Category: reflection

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Death with Dignity

            Prior to coming to college, I was unfamiliar with the death with dignity law. The first time I was exposed to it was during my ethics class at UNE a few years ago. We watched a documentary about people who decided to die with dignity and the process that they had to go through to be able to do that. When I first heard about this law, I was not sure what my feelings were about it. I did not know much about it, and I did not want to form an opinion about it until I was able to investigate it more. At first, I think I didn’t completely agree with the law, but after learning about it a few years ago, my opinion changed. The biggest principle that I follow throughout my life is being respectful of others’ opinions whether or not I believe the same things. I also believe that people should be able to make their own decisions, especially regarding decisions that involve life or death. When it comes to healthcare, people make life-saving decisions all the time. I feel like it is fair for them to be able to make life-ending decisions too. As a nurse, it is always important to be respectful of the decisions of the patients even if you do not agree. 

            The ethical principle of non-maleficence means that healthcare workers should never intentionally cause any harm to the patient. The dictionary definition of harm is to damage or injure physically or mentally. When it comes to death with dignity, people question if it follows the non-maleficence principle. In my opinion, I question if death with dignity can really be considered harm. It is obviously causing their death, but it is not unwanted or has intention to cause harm to the patient. When someone decides that they want to die with dignity, it must be thought through thoroughly and they are given many opportunities to change their mind. Is giving someone the opportunity to make a decision that they genuinely want means that they are intentionally causing harm? There seems to be a fine line between what people believe is right and wrong when it comes to the death with dignity law, and I am sure that this topic could be, and will be, debated for a long time . 

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Electronic Health Records

I think the incorporation of the electronic health record in nursing practice has been a great addition. I have never worked in a facility that had paper records before, but I could imagine that it was a lot more time consuming and less organized. It is amazing that information can now be found at just the click of a button. This also makes it easier to have interprofessional communication between nurses, physicians, and CNA’s. I have watched nurses direct message doctors if they need them and get responses within minutes. The only downfall to the EHR is that there is never a guarantee that it will always work and not break down. Another setback can be getting used to using the technology. Time must be taken for the employees to learn and become efficient in the technology. Overall, I think it is an excellent tool to increase efficiency, to have access to patient history, and to provide better care. 

Before we had the presentation about HIE, I was unaware that the program existed. I learned that the patient must willingly release their information and can decline it at any time. Initially, I can understand why patients would be reluctant to allow multiple people to have access to their medical information. Through this presentation, I learned the importance of patients agreeing to release their information. Being in nursing school has shown me the importance of collaboration. Sometimes when patients are traveling to different practices, providers do not have direct contact with each other. The HIE allows for healthcare providers to access this information to be able to provide the best care to patients. For nurses in particular, being able to access patient’s records from previous facilities can allow for a more in-depth health history to help guide the plan of care. Getting the full picture of the patient’s current and past health status can help the nurse to provide the best care possible. In my future practice, I will apply what I learned in this presentation to my everyday practice. Now that I am aware of this resource, I will use it to help enhance the health outcomes of my patients. 

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Public Health and Vulnerable Populations

There are many factors that influence the health of vulnerable populations. The first example is the ability to access healthcare. Many populations do not have health insurance, the means to pay for care, or even located near health care services. A second example is location where these populations live. Communities that are surrounded by air that is not clean, do not have yards to exercise in, or do not live close to grocery stores to buy healthy foods all have an increased likelihood of not being in good health. Historical forces can also prevent communities from trusting health care providers. For example, African Americans may be hesitant about contacting health services due to past unethical studies done on their population like the Tuskegee study.

A way to improve the health of these vulnerable populations include equality, equity, and justice. Equality is the assumption that every person will benefit from the same supports, and that everyone deserves equal treatment. Some parts of equality may be beneficial for these populations, but not all. Equity means that each population gets the supports that they need. This idea shows that different communities need different supports to allow for a healthy community. Lastly, justice means that the root causes of the inequity were addressed. Although there is not much an individual can do about justice, we as healthcare workers can provide better care through the understanding of these concepts.

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