Failure to fully inform patient of their prognosis or treatment is a common ethical challenge. There are different physical and emotional signs that indicate such ethical challenges. For example, experience sweaty palms, anxiety, and a rapid heart rate are common signs. During such scenarios, judgment can be based on the Code of Ethics for Nurses. In such situations, nurses have an obligation to respond, mainly because their decisions might mean life or death for a patient. Patients need to be aware of the treatment processes they undergo. In such a case, therefore, nurses should be willing to respond.
Responding to this ethical problem may be difficult due to the decisions of senior practitioners, who might have different reasoning. However, the best response from any party should contribute to the maximum benefit for everyone involved. The best response should also be compatible with the Code of Ethics for Nurses.
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Ethical decisions should be based on patient outcomes. The results of an ethical decision should result in the best patient outcomes. Successful decisions are those that result in the best patient outcomes. If this is not the case, then the decisions are probably not effective. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) code of ethics for nurses is a universal obligation to nurses to alleviate suffering, promote health, prevent illnesses, and restore health.
In case of uncertainty in making decisions, nurses can seek assistance from my colleagues and supervisors. Also, the American Nursing Association (ANA) Code of Ethics can offer guidance in making decisions on ethical issues (Kangasniemi et al., 2015) . Experienced medical practitioners have developed the code, hence it will guide nurses to make the best decisions. Before translating moral judgment into action, nurses should first consider all possible consequences. If institutional or other variables make it difficult to do what is ethically right, they might be compelled to seek a legal solution.
A common dilemma that nurses face is whether to tell a patient the truth or deceive them. While nursing ethics highly value the provision of truthful information to patients, this is still far from being the norm in many nations. Many nurses face a problem transmitting bad news to patients, especially when the news concerns serious medical conditions that might harm a patient (Kangasniemi et al., 2015) . Sometimes, families might also request nurses not to tell patients about their diagnosis or medical condition. Nurses fail to inform patients for several reasons. First, they may do so to avoid more stress and psychological disturbance on the patient. Nurses may also fail to disclose diagnosis due to the uncomfortable scenario of taking away hope from patients. Also, they may deceive patients to avoid the perception of their inability to handle the current medical issue. On the other hand, a decision to disclose the truth can be important in protecting the nurse-patient relationship. Also, patients have a right to know the truth and a right to self-determination. Based on this information, deciding to disclose or conceal information from a patient presents an ethical dilemma.
In this ethical dilemma, Provision 3 of the ANA Code of Ethics could be violated. The provision states that nurses should promote, advocate for, and protect patients' rights ( American Nurses Association, 2001) . The provision states that privacy involves the right to disclosure of information. The ethical dilemma would violate a patient's right to information. Patients have a right to information from nurses or doctors to make informed decisions about their care. This means that patients should be given information about their prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment options. This information should be presented in a way that patients can comprehend. However, this may not be the case for emergencies. Upon requests, patients also have the right to access all information contained in their medical health records. Nurses and doctors should also be able to explain this information to patients.
The dilemma would also lead to a violation of Provision 1 of the Code of Ethics. This provision states that nurses should consider and respect every person's needs and values in their professional relationships ( American Nurses Association, 2001) . They should be able to respect patients' decisions, regardless of their disagreement with patient choices. This implies that nurses should be –willing to disclose any information to patients and allow them to make their decisions.
Therefore, the ACA Code of Ethics for Nurses can be used to solve the ethical dilemma. First, the code guides nurses to establish trustworthy relationships with their patients. Nurses can create trust in relationships by disclosing any information to patients. Secondly, nurses should respect the rights of patients. Given that patients have a right to information, nurses should be ready to dispense information regarding prognosis, diagnosis, and care to patients.
In addressing this and other ethical problems in nursing, Watson's theory of human caring would also be helpful. In Watson's theory of transpersonal caring, nurses are concerned with promoting health, preventing illnesses, taking care of the sick, and restoring well-being (Pajnkihar et al., 2017) . These should be the objectives of any ethical decision in nursing. Watson's model mainly focuses on nurses' care for patients. There are four major concepts in the model: society, human being, health, and nursing. These concepts have implications for ethical decisions ( Gonzalo, 2019) . First, ethical decisions should be based on societal values. Secondly, nurses should make ethical decisions that consider the value of the human being. Thirdly, ethical decisions should be based on health improvement. Lastly, care transactions between nurses and patients should be ethical.
Watson also came up with ten carative factors that nurses should address while caring for patients. These factors can also direct nurses when faced with ethical dilemmas. These factors mainly stress the need for positive relationships between nurses and patients. For example, nurses should provide supportive environments for their patients and allow them to express their feelings ( Gonzalo, 2019) . In making ethical decisions, nurses should consider the carative factors.
Watson also came up with a hierarchy of needs. The needs are survival needs, functional needs, integrative needs, and growth-seeking needs ( Gonzalo, 2019) . While faced with ethical dilemmas, nurses should base their decisions on this hierarchy. They should first ensure a patient's survival needs are met before any other need. The least-priority need is the growth-seeking need.
References
American Nurses Association. (2001). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements . Nursesbooks. org.
Gonzalo, A. (2019, September 12). Jean Watson: Theory of human caring . Nurseslabs. https://nurseslabs.com/jean-watsons-philosophy-theory-transpersonal-caring/#theory_of_human_caring_of_jean_watson
Kangasniemi, M., Pakkanen, P., & Korhonen, A. (2015). Professional ethics in nursing: an integrative review. Journal of advanced nursing , 71 (8), 1744-1757.
Pajnkihar, M., McKenna, H. P., Štiglic, G., & Vrbnjak, D. (2017). Fit for practice: Analysis and evaluation of Watson’s theory of human caring. Nursing science quarterly , 30 (3), 243-252.
