ANA Code of Ethics
ANA Code of Ethics
Question 1
ANA is an entity that seeks to streamline the practice of nursing in the United States of America. Established in the 1890s, this organization has its headquarters in Silver Spring. In addition to streamlining the practice of nursing in United States, the ANA also seeks to champion the rights of nurses across the country (ANA, 2010). In 1996, the ANA began the process of reviewing the Code for Nurses. This review forms the basis for the ANA current code of ethics. Although the Code for Nurses (1985) was an excellent starting point, it did not have an appropriate framework for ethics (Butts, 2012).
Prior to the 1990s, the integration of ethics into nursing practice had not taken place. However, the necessity for the code of ethics was evident as a result of numerous issues in the practice of nursing. Such issues mostly concern decision making in nursing practice. Initially, the ANA Board of Directors had the responsibility of reviewing the code (Marquis, 2008). Additional professionals became members of the review team as a result of time constraints and workload. The completion of the review process did not take place until 2001 (ANA, 2010).
The approval process was rigorous as a result of active consultations and examination of potential implications of the code of ethics. Prior to approval, the code of ethics had to conform to the existing policies for nursing practice in United States. Additionally, the ANA had to consider the views and input of numerous kinds of stakeholders. While developing the code of ethics, the ANA had the intention of enhancing service delivery from nurses. Additionally, it sought to minimize the high number of conflicts in the nursing profession (Butts, 2012).
Question 2
Professional nursing practice derives immense value from the ANA code of ethics. Firstly, the code of ethics helps in maintaining the relevant standards of health care to all patients. The ethical framework by the ANA has numerous provisions that seek to enhance the patient outcomes (ANA, 2010).
For instance, the provision on human rights requires nurses to respect the fundamental human rights of all patients. This includes aspects such as freedom of expression and access to information. Professional nursing practice also benefits from the code of ethics through the enhancement of nursing standards in the country. For instance, it the code of ethics improves the confidence levels of the public in the health care organization (Marquis, 2008). The absence of the ANA code of ethics would also hamper the decision making capacity of most nursing practitioners. Nurses encounter challenging ethical scenarios on almost a daily basis. Dealing with these types of challenges becomes difficult when there lacks relevant guidelines for ethics.
This underlines the critical role of the code of ethics in the professional practice of nursing. It is also essential to highlight that the code of ethics by the ANA helps in formulating sufficient strategies for resource allocation. The highest standards of ethics are necessary while allocating scarce resources within the professional practice of nursing. Inadequate allocation of resources might easily result into the loss of innocent lives (Butts, 2012). For instance, the code of ethics helps in establishing the right priorities based on the available resources. All these perspectives illustrate the invaluable role of the code of ethics to professional nursing practice.
Question 3
Provision 1: Maintenance of professionalism and respect
This serves as among the most fundamental provisions of the code of ethics. It stipulates that all nursing practitioners must act with the highest standards of professionalism. This encompasses the treatment of all patients as members of the human race without being discriminatory of any grounds. Issues such as racial identity, income of type of illness should not come into consideration while attending to a patient (ANA, 2010). This helps in maintaining the highest standards of dignity. This provision not only bolsters the nurse’s interactions with patients but also other health care practitioners. As a nurse, I have the professional goal of maintaining high standards of impartiality while offering health care services. This provision conforms to this professional goal.
Provision 3: The patient’s wellbeing should serve as the basis of a nurse’s actions or decisions
This is the third provision in the ANA code of ethics and emphasizes on the protection or promotion of patient’s rights. Consequently, this provision encompasses aspects such as confidentiality and respect for autonomy among others. According to this provision, nurses must protect all information pertaining to the patient (ANA, 2010). High standards of confidentiality help in maintain a sense of dignity and respect for the patient. Additionally, the nurse must create an enabling environment for the patient to make independent decisions. Although the nurse should ensure the patient’s wellbeing, he or she must not interfere with the patient’s decision making process (Butts, 2012). As a professional nurse, this provision conforms to my goal of promoting autonomy while dealing with all types of patients. This is because autonomy facilitates for an independent thought process. This provision also helps in maintaining high ethical standards in nursing research.
References
ANA (2010). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice, Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association
Butts, J. B. & Rich, K. L. (2012). Nursing ethics, Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning
Marquis, B. L. & Huston, C, J. (2008). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing, Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
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