Code of Ethics Paper
Ethical procedure of business activities are formalized by a proper code of conduct explaining the context and role expected. It addresses all issues what should be done defining the both positive and negative prospects with respect to practices. Health care industry is more need to focus on ethical procedures due to involvement of person’s life at stake. Hence it is more fundamental in nature as it explains the outcomes achievement practices more suitable in situation.
The code of ethics document considered in the given case is of nursing profession in health care specialty. Nursing is a respectable profession and involves direct contact with the humanity, therefore nurses behavior and attitude, understanding of situation and other related matter has to be properly define in the ethical code of conduct to rationalize the situation with best ethical practices. I have considered ICN Code of ethics for nurses to review and for discussion. Analysis of code in various contexts is explained in detail below.
Fundamental Responsibilities
The code of conduct begins with highlighting the fundamental responsibilities of nurses therefore making them aware of the basic concept of nursing and its role in the society which provide a clear insight of expectation of the profession. In respect of human rights, cultural rights, right of life, dignity and the respect code identifies the importance of profession. In the intro part it shows equality prospect of the profession irrespective of age, gender, color, race or any other aspect. This forms the basis of ethical code of conduct need to be followed in every organization. The goals therefore are clearly defined in the beginning part of the code in the form of fundamental purposes of nursing profession related to health.
Clarity of Goals
Ethical code of conduct has appropriately defined the goals of profession in the beginning part as fundamental responsibilities. Need of nursing is related to health care sector that involves serving the people directly by taking proper measures for hygienic environment to ensure rapid health restoration of patient. The main goal of nursing is to endorse health and to prevent illness, followed by health restoration and to recover sufferings (ICN, 2006). Hence it clearly defines the goals to help people involved in the profession being part of team involvement for the benefit of mankind serving the sick and unhealthy people, either individual or in a family. Nurses are required to deliver health services to individuals, family and the community irrespective of any differences and conflicts.
Elements of the Code
The code has acknowledged four ethical conduct elements that include nurses and people, nurses and practices, nurses and the profession, and nurses and co-workers (ICN, 2006). Each element is emphasizing on different aspect of ethical procedures from a perspective focus on the adoption of right practices in the profession. In the first element it highlights the responsibility of nurses towards the person acquiring their services which highlights the environment values, rights, duties, customs of individual and community to be protected; hence services to be rendered without any discrimination towards any of the above stated intangible property or customs. It also suggests environment protection from pollution, degradation as duty of a nurse apart from health but related.
It is the ethical responsibility of nurse to keep continually updated with the latest information about the profession so that they can assess the technology being safe for the health of patient and should make sound decision either based on strong judgment or on individual competence; it also requires nurses to maintain their personal conduct to enhance public confidence through their services. Nurses are required to keep the personal information to themselves and share to a limited extent with proper judgment; hence stabilizing the role of nurses and individual privacy through this ethical conduct whereas they make sure that individual is having proper information related to health and procurement programs. Nurses as an ethical step maintains supportive relationship with other co-workers so that assistance to associated person can be deliver with diligence (ICN, 2006).
Grievances Procedures
Many issues regarding the protection of nurse’s rights have been raised since the last decade mainly concerning on the issues that affect the reputation of nurses and the after-effect procedure for grievance. When nurses serve within a community, or at a family house many potential issues related to the image of nursing profession and personality of nurse can harm the status of the respective nurse (Chitty, 2004). The matter if not solved through a proper channel may result in degrading the professional consistency and role in social society. No such procedure has been directly explained in the ethical code of conduct but instead highlights the manager’s role for the smooth ethical practices such as monitoring environmental safety in the workplace. The discretion with the consent to accept or refuse the treatment enables to avoid any unexpected event that may harm the professional image of profession.
However legal protection enables nurses involve in ethical practices of profession and proper indication of service performance to give protection from societal action influencing their reputation negatively. The delegate authority to protect the role and services delivery for the benefit of mankind ensures the ethical system effectiveness for the formal prescribed manner to file any grievances (Conmed Co., 2009). International council of nurses is therefore an important organization for the protection of rights and sustainability of performance as it stimulate co-operation with other related disciplines. It supports all ethical rights of nurses and help to identify the profession importance in the society. Nurses can seek for help and counseling support for moral character through nursing council which assign a counselor for each requisition/problem who negotiate over problem deeply and come up with decision recommended in his report forwarded towards the council for the protection of nurses’ rights (Chitty, 2004).
Effectiveness of the Ethical Code of Conduct
The code as has been revised many times and therefore has focused on all aspects related to professional services and ethical requirement for the effective outcome of persons health care through comforting effort of nurses. As code has focused on different dimensions on nursing identified as elements of the code this signifies that the optimum productive outcome can be achieved. Dimensions linkage of profession, person, coworkers and practices with nursing defines the role of each respective property which influences the decision making and understanding of nursing role for health promotion and restoration. Therefore in my views, it is advisable to follow all elements ethical practices for the purpose of achieving goals identify at the start of this paper.
Entire code is recommended to be enforced in the services of health care especially for nursing due to its appropriateness and ethical guidelines procedural flow from each stake dimension; whereas these guidelines can be amended for other health care professions depending on the role of each. Emphasizing on the core benefits of code related to services for health such as privacy, equal sharing of rights, discrimination and diversity and co-ordination among co-workers for the sharing of reliable information related to health concerns (technology, situational decisions, judgmental decisions experience) the code is found to be appropriate for the achievement of goals.
One main weak area that has been identified in the code is the positioning statement development and judgmental skill of nurses which may change and show no response hence affecting the service quality of nurses. To better assess the conditions of health nurses should be given annual training on issues that they encounter during their service year and what could be the better solutions for the problems. Another need for concern is the co-ordination between co-workers that emphasize on exchange of information related to wok experience. Ethical issue that arise over here is the disclosure of personal information to other co-workers by nurses, leakage of information may be harmful for the patient; therefore to stabilize this ethical conduct and to keep it productive, it should be done that nurses can not disclose the personal information about the persons they are serving; whereas they can share decisions taken in situation without giving description of patients.
Conclusion
Ethical code of conduct supports the community values, respect, customs, privacy whereas at the same time formalizes the behavior of service provider so that equal justice can be done to everyone and proper measures are taken to keep the personal information secure. This enables to establish guidelines and set norms and procedure for the actual carrying out of work while maintaining the harmony of environment.
References
- Chitty, Kay. Kittrell. (2004). Professional nursing: concepts & challenges. Edition: 4. Published by Elsevier Health Sciences.
- Conmed Corporation. (2009). Health Care Compliance Code of Ethics.
- ICN International Council of Nurses. (2006). The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses.