Importance of Dignity in Nursing

Discuss the importance of professional values and behaviours within your own field of practice.

Professional values and behaviour refer to the principles which are central to practice any profession in a proper way. They are to be abided by so that safe and clinically competent nursing practices can be developed to offer better health outcome for the patients. In the case of nursing, professional values to be maintained by nurses include human dignity, altruism, integrity, social justice and autonomy that lead the nurses to maintain professional behaviour. In this activity, the importance of each of the professional value and behaviour are to be discussed in the field of adult nursing.

The human dignity in nursing refers it to be the right of the patient where the person is to be valued and respected for their own sake by the nurses and they are treated ethically (Høy et al. 2016). The dignity is important in adult nursing to make the adults positively respond towards carer as well as show improved health by accepting the care services with ease (Høy et al. 2016). This is because offering dignity to the adult makes them feel respected and valued that leads them to develop belief that they are in the right hands for care. It makes them avoid creating hindrance for the nurses to offer them care services. Moreover, dignity of the adult is important as it makes the nurses avoid creating irresponsible medical errors or compromise on the safety of the patient in the field of adult nursing (Papastavrou, Efstathiou, & Andreou, 2016). This is because assurance of dignity makes the nurses remain concerned about fundamentals of care to be followed to ensure value to the patient. The assurance of dignity in adult nursing is important as it avoids the nurses to make unnecessary assumptions and leads them to recognise individual choice making them deliver satisfactory care to the adults (Abelsson & Lindwall, 2017). Thus, assuring dignity to the adults in nursing leads nurses to accomplish and follow the professional behaviour of offer sensitive and culturally competent care to the patients.

The altruism in nursing refers to the driving force and care duty that leads the nurses to consider care and welfare of the patient to be most significant and essential in life (Slettmyr, Schandl & Arman, 2017). The altruism is important to be followed in adult nursing because it leads the nurses to take risky decision on behalf of the adults and their family for ensuring better health condition of the patient. The professional value of altruism is important in adult nursing as it leads nurses to understand the perspectives, beliefs and culture of the adult that are to be abided by while caring so that well-being of the adult is effectively assured (Alavi et al. 2017). The altruistic value of the nurses in adult nursing is important to lead them develop advocacy for the patients. The autonomy refers to the value held by the nurses which makes them respect the right of the patients for making decision within the healthcare (Hirani & Olson, 2016). This is essential to be followed as it leads the nurses involved in adult nursing to develop professional behaviour of working in partnership with others to ensure better health of the patient. The autonomous value assurance is important for the nurses to follow the NMC Code of Practice 2015 helping them to avoid facing legal consequences by not abiding with the code of nursing (www.nmc.org.uk, 2015).

The integrity in nursing refers that the nurses are required to act honestly and deliver care on the basis of ethical framework (Eby et al. 2017). The abidance by the professional value of integrity is important as it leads the nurses to perform their professional behaviour of honestly informing the patients and their family regarding care (Iacono, 2019). This is required so that the adults under care in nursing are not misguided and nurses develop right knowledge or perception regarding way health condition of the patient is to be managed for better health outcome. Moreover, abiding by integrity in adult nursing leads the nurses to remain accountable for their own action. This is important to avoid false blame on others regarding any hindered action related to caring the patient. The social justice is important because it leads nurses in adult nursing to support non-discrimination. This leads the nurses to offer equal care to all adults irrespective of their caste, race and others leading to create better care services for all.

The discussion informs that abiding by the professional values leads the nurses to meet their professional behaviour. Human dignity is important for the nurses to show respect and value to the adults whereas integrity is essential to honestly care for any adults in adult nursing. The social justice is important as it avoids creating any discrimination and altruism is required to create advocacy for the adults along with autonomy becomes essential to care for the adults by meeting their demands and needs.

Present and evaluate a piece of legislation that relates to your field of practice. Explain how it contributes to safeguarding in your field and how it links with the NMC Code of Practice.

The Care Act 2014 is referred to the Act which is made to create provisions of law to ensure proper care and support to the adults and carers, safeguarding of the adult service users from abuse or neglect and integrating care services and support for the adults (www.legislation.gov.uk, 2014). The Care Act 2014 is important as it has led to setting of new criteria which makes the local authorities remain clear regarding the way they are to offer support to the people in need through the help of fairer national system.

The Act is seen to create a change in which it has made the local authorities to execute detail assessment of the people who are in need of care support to reveal their demands to be achieved for their improved health outcome (www.legislation.gov.uk, 2014). This effectively contributes to the safeguarding of the vulnerable adults in adult nursing by providing them protection as per their needs and demands of services by the nurses. It can also be linked with the NMC Code of Practice where the nurses involved in adult care are asked to listen to the services users and respond by assessing their physical, psychological and social needs so that the service users are given effective care (www.nmc.org.uk, 2015). The Care Act 2014 is seen to provide empowerment to the adults to make decision on their own regarding their care to provide informed consent related to their care support (www.legislation.gov.uk, 2014). This effectively contributes to safeguarding the adult service users in adult nursing field by helping them to take confident decision regarding their care which would create best health outcome for them. This aspect is also seen to be linked with the NMC Code of Practice under the domain of “Prioritise people” where it is mentioned that nurses working with adults are to provide assistance to the service users so that they can make decision regarding their care through informed consent (www.nmc.org.uk, 2015).

The Act informs that the service providers are to perform their activities in best interest of the service users to offer them protection and support who are in greatest need (www.legislation.gov.uk, 2014). This is going to safeguard the adults from abuse and harm as the nurses while acting in the best interest are able to read signs of harm or abuse towards the service users. It would lead the nurses to alter appropriate authorities for ensuring care and protection to the adult service users. This can be linked with the NMC Code of Practices under the domain of “Preserve safety” where the nurses are asked to act without delay to support the service users who are vulnerable and going to face risk (www.nmc.org.uk, 2015).

The Act mentions that the nurses require being proactive in nature so that they are able to assist people live healthier life in turn reducing chances of requiring more care support in the future (www.legislation.gov.uk, 2014). This is going to safeguard the adult patients in the adult nursing field to face less delay and hindrance in services making them receive effectively designed care for their better health outcome. The fact can be linked with the NMC Code where under the domain of “Practice effectively” the nurses are informed to always practice in their field by accessing best available evidence (www.nmc.org.uk, 2015). This is because acting in relation with the best available evidence leads the nurses in adult nursing to use updated and effective care support techniques for the service users so that they are able provide right care to the adults. It leads service users to access proper care and face less requirement of care support in the future due wrong or duplicated care techniques.

The Care Act 2014 informs that the local authorities and carers are required to act in partnership to offer care to the service users (www.legislation.gov.uk, 2014). This is able to effectively safeguard the adults from being abused as partnership leads the nurses to take collaborative decision and immediate steps to protect vulnerable adults from any harm. The fact is able to be linked with NMC Code where under the domain of “Practice effectively” the nurses are asked to work cooperatively with one another to ensure better care of the service users. This is because it would lead them to share expertise and knowledge to offer better care and protection to the service users (www.nmc.org.uk, 2015). The discussion informs that the Care Act 2014 has key principles, such as protection, prevention, empowerment and partnership. All the aspects are seen to be able to link with NMC Code of Practices which has helped nurses working in the adult nursing field to ensure effective safeguarding to the adults under their care.

Using the scenario about Alison identify and discuss two ethical concerns. It may help you to refer to the four guiding ethical principles (respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice).

The ethical concerns of respect for autonomy and non-maleficence are related with Alison's situation. As mentioned by Schoeller et al. (2018), respect for autonomy is accomplished in care when the nurses identify the patient as a unique individual and respect their personal right to take their own decision according to their personal values and beliefs. This means that the nurses require providing care as per the mentioned needs and demands of the patients and the patients are allowed to reject any form of care. In Alison’s case, it is seen that though she has taken prior permission from the patient before taking her photograph but has not taken consent regarding it to be shared on social media.

One of the conditions to respect for autonomy is that the patients are provided detailed information to take decision (Heggestad et al. 2015). However, in this case, it is seen that Alison has not shared in details with the patient regarding the way her photograph will be used. Thus, in this case, the respect for the autonomy of the patient is violated leading to raise ethical concerns. Therefore, Alison is seen to have interfered with the choice of the patient to share the photograph by taking personal decision to share it without bothering to care for what the patient would have decided to execute in this situation.

The lack of autonomy leads to hinder the dignity of the individual (Adib-Hajbaghery & Aghajani, 2015). This is because executing something over another’s decision is disrespecting their rights and values. Thus, the raised ethical concern is going to hurt the dignity of the patient. The ethical principle, in this case, could be abided by in the sense that Alison prior to taking photograph of the patient could have informed her regarding the way it would be used so as to avoid the concern. As a result of violation of respect for autonomy, the nurse could face legal steps from the Nursing and Midwifery Council for violating their mentioned codes of conduct to care for individuals (NMC, 2015). Non-maleficence is referred to the action executed by the nurses to avoid harm to the patient. This means that care decision is to be taken by the nurses so that it inflicts no or least harm to the individuals (Bradley, 2017). In Alison’s case, it is seen that the nurse has executed a violation of ethical principle of non-maleficence by sharing the photograph of the patient along with her medical history in the social media. This is because by publicly informing about the identity of the patient along with her health issue may lead her to face abuse or harm in the society. As mentioned by Oliver, Wilson & Malpas (2017), stigma related to many health issues are existent in the society as a result of which many individuals suffering from the diseases avoid to inform their health condition publicly. This is because it would lead to face isolation as well as other nature of harm or abuse by the society that would negatively affect their health and livelihood. Thus, Alison’s decision to reveal the identity of the patient along with her health issue acts as ethical concern in this case scenario. According to the ethical principle of non- maleficence, Alison could have avoided sharing the photograph of the patient along with her health condition in social media. This is because it could have avoided her to reveal the identity of the patient as well as avoided unintentional harm to her. The violation of non-maleficence by Alison informs that she has violated her Hypocritical Oath of not causing any intention or unintentional harm to the individuals. In this respect, Alison may face legal issues that would suspend her registration to work as a nurse for brief amount of time by the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the UK.

Submit an outline of the nursing model that you havechosen as the best model to guide the potential nursing care for Tom in the scenario for your field of practice. This needs to include:

Why it is the most suitable

How it may help

Why the other nursing model was not suitable

The ethical concerns of respect for autonomy and non-maleficence are related with Alison's situation. As mentioned by Schoeller et al. (2018), respect for autonomy is accomplished in care when the nurses identify the patient as a unique individual and respect their personal right to take their own decision according to their personal values and beliefs. This means that the nurses require providing care as per the mentioned needs and demands of the patients and the patients are allowed to reject any form of care. In Alison’s case, it is seen that though she has taken prior permission from the patient before taking her photograph but has not taken consent regarding it to be shared on social media.

One of the conditions to respect for autonomy is that the patients are provided detailed information to take decision (Heggestad et al. 2015). However, in this case, it is seen that Alison has not shared in details with the patient regarding the way her photograph will be used. Thus, in this case, the respect for the autonomy of the patient is violated leading to raise ethical concerns. Therefore, Alison is seen to have interfered with the choice of the patient to share the photograph by taking personal decision to share it without bothering to care for what the patient would have decided to execute in this situation. The lack of autonomy leads to hinder the dignity of the individual (Adib-Hajbaghery & Aghajani, 2015). This is because executing something over another’s decision is disrespecting their rights and values. Thus, the raised ethical concern is going to hurt the dignity of the patient. The ethical principle, in this case, could be abided by in the sense that Alison prior to taking photograph of the patient could have informed her regarding the way it would be used so as to avoid the concern. As a result of violation of respect for autonomy, the nurse could face legal steps from the Nursing and Midwifery Council for violating their mentioned codes of conduct to care for individuals (NMC, 2015).

Non-maleficence is referred to the action executed by the nurses to avoid harm to the patient. This means that care decision is to be taken by the nurses so that it inflicts no or least harm to the individuals (Bradley, 2017). In Alison’s case, it is seen that the nurse has executed a violation of ethical principle of non-maleficence by sharing the photograph of the patient along with her medical history in the social media. This is because by publicly informing about the identity of the patient along with her health issue may lead her to face abuse or harm in the society. As mentioned by Oliver, Wilson & Malpas (2017), stigma related to many health issues are existent in the society as a result of which many individuals suffering from the diseases avoid to inform their health condition publicly. This is because it would lead to face isolation as well as other nature of harm or abuse by the society that would negatively affect their health and livelihood. Thus, Alison’s decision to reveal the identity of the patient along with her health issue acts as ethical concern in this case scenario. According to the ethical principle of non- maleficence, Alison could have avoided sharing the photograph of the patient along with her health condition in social media. This is because it could have avoided her to reveal the identity of the patient as well as avoided unintentional harm to her. The violation of non-maleficence by Alison informs that she has violated her Hypocritical Oath of not causing any intention or unintentional harm to the individuals. In this respect, Alison may face legal issues that would suspend her registration to work as a nurse for brief amount of time by the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the UK.