Free Paper Example on Ethical Dilemma

Introduction

An ethical dilemma can arise when there is a shortage of ventilators due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The dilemma is who will be chosen to use the few ventilators when the number of patients becomes staggering. The problem is that the ventilators are not enough for the unforeseen pandemic. The ventilators available are mostly used by patients already sick with cancer, flu, and other patients. The coronavirus attacks the lungs making the patients need ventilators more than those with the flu. The number of people with the virus might triple or double the required ventilators (Dembosky,2020). Rationing of the ventilators is an ethical dilemma considering that, according to the ANA provisions, a nurse should practice compassion and respect for every person's inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes (Olson & Stokes,2016). The mentioned provision will not have been fully adhered to if some of the patients need to be denied a ventilator.

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Solution

To solve the ethical dilemma, the decision made on who gets the ventilator should be fair and humane. According to the ANA provisions, a nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, so it is difficult to choose one patient over another (Olson & Stokes,2016). The nurse can, however, determine which patient has a higher likelihood of surviving. The criteria might include how old the patient is and the number of organs they have. The nurse is to follow the ANA provision that says that the nurse practices with compassion and respect for every person's inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes; the nurse can decide on how to ration the ventilators by selecting with compassion for the patients (Dembosky,2020). The nurse could involve the patients in making these decisions while approaching them with respect and dignity.

The ANA provisions also state that "the nurse has authority, accountability, and responsibility for nursing practice: makes decisions, and takes action consistent with the obligation to promote health and provide optimal care" (Olson & Stokes,2016). This provision makes the nurse able to make the decisions, and it gives the nurse the responsibility to decide how to handle the dilemma. The nurse has the responsibility to make nursing judgments, decisions, and actions.

Guidelines

The dilemma can be solved by making a guideline on the nurses' criteria to ration the ventilators. Since there is a provision that states that "the nurse, through individual and collective effort, establishes, maintains, and improves the ethical environment of the work settings and conditions of employment conducive to safe, quality health care" (Olson & Stokes,2016). This provision allows the ethics committee to help the nurses by writing guidelines that will guide them in rationing the ventilators. So, when the worst-case scenario occurs, the collaborative effort will have been used to make an ethical decision about a patient.

Conclusion

The nurse can also decide how to ration the ventilators by looking at data from other countries' patients with the virus (Dembosky,2020). looking at the data will help the nurse decide who is more likely to survive when using the ventilator. The dilemma can also be solved by allowing the patients to make their judgment on whether they need the resource.

References

Olson, L. L., & Stokes, F. (2016). The ANA code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements: Resource for nursing regulation. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 7(2), 9-20.

Dembosky April (2020, March 25) What Happens When the Ventilators Run Out? KQED https://www.kqed.org/news/11808531/what-happens-when-the-ventilators-run-out.