Submitted by: Kate Kusterbeck, RN, BC, RMP a Holistic Nurse utilizing therapeutic interventions such as cranial sacral massage, reiki, meditation, EFT and hypnotherapy to enable positive health outcomes. Reach Kate at Willem62284@aol.com
Ethical decisions are central aspects of public policy making due to the fact that public policy making is a deliberate plan of action which addresses the “social, moral and economic values that tie a society together” (Ellis, J., Hartley, C., 2004). Addressing the values that “tie a society together” (Ellis, J., Hartley, C., 2004) is particularly relevant with regard to health policy in nursing given that the social context of nursing is based on the assumption that “nurses share a broad contract with society” (ANA Social Policy Statement, 1995) which protects human rights while “promoting health, preventing illness and alleviating suffering” (Burkhard, M., Nathaniel, A, 2008). Viewed in this context, ethical decisions in nursing are significantly broader than the simple analyzing of right and wrong,
In order to establish national goals for health promotion and disease prevention activities, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Public Health Service Organization developed the Healthy People 2010 project. This initiative was different from previous similar initiatives in that it did not “merely look at the health of the nation but rather it devised strategies for improvement” (Healthy People 2010, 2000). Two of the health policy objectives addressed in Healthy People 2010 are to: 1) increase quality and years of healthy life to all people and 2) eliminate health disparities in the US citizenry.
Each of these objectives characterizes public policy which is ethical and which represents an opportunity for all people, regardless of race, color, creed, gender or socioeconomic status to share equally in the benefits of quality healthcare which will support potentially healthy outcomes. Furthermore, healthcare professionals and policy makers who dedicate themselves to providing care which is intolerant of disparity and to the violation of human rights pave the way for the manifestation of a therapeutic relationship in which increased trust and confidence encourages better patient compliance and better outcomes.
From a nursing standpoint these goals are appropriate to maintaining the ethical standard that a “nurse’s primary commitment is to the person” (Burkhardt M, Nathaniel A 2008) and that it is his/her responsibility to offer care which is individualized and which promotes the uniqueness of the patient (Code of ethics for nurses, 2001).
The goals set forth by the US Department of Health and Human Services are consistent with my philosophy of nursing as well as my personal philosophy to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. They represent what stands out as particularly important in my nursing practice because without a standard that strives for quality care provided to all citizens so that all have an equal chance of a favorable outcome regardless their personal qualities or merits all other standards of care are undermined in their effectiveness.
Works Cited
Burkhardt M, Nathaniel A (2008). Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Nursing (3rd ed,
pp. 493-538). Delmar Learning.
Ellis, J., Hartley, C. (2004). Nursing in Today’s World (8th ed, pp. 313-327).
Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Kelly, P. (2008. Nursing Leadership and Management (2nd ed, pp. 518-531). United
States