element’s that are related to nursing and disaster management in relation to the moral and ethical competence of the nurses
Introduction
Notably, disaster has been one of the integral parts of human expreince for a very long time and it has resulted in factors such as loss of life, reduced quality of life and altered health status. In the recent times, there has been an accrued increase in the number of natural disaster due to factors such as global warming and climatic change. in this regard, it has called for changes in nursing training to help them become more prepared in dealing with natural disaster ethically, emotional and morally. The objective of this paper is to explore some of the element’s that are related to nursing and disaster management in relation to the moral and ethical competence of the nurses.
The most appropriate ethical approach for the nurses when it comes to dealing with natural disasters is the Utilitarian approach. In utilitarian ethics, outcomes of a certain decision is the major focus of the approach and it justify the means. In this regard, the decision that a nurse makes using this approach are based on the number of people that are going to benefit from the decision. Therefore, the outcome of a given decision determines the moral and ethical viability of a given decision. It is an approach that is guided by calculated benefits or harm based on evidence. it pays attention to the availability of resources and time to cater for given decision. The reason why i choose this approach is based on the fact that in most cases, natural disasters result in multiple casualties and the nurses should make decision based on the outcome of the decision. This will ensure that the available resources will be in a position to cater for the maximum number of individuals who are involved in a given natural disaster. Notably, the nurse should have a reduced deontological approach to decision making as remedy to natural disaster require calculated decision meant to benefit the biggest section of the society rather than individual levels. In this regard, there are assumption and risks that are taken for the better good of the society.
Notably, in most cases nurses are likely to develop mental distress in times of disasters compared to other physicians. As a result, there are various ways that the nurses can apply to avoid developing moral distress. One of the approach is focusing on ethical education. Ethical education can help the nurse in decision making and developing individual coping skills. On the other hand, it can help the nurse improve the abilities to deal with complex ethical dilemma, reduce fear and improve self-confidence. Another approach is the application of potential intervention that help the nurses’ deal with their environment by increasing their resilience, reduce stress, and improve communication and professional networking. Through this approach, the nurses with be able to reduce their ethical distress and deal with extremities experienced in natural disaster management.
American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics provides guidance for nurses who respond to natural disaster outlining the manner in which they are supposed to carry themselves in case of a natural disaster. For instance in the second provision of the code, the nurses are required to be primarily committed to the patient, whether in the family, community, population or individual levels. This provision gives a guideline on the manner in which the nurse should make decision in case of a natural calamity.