Ethics is an integral part of the job of a nurse or a physician and concerns patient care and the communication between the nurse and the patient. The aspect that is quite important for a high-quality healthcare provision is informed consent which represents patients’ rights to know all the information relevant to their treatment. Moreover, the overall patients’ rights during their treatment can be considered a significant direction of medical development.
Informed consent as one of the canonical aspects of medical ethics consists of several elements that aim to provide a full overview of a patient’s situation. According to Millum and Bromwich (2021), these components include sufficient knowledge of the duration, nature, purpose, and tools implemented in the treatment, risks, and benefits of this project, diverse procedures undertaken, and alternatives to participation. Additionally, treatment or medical research-related injuries and negative outcomes should be mentioned, and the medicinal personnel, especially nurses, should ensure that the potential participant in the procedure understands all aspects of the suggested treatment (Millum & Bromwich, 2021). Despite the importance of informed consent in patient care, sometimes people are not given all the relevant information, and diverse ethical issues occur on this basis.
Therefore, the documents of informed consent should be printed out and signed by the patient to facilitate ethical practice for nurses. In addition, the organizational environment should be healthy and light to reduce the high levels of stress among patients and care providers. However, an open and friendly environment does not always benefit the ethical practice of nurses. Due to an abrupt increase in social media utilization, the patient’s right to confidentiality remains endangered. More and more disclosures happen through the ubiquitous implementation of photographs and sound or video recordings. Hence, to ensure appropriate quality of ethical and medicinal practice nurses, should pay attention to the usage of smartphones and other electronic devices inside hospitals.
Reference
Millum, J., & Bromwich, D. (2021). Informed consent: What must be disclosed and what must be understood? The American Journal of Bioethics, 21(5), 46-58. Web.