Running head: PATIENT’S RIGHTS VS. PATIENT’S HEALTH 1
PATIENT’S RIGHTS VS. PATIENT’S HEALTH 1
Patient’s Rights vs. Patient’s Health
Shilei Markway
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Patient’s Rights vs. Patient’s Health
Administering medical treatment to the patients is an important part of a nurse’s daily job. Medical treatment helps patients recover from illness and prevents them from getting even more sick. As a nurse, I have the responsibility of caring for and doing good things for the patients. To maximize the benefits of the patients, I need to make sure that I am giving the right treatment to the right patient at the right time. A major ethical issue for nurses is that some patients will refuse treatment. According to the ethical principle of autonomy, nurses are supposed to uphold the patient’s rights and choices concerning health care. Medical autonomy is the right of a patient to make important decisions about their own medical care without the health care provider attempting to influence the decision. This means that the patient has the right to know what the treatment is and involves, and has the right to refuse treatment. However, as a nurse who wants to benefit the patient, I may not always agree with a patient’s decision to refuse treatment. As long as the patient is competent, I would always follow their wish to not take the medicine if that is the choice they made.
In addition to autonomy, the ethical principle of beneficence is also important to nursing-patient care. The definition of beneficence is doing no harm to the patient and providing them with good health care resources. It is critical to attempt to find a balance between patient rights and the right care for that patient. When I was working in the nursing home, a competent patient with very high blood pressure and coronary artery disease refused to take a beta blocker medication. Even after I provided her with all sufficient information on her medical conditions, and she understood the high risk of refusing the medicine, she continued to decline this treatment. From my perspective, it is vital that the patient take the blood pressure medicine to get their hypertension under control and not be at risk of heart problems. I am trying to do what is best for the patient, so I need to convince them to take the medicine according to the ethical principle of beneficence. However, as a patient’s advocate, I should respect the patient’s decision and their autonomy. This is limited by my desire to see the patient get better. As a nurse, I am committed to doing my best to help the patient while respecting their autonomy, a goal that can be challenging at times.
There are two reasons that influence a patient’s decision to refuse medicine. The first reason is that the medicine or treatment has side effects that are too strong. The patient does not want to be forced...
