Ethical Distress Adhering to Provision 1

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Azusa Pacific University | Nurses Code of Ethics | Ethical Distress Adhering to Provision 1 | | Falahyah K. Mokhtar | 6/10/2013 |

The face of nursing has changed. Time has seen nursing practice evolve with the social context and the ethical challenges that come with it. This position paper will illustrate that provision 1 of the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) Code of Ethics for the practice of “compassion and respect” for all human lives regardless of background and situation brings about ethical distress for a nurse due to three conflicting issues: adherence to ANA provision 5, the big business of health care, and the prevalence of law overriding nursing practice. Today’s nurse is faced with the daunting task of coping with multiple layers of ethical distress in adhering to provision 1 in the midst of these three conflicts. A nurse is not perfect. However, provision 1 in the ANA Code of Ethics, makes it sound like a nurse must be close to perfect as possible. According to provision 1, the fundamental principle of nursing practice is respect for the inherent worth, dignity, and human rights of every individual unrestricted by consideration of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems. According to provision 5, the nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety. There will be many occasions where the nurse may experience ethical distress due to the opposing impact of these two provisions. Ethical distress, in this context, is a situation in which a nurse cannot fulfill an ethical obligation or fail to pursue what is believed to be the right course of action, or fail to live up to personal expectations of ethical practice (Webster & Baylis, 2000). Attempting to cater to the “uniqueness of every individual” and to protect the “human

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