For this week’s discussion, review the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics. Choose one position statement that either does or could relate to your scholarly project. Identify which ANA Position Statement you reviewed and provide a summary of the statement. Describe the principle(s) from the ANA Code of Ethics that was used to determine the ANA’s position on the selected topic.
Review the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics (2015) at: http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses/Code-of-Ethics-For-Nurses.html then select one of the ANA Position Statements on Ethics and Human Rights to review at: http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/Ethics-Position-Statements
Write your initial response in 300–500 words.
Ethical Principles Related to the DNP Capstone Project
Ethics is essential for good research practice and societal protection. From a historical standpoint, research ethics has had a complicated past, and without due consideration, there is always the risk that research will cause harm. It is crucial to foresee and prepare for any actual or potential threats that may arise during research. Therefore, researchers need to learn about research ethics and carefully plan how to incorporate ethics into their studies before they can begin. In this discussion, I will discuss the ethical principles related to my capstone project and how they could be leveraged to enhance good research practice.
The ANA position statement that does or could relate to my capstone project
My research project aims to improve suicide screenings for adolescents and young adults by increasing the adoption of the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) tool in practice. Therefore, the position statement that best relates to this scholarly project is the “Emergency Care Psychiatric Clinical Framework,” approved on March 1, 2010. The American Nurses Association (ANA) intends to use this position statement as a roadmap for its advocacy and public engagement efforts concerning policies and programs to promote optimal mental health for all patients (ANA, 2018). Through this statement, ANA maintains that policymakers and healthcare leaders/institution(s) must acknowledge and address patients’ unique mental health needs and implement strategies to ensure these needs are met at all times, including during public health emergencies and natural disasters.
I chose this statement because it emphasizes the importance of easy access to low-cost mental health screenings as well as anonymous mental health assistance and treatment. In order for all patients to feel comfortable seeking help, the profession must eliminate the stigma still associated with mental health issues. ANA acknowledges that promoting mental health requires changes to the larger healthcare delivery system, which includes ensuring that everyone’s mental health is taken into account and encouraging nurses to participate in efforts to transform the system (ANA, 2018). Part of the initiatives necessary for this change are increasing access to easy and low-cost access to mental health screenings, help, and treatment.
Principles from the nursing code of ethics that helped me determine the ANA’s position statement
The principles that guided me in selecting the position statement ideal for this topic are the principles of fidelity and autonomy. Simply put, fidelity is the fulfillment of promises. For nurses, this means always delivering on their promises to treat their patients with respect and competence (Abd-Elrhaman, 2019). Fidelity is the foundation of the other six ethical principles in healthcare, making it the most crucial. Nurses pledge to treat patients with respect and care in an ethical and professional manner.
Many nurses believe that the most common source of ethical conflict is fidelity. Sometimes, healthcare providers have to make decisions that conflict with their values, those of their patients, the expectations of their coworkers, and what is mandated by law (Abd-Elrhaman, 2019). Maintaining fidelity in such situations requires nurses to show compassion toward each individual they care for (Abd-Elrhaman, 2019). It can be challenging, especially when dealing with a patient who is rude, uncooperative, or otherwise rude. When dealing with suicidal patients, nurses must set aside any negative feelings they may have about such patients and adhere to the standard of care (Roberts et al., 2019). If a nurse feels their personal feelings about a patient could affect their care, he/ she should discuss the situation with her colleagues.
The principle of Beneficence must come first when treating a patient exhibiting acute suicidal thoughts, just as it should when treating a patient who has a history of suicidal thoughts but cannot control them. However, some chronically suicidal patients might be able to keep their impulses in check. In such circumstances, clinical work is facilitated by respecting patients’ autonomy, and the nurse psychiatrist is protected from being drawn into a role that promotes regression (Roberts et al., 2019). Successful treatment of a suicidal patient shows the need for flexible, rather than inflexible, adherence to ethical principles.
References
Abd-Elrhaman, E. S. (2019). Effectiveness of educational program regarding professional nursing ethics on Workplace Civility. International Journal of Nursing Didactics, 09(02), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.15520/ijnd.v9i02.2439
ANA. (2018, June 5). Ana’s position statement – emergency care psychiatric clinical framework. ANA. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/official-position-statements/id/emergency-care-psychiatric-clinical-framework/
Roberts, L. W., Berk, M. S., & Lane-McKinley, K. (2019). Ethical considerations in research on suicide prediction. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(9), 883. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.1228
