Nursing Ethical Principles II

To understand the application of ethical principles, here is a scenario of a patient diagnosed with early-stage liver cancer.

The patient is admitted to the oncology ward for chemotherapy and requests the nurse keep medical information confidential.

The nurse explains the patient's rights to privacy and assures them information will remain confidential.

By adhering to the principle of fidelity, the nurse does not share the patient's medical information with family members.

Next, the patient decides to discontinue chemotherapy due to severe side effects.

Respecting the patient's autonomy, the nurse collaborates with the patient and healthcare team to create an alternative treatment plan.

The nurse demonstrates beneficence by assisting the patient in making appropriate meal choices to reduce nausea and enhance nutrition. 

The nurse demonstrates non-maleficence by adhering to the medication administration rights before administering antiemetics.

The patient expresses concerns about treatment expenses and insurance coverage.

To facilitate justice, the nurse refers the patient to interdisciplinary professionals such as social workers to identify financial support organizations.