ETHICS IN HUMANITIES

Submitted by: Jainal, Rasheena A. BSN-III C Submitted to: Susan Lim Ramos Professor

INTRODUCTION
What should I do? Which is right? Which is wrong?
Ethics is a topic in which many people or groups of people tend to disregard. There can be many reasons supporting the decisions that individuals make. In many cases, money or monetary gain can influence people to do unethical things either in the workplace or in everyday life. Ethics can be defined as beliefs that distinguish right from wrong. These beliefs are normally passed down from family so you make the right decisions in the future. Morals are also on the same line as ethics when talking about doing the right thing. People's morals can be totally different, but should follow the same overall pattern in determining right from wrong. For me, Ethics is a requirement for human life. Why? Because it is our means of deciding a course of action. Without it, our actions would be random and aimless. There would be no way to work towards a goal because there would be no way to pick between a limitless number of goals. Even with an ethical standard, we may be unable to pursue our goals with the possibility of success. To the degree which a rational ethical standard is taken, we are able to correctly organize our goals and actions to accomplish our most important values. Any flaw in our ethics will reduce our ability to be successful in our endeavors.

SIGNIFICANCE
Ethics reflects the standards that govern a proper conduct in a particular profession. For instance, the nurse on duty knows that she is obligated to act for the good of the client and to prevent any incident to harm the patient. This principle of doing no harm to the client is the intervention of knowing the ethics in nursing.

RELEVANCE
Identifying good practice demands a well-reasoned assessment of what nurses do conjoined with an appreciation of how and why they do it. Ethics enables the critical evaluation of nursing decisions and actions. Nursing itself is an ethical activity because its primary aims are to do well and, wherever possible, avoid or at least minimize harm although achieving these aims can be problematic. Despite an increased focus on ethics in pre and post-registration nursing education, some nurses still perceive ethics as being remote from the day-to-day realities of their role. Some fails to recognize its influence on their practice. Alternatively, some nurses lack confidence in applying ethics to their clinical role. Nevertheless, the evaluative aspects of health care, such as a consideration of what is morally right and wrong, are as important to effective practice as procedures or techniques. Hence, nurses should regard ethics and ethical thinking as an integral part of their professional skills and knowledge. 'Good' nursing practice requires that practical efficacy and ethics are given equal consideration. For example, in the case of a patient undergoing surgery, both the surgical procedure and the patient's informed consent to that procedure should have equivalent status in the planning and delivery of care. Nurses regularly face complex practice-based ethical decisions. An appreciation of ethics and the ability to engage in ethical analysis are essential when faced with questions such as: Should patients always be told the truth? What if the truth may cause harm or distress? Is the disclosure of confidential information morally permissible if it will help others? Practice-based issues create a range of ethical questions. Day-to-day professional ethics demand that individuals and teams undertake ethical analysis using their personal and professional skills, knowledge and experience to assist and inform, but not necessarily direct, their decision-making. It is important to note that ethics is not solely concerned with dramatic events or 'dilemmas'. Familiar, everyday procedures, such as monitoring a patient's temperature, demand consideration of important ethical concepts, such as communication - does the patient understand what is happening? It also requires consent even the most common interventions require informed consent. If nurses do not engage actively with the ethical issues that affect them on a daily basis they will fail to deliver the optimum standard of care to patients. If nurses have not involved themselves in the crucial ethical discussions that precede many clinical interventions, there is little point in

them protesting when the ethical view of a doctor, or other professionals, takes precedence over theirs. Ethics is relevant to all areas of nursing practice and every aspect of the professional role, including research activity, education and management. Nurses should, therefore, be involved actively in ethical decision-making at managerial, educational and strategic healthcare levels. For example, the rationing of health resources is a persistent and worrying issue for society as a whole, and a nursing view should be evident in what remains a medically dominated ethical debate. Nurses should be prepared to contribute to all ethical policy decisions that affect their role and patient care. Other examples of ethical questions raised in the planning and delivery of health services include: > How should limited resources be distributed? Should greater resources be allocated to combat serious disorders that affect a comparatively low number of people, or minor disorders that affect a far greater number? Is it fair that access to some medical treatments may depend on where you live? The specific features of ethical practice cannot be prescribed and the available codes and guidelines like Nurses Code of Ethics can assist ethical thinking and decision-making, but do not provide an 'ethical solution' to specific problems.

CONCLUSION
During the class discussion, we didnt talk much about ethics. Ethics is one of the fields of humanities and I really chose this topic because of its great relevance in nursing field. Having a code of ethics helps guide nurses through tricky situations and serves as a common reference point for everyone on the health care team. But the primary goal of nursing ethics is to protect patients. Ethics is not solely a theoretical issue for nurses. It is fundamental to their practical skills and knowledge base. I actually write this not merely for requirements sake but also to help nurses understand how ethics affects their practice and to participate in ethical analysis and decision-making. (How I wish I could

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Resolving ethical problems and influencing an ethical healthcare agenda is not easy - it can be challenging for all concerned. However, I should be prepared and all other nurses should prepare to engage with the issues to ensure that our ethical voice is heard and that our professional activities are ethically sound and justifiable.

-RASHEENA A. JAINAL