Ethical Issues

An ethical issue in healthcare occurs when an action or decision contradicts the institution's or society's ethical standards.

It may arise from understaffing, equipment scarcities, or compromised patient rights.

Understaffing and equipment scarcities cause physical and mental burnout and violate a nurse's moral responsibility to patients.

Further, ethical issues concerning patient rights include the right to clear information, decision-making, quality care, confidentiality, and human dignity.

For instance, withholding medical information from a patient per a family member's request to protect the patient's emotions violates the patient's autonomy. It excludes a competent patient from medical decision-making.

Next is treating patients against their religious beliefs and cultural ideologies. For instance, a patient may refuse blood transfusions even though the refusal increases the risk of death.

Likewise, a Do Not Resuscitate, or DNR order, calls for withholding life-sustaining, resuscitative treatment in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest. Treating patients against their DNR choice breaches the autonomy of a peaceful, natural, dignified death.