As nurses, we understand that hospice is a peaceful way for patients to transition from this world, but what about our patients’ and families’ perspective? I recently had a patient who, over the last few months, had a significant change in her health. She was diagnosed with cancer and ended up with two major surgeries in a three-month time frame. After the second surgery, the patient decided she could no longer endure the pain and wanted a hospice consult. It was not surprising, as she was elderly, but what surprised me was this patient’s perception of hospice. She truly believed we would be euthanizing her the same way we euthanize…
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Public Comment Period on the 2025 Revisions to the Code of Ethics for Nurses Open Through July 31
Every ten years the American Nurses Association revises the Code of Ethics for Nurses to stay up to date with current trends, challenges and ethical dilemmas facing the nursing profession. Once the panel has gone through the process of meticulously developing the revisions, commenting is opened to the public. The 2025 Revisions to the Code is now open to comments through July 31. The past ten years have seen some drastic and rapid developments in the way that nurses have had to meet ethical challenges and provide quality care. The COVID pandemic of course is but one such event that caused a multitude of ethical dilemmas and quality of care…
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Nurses Need to Be the Change!
I recently had the privilege to attend a Zoom session hosted by Lorie A. Brown RM, MN, JD of Empowered Nurses. The guest speaker was RaDonda Vaught, the former Tennessee nurse who was convicted in 2022 of criminally negligent homicide after injecting the patient with the wrong medication. This was after the Tennessee BON cleared her in 2020 and told her they “had bigger fish to fry.” How and why that changed two years later needs your attention! You can watch the replay of the Zoom session. I encourage all nurses to watch the replay and to share it with colleagues and co-workers. Learn how Nurses Need to Be the…
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Navigating the 7 Ethical Dilemmas in Hospice Care
Introduction Hospice care serves as a unique specialty of nursing by focusing on providing comfort and support to patients nearing the end of their lives. While deeply fulfilling, this field presents nurses with an array of ethical dilemmas that require thoughtful consideration and empathy. In this article, we will explore the 7 ethical dilemmas in hospice care and discuss effective strategies for managing them. Truth-Telling and Patient Autonomy In healthcare ethics, one of the fundamental principles is respecting patient autonomy. However, the dilemma of truth-telling often arises in hospice care. The question of how much to disclose to patients about their prognosis, especially when they prefer not to know, presents…