Nurse Practitioner Assigment

Week 7: Discussion Board Posting

            Patients are now better informed and aware of their rights and options, especially that of refusing treatment. The informed consent process has evolved to emphasize patient autonomy and choice, and to provide protective procedures for patients who are not completely autonomous, including unborn fetuses (Artal & Rubenfeld, 2017). An evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation goal is not to generalize a process or its findings.  It is instead the goal of a clinician to initiate and sustain meaningful change in their practice, both for themselves as well as their specific patients or clients (O'Mathuna, 2019). A controversy surrounds the issue of ethical implementation of EBP and how it compares and contrasts with clinical research. Regardless of how a project or study is categorized, several ethical issues must be addressed.

            An example of ethical challenge of human dignity and/or human rights related to the implementation of evidence-based practice is the attempt to improve the quality of care for some patients that may inadvertently harm others, an example is, if people or resources are diverted away from them (O'Mathuna, 2019). This would violate the ethical principle of equality, justice, and equity, which promotes efficient use of resources in an equitable and timely manner. Having a commitment to treat everyone equitably is crucial. All people deserve consideration and care. Keeping people on different paths does not imply giving them equal treatment. It means that any decisions to differentiate between them must be ethically and legally justified (Fritz et al., 2020). As advanced practice nurse keeping and maintaining a clear mindset when it comes to ethical ground is crucial. Protecting and promoting the well-being of everyone involved in a project or a study, including how their personal data are protected should be utmost importance.

References

Artal, R., & Rubenfeld, S. (2017). Ethical issues in research. Best Practice & Research: Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology , 43, 107–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2016.12.006 (Links to an external site.)

Fritz, Z., Huppert, J. L., Liddell, K., Holton, R., & Fuld, J. P. (2020). Ethical principles and a practical approach to support policy making through the next phases of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Clinical Medicine, 21(2), e122–e125. https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmed.2020-0843

O'Mathuna, D. P. (2019). Ethical Considerations for Evidence Implementation and Evidence Generation . In Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (Eds.), Evidence-based practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A guide to best practice (4th ed., pp. 681–699. Wolters Kluwer.