, patients have the following rights: (I) the right to give clear, precise and comprehensive information regarding their condition and care provided to them, (II) the right to be assisted with the evaluation of the care provided to them, (III) "the right to accept, refuse, or terminate treatment without deceit, undue influence, duress, coercion, or prejudice, and (IV) the right to be given necessary support throughout the decision-making and treatment process" (ANA, 2014, 13). Nurse practitioners have an obligation to know all the rights of patients as well as uphold them in their nursing profession.
Respect for persons not only extends to patients but also to all other individuals whom the nurse interacts with. This includes colleagues, employees, co-workers, and students. While interacting with these individuals, nurses are required to maintain professional, respectful and caring relationships. In addition, nurses ought to be committed to the fair treatment of all people as well as the resolution of conflicts. As such, in addition to providing care, nurses can provide a wide range of other services. In particular, nurses can be care coordinators, administrators, educators, researchers, and consultants. Lastly, nurses ought to value the individual input of all colleagues, co-workers or groups and work in partnership with other people to ensure the provision of quality care in order to achieve quality outcomes in all settings.
What I Learnt from Reading Provision 1
I have learned a lot of things from reading Provision 1. I have learned all the fundamental principles that underlie all nursing practices. This includes respect for the inherent human dignity and human rights, the need for nurses to establish relationships of trust with patients, the need for nurses to recognize the right to self-determination, and the need for nurses to maintain professional relationships in the workplace environment. In particular, I have learned that Provision 1 addresses nurses' relationships with patients, colleagues and others. As a nursing practitioner, I am required to acknowledge the following: (I) the need for, and right to health care is universal, (II) there is a need to provide care in accordance with the needs and values of patients, (III) there is a need to recognize that patients have moral and legal rights, and (V) the need to maintain professional relationships in the workplace.
Applying Knowledge and Information from Provision 1
I will apply the information and knowledge from Provision 1 in myriad ways. I will use the knowledge from Provision 1 to support the right to dignity by respecting all the needs and values of patients I serve regardless of their health status. Secondly, I will set aside all biases and prejudices and build trustworthy relationships with patients. This trust includes respecting the decisions and choices made by patients. However, if the patient's decisions or choices are destructive, I will offer resources to the patient to help reduce or eliminate the risk. I will also use the information and knowledge from Provision 1 to help patients preserve their right to self-determination. To achieve this, I will help my patients understand their legal and moral rights. I will also provide patients with clear, accurate and complete information to facilitate informed decision-making. Lastly, I will apply the information and knowledge from Provision 1 to construct and maintain professional relationships with colleagues.
References
American Nurses Association. (2014). The code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statement. https://homecaremissouri.org/mahc/documents/CodeofEthicswInterpretiveStatements20141.pdf
Winland-Brown, J., Lachman, V. D., & Swanson, E. O. C. (2015). The new code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements'(2015): Practical clinical application, Part I. Medsurg Nursing , 24 (4), 268-271.
