Issues and Trends in Contemporary Nursing Practice

Introduction

The nursing field is a very demanding one; with changes occurring frequently, nurses must face current issues and learn the new trends that rapidly developed. A nurse is essentially someone responsible for advocating and taking care of patients while they undergo illness and recovery, guiding them through difficult times. To comply with this profession’s standards, one must refer to various ethical codes as well as look at the way the field transforms with the flow of time and adjust to the trends.

Ethical Implications of Decision-Making in Nursing Practice

Many issues arise on the topic of ethics, but it is essential for every nurse to know the rules of conduct within their field as they face many ethical dilemmas. Mallari and Tariman (2016) note that these might include lack of resources, patients refusing treatment or disagreeing with caregivers, treatment of patients with decision-making disabilities, nugatory decisions on treatment for terminal patients, guidelines for end-of-life treatment, euthanasia and so on. Thus, nursing practice is inevitably an ethical decision-making practice.

Ethical Codes for the Nursing Practice

Standards to navigate the nursing practice derive from numerous official sources. Namely, as stated by Mallari and Tariman (2016), the Nuremberg Code and Declaration of Helsinki is the document that addresses clinical, scientific, and social value; independent reviews; scientific feasibility; and respect for those who participate in research. Similarly, the International and National Nursing Code of Ethics is widely used among nurses, while The International Code of Ethics for Nurses is a scheme for developing and evaluating the codes of ethics of different countries. Then there are also each country’s individual national ethical codes, which deliver guides in accordance with the country’s cultural and moral norms (Mallari and Tariman, 2016).