lect 5 b

Question 1

Moral & Ethical Concerns
A situation that has potentially undesirable
outcomes for a patient that requires application
of ethical principles.

Answer 1

1. The promotion & protection of people’s
   genuine wellbeing & welfare (including
   their interests in not suffering
   unnecessarily)
2. Responding justly to the genuine needs &
   significant interests of different people
3. Determining & justifying what constitutes
   right & wrong conduct in a given situatio

Question 2

ICN Code of Ethics

- 4 principal elements

Answer 2

1. Nurses and people
2. Nurses and practice
3. Nurses and the profession
4. Nurses and co-workers

Question 3

1. Nurses and people

Answer 3

 The nurse’s primary responsibility is to the person

requiring care

Question 4

2. Nurses and practice

Answer 4

 Nurse assumes responsibility and accountability for

their own practice

Question 5

3. Nurses and the profession

Answer 5

 Actively engage with and contribute to the profession

Question 6

4. Nurses and co-workers

Answer 6

 Sustains a collaborative and respectful relationship

with co-worker

Question 7

These 5 ethical principles in the Code of Ethics allow moral
decisions in healthcare to be judged as appropriate or
not. Remember your first year ethics lectures:

Answer 7

Justice
Autonomy
Non-maleficence
Beneficence
Veracity

Question 8

JUSTICE

Answer 8

 Based on the concept of fairness
 Fair allocation of health resources
 Considers the point of view of the least
fortunate members of society
 All people should be treated equally
unless there is justification for unequal
treatment

Question 9

Autonomy

Answer 9

 The principal of autonomy = respect for the self
determination (or the choice) of the individual
 The principal of autonomy applies even if we
disagree with the individual’s choice or the
choice they make is not in their best interests
 The principle of autonomy does not apply if the
person is not competent to decide for themselves
 The principal of autonomy does not apply if the
individual’s choice impacts the moral interests of
others

Question 10

Non-maleficence

Answer 10

The duty to “do no harm”
▪ Physical
▪ Psychological
▪ Spiritual
▪ Social 
 Non-maleficence includes avoiding actual harm and 
avoiding the risk of harm
 Ask, “Will this treatment cause more harm than 
good?”

Question 11

Beneficence

Answer 11

 The obligation to act for the benefit of others
 To promote welfare and well being, and
prevent harm
▪ Providing benefits
▪ Balancing benefits and harm
 Sometimes beneficence (or prevention of
harm) overrides autonomy or the person’s
ability to choose
▪ This is called paternalism

Question 12

VERACITY

Answer 12

 Truthfulness
 Neither lying or deceiving
▪ Intentional lying
▪ Non-disclosure
▪ Partial disclosure
 It can be difficult to decide how much truth 
to tell

Question 13

Examples of dilemmas in

the clinical environment

Answer 13

 Moral boundaries of being ‘in relationship’
with patients
 How to help a patient/family when the
‘system’ appears to be against them
 How to help if colleagues are breaching
standards of care with patients
 Where to get help with nurse’s own moral
distress