The Scope of Nursing - Coursework Example

The scope of nursing involves dilemmas in which nurses’ responsibilities conflict with patients’ interests, and needs, in such situation requires both ethical and legal considerations. The fact that legal provisions may also establish the conflict further complicates the dilemma in which nursing personnel find themselves. Hospice situations in which patients with terminal conditions may be suffering from extreme and unmanageable pain, for example, induces the need for assisted death that establishes a dilemma. A similar dilemma exists with a patient who would wish to quit smoking but does not and it is necessary to ensure a decision that can maximize benefits to all involved stakeholders. As a nurse in the situation, I would have a discursive session with the patient to explore effects of the smoking, both perceived positive and negative effects, and the involved stakeholders to the effects. Using the patient’s perspective, we would outline people who may perceive benefits from the act of smoking and those who may perceive harm. We would then try to quantify the effects on each stakeholder and evaluate whether the patient’s act of smoking offers net benefit or harm to the involved members of society. I would then introduce the patient to utilitarian ethics and explain to him the need to commit acts that brings net benefits to a majority of members of society (Brooks and Dunn, 2009). I would use ethical principles such as beneficence and non-maleficence doctrines to encourage the patient that some decisions are made not only because they benefit an individual, but because of the effects that the decisions could have on other members of society. I would however explain to the patient that the ultimate decision on smoking lies with him, based on the moral doctrine of autonomy (Paola, Walker, and Nixon, 2010).

This approach would offer an informed perspective to the patient and ensure an intrinsic motivation that, if the patient would resolve to quit smoking, would ensure sustainability in the abstinence.