foundations of professional nursing discussion 2

Ethical Decision Making

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Values and Beliefs

It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.

—Roy Disney, American Film Writer, Producer

Should you alter a nursing procedure to accommodate a patient's personal belief? What if you

know the accommodation will hinder healing? How do you talk to a terminally ill patient about

dying? At what level should you connect with your patients? Professional nursing life is faced

with delicate decisions each day. The nurse is the patient's prime point of contact with the

healthcare system; the nurse must constantly take quick and decisive action in varied situations.

This becomes easier when you know what your values are. These values may be the common

values of the profession, or they may arise from individual conviction—together they form a

unified belief system that guides you in your professional choices.

The broad values of the nursing profession are outlined in the ANA's social policy statement.

The statement delineates overriding values of the profession that all nurses should know,

understand, and uphold.

Beyond the broad values of the profession, nurses face more specific value questions every day

on the job. These questions often concern critical issues. For example, should a severely

premature infant who is significantly impaired be kept alive with life support? In such instances,

nurses help families and patients deal with decisions of life and death.

As a nurse, you may often have to deal with the fact that your patients may choose to not change

their unhealthy lifestyles despite the provided counseling. Moreover, patients and their families

often have divergent views on how much information they or their loved ones should have

access to. Such situations may challenge your values and beliefs as a nurse.

To be constructive and unbiased with patients, you must have a clear understanding of your

personal values and beliefs and the background and experiences that shape your personal value

and belief system. This will help you interact positively in a supportive manner with patients and

their families who may have value systems contrary to your own. The process of interaction is

known as the interpersonal relationship. Each person influences the other and raises emotions

and thoughts. Being aware of this process is crucial to the nurse-patient relationship.

Personal understanding prevents you from unintentionally imposing your personal values on the

nurse-patient relationship, which is essential in providing nonjudgmental care. In providing care,

nurses also need to understand the Patient's Bill of Rights, which supports the basic nursing

values and beliefs. This bill focuses on the patient's rights in the areas of information disclosure,

provider choice, access to emergency services, participation in treatment decisions, respect and

nondiscrimination, confidentiality, and the right to complaints and appeals. With the introduction

of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), healthcare and delivery will see continued changes.