Healthcare Ethics, which also encompasses Medical Ethics, is a system of moral principles that apply values to the practice of health care delivery. Since ethics is relevant to all aspects of health care, all professionals in this field, including doctors, nurses and researchers must undergo training programs in the theories and principles of healthcare ethics.
Ethics are extremely important in health care, but also in general as it gives one a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong. Thus, as a nurse, having a strong sense of ethics will provide guidance for what should or shoudn't be done at the hospital, helping determine one's priorities.
Looking at the example of nurses again, they frequently have to make very difficult decisions for which there is not always an absolute answer. It is hardly ever ‘black’ or ‘white’ – for example, issues such as when a patient should be discharged, or when a patient can manage his or her own medication safely. These situations represent the more complex issues in the area of ethics. Much simpler ethical considerations include respecting people, treating people with dignity as well supporting patient’s choices. Thus, it can be seen that ethics is both an integral and necessary component of health care delivery.
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