In the Current scenario, Mr. Newcomb’s request’s that I lie to Mrs. Newcomb so that she can have some time with his mistress. Under the principle of veracity, health care providers have an ethical duty to always tell the truth (Cherry and Jacob, 2014). Assisting Mr. Newcomb to see his mistress will, therefore, be undermining this principle and consequently absconding my ethical duty. However, the state of Mr. Newcomb is dire as he does not have much time left. Assisting him to see his mistress would seem to be a good approach to honor Mr. Newcomb’s wishes at near end-of-life. However, that request will be violating my own moral code and values as a healthcare professional. Although I would not prevent Mr. Newcomb from meeting her mistress, I will neither lie to Mrs. Newcomb with the aim of protecting either Mr. Newcomb or her mistress.
My decision draws from the four principles of healthcare ethics as given by Beauchamp and Childress (Stanley, 1998). The four principles are the principles of justice, respect for autonomy, non-maleficence, and beneficence. The justice principle provides the obligations of a fair distribution of both the risks and benefits. In this scenario, I would not discriminate against Mr. Newcomb by denying him the benefit of meeting his mistress. However, I must not expose myself to the risk of violating my professional moral code by lying. The respect for autonomy principle provides for the obligation to respect the decision-making capacities of an autonomous patient (Stanley, 1998). Since Mr. Newcomb still has the decision-making capacity, making a decision on his behalf would be violating the respect for autonomy principle. The non-maleficence principle provides for the obligation of avoiding the causation of harm. My decision observes the non-maleficence principle since, by allowing Mr. Newcomb’s mistress to visit, I would have avoided the causation of harm to the patient, who is my principal focus. Finally, the principle of beneficence provides for the obligation of doing whatever is in the best interest or beneficial to a patient without conflicting with their right to self-determination (Cavalier, 2001). My decision to allow Mr. Newcomb to meet his principle, therefore, serves the best interest of the patient and does not conflict his right to self-determination.
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According to my personal beliefs and values, it is wrong to cheat in a marriage. I am, therefore, opposed to married men having mistresses despite their situations. I believe that married men should divorce their wives first cohabiting with other women. Since I believe that cheating in marriage is morally wrong, I decided not to lie to Mrs. Newcomb. Doing so would be supporting Mr. Newcomb’s habit of having a mistress while married. However, in observance of the four principles of healthcare ethics, I could not deny Mr. Newcomb’s wish.
According to Cherry and Jacob (2014), self-care include the purposeful nursing interventions that enable a patient to sustain their growth, performance, and structural reliability. One strategy that promotes self-care in patients in a similar scenario is expansive communication and access to information. An open dialogue with Mr. Newcomb on the prevailing ethical issues, conflicts, and personal objections that arise in the scenario is important for the sake of his understanding and performance. Another self-care strategy involves linking a patient to support networks. A patient can easily improve their quality of life by interacting with other members of given support groups. Also, the involvement of patients in their needs assessment has been shown to improve their satisfaction. The third self-care strategy involves making the patient aware of the resources and technologies available for their self-care. Such resources include tools and devices, such as computers and smartphones that can enable patients to access telehealth that enable them to monitor their long-term conditions.
- Cavalier, T. (2001). Ethical Issues at the End of Life. Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 101(10), 616-622. Retrieved from http://jaoa.org/pdfaccess.ashx?url=/data/journals/jaoa/931962/
- Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. (2014). Contemporary nursing: issues, trends, & management (6th ed.). St. Louis, MI: Elsevier Inc.
- Stanley, R. (1998). Applying the four principles of ethics to continence care. British Journal of Nursing, 7(1), 44-51. doi: 10.12968/bjon.1998.7.1.5794
