NURSES REPORT GIVEN AT PATIENTS' BEDSIDE

Nurses Report Given At Patients' Bedside

[Name of the Institute]Section A: Problem Identification

Problem

The need for nurses to participate in ethical decision-making at the bedside increases exponentially as the technology to support life advances. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses, nurses have a duty to create and sustain practice environments that are supportive of the ethical obligations of nurses. Practice environments that are supportive of nurses' ethical obligations cannot exist if nurses are not properly educated in the basic concepts of ethics.

In a small study of first-year graduate-level nursing students, Kalb and O'Conner-Von (2007) found that students had widely varied background education in the area of ethics or bioethics. It may be further assumed that nurses working at the bedside, who have completed combinations of diploma, associate's degree, or baccalaureate degree programs, may have even more varied educational backgrounds.

Why the Problem is Important to Resolve

Educating nurses on the basics of ethics and ethical decision-making will provide them with the support they need to serve as patient advocates when an ethical dilemma arises in bedside nursing. Nurses are often the first health care providers to whom patients express their wishes ( National Association of Neonatal Nurses [NANN], 2006 ). Through compassionate bedside care, nurses become familiar with the attitudes and values of the patient and family. Nurses are also the professionals charged with implementing treatments in an ethically challenging situation. These ethical dilemmas and the tasks nurses are subsequently asked to perform are a significant source of stress and burnout if the nurse has not been involved in the process of decision-making ( Braithwaite, 2008 ).

To protect the bedside nurse from conflict and further risk of burnout, nurses should be involved in ethical decision-making at the bedside. NANN, in a 2006 position statement, explicitly stated that it "supports the inclusion of NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] nurses in making ethical decisions in the care of critically ill newborns." The position statement further asserts that, for nurses to be involved in the decision-making process, education in the practice and theory of health care ethics is essential. The author believes that these statements have powerful implications, not only for neonatal nurses, but also for all nurses involved in direct patient care in all specialties. Continuing education in the area of ethics and the nurse's role in ethical decision-making can have a positive effect on patient outcomes, family-centered care, and professional collaboration and can reduce the growing problem of nurse burnout.

Project Objective

This research describes a successful live continuing education program on neonatal ethics and legal issues offered to neonatal caregivers at a large university hospital. The article reviews the administrative details, course content, and method of delivery, as well as student evaluation outcomes. A discussion of the benefits of the program and a recommendation for educators to implement a similar program, regardless of specialty, is included. The article provides nurse educators with a successful model that can be adapted to any practice specialty and ...