Question

You are caring for a mother and infant. The mother delivered a healthy baby at term, but her HIV status is positive. The mother has been taking anti-retroviral agents during her pregnancy as ordered. After the birth of the infant, the baby is begun on anti-retroviral therapy. When the father of the baby goes down to the cafeteria, the mother confides in the RN that her partner is unaware of her HIV status. It is important to her that you keep this information confidential and she asks you to tell the other nurses that they need to be silent on this topic. She does not want you to say what type of medication you are administering to the infant so that you do not disclose her HIV status. She asks you to state that acetaminophen is being administered for comfort if her husband asks.

Identify one ethical principle that directly applies to the client.

Explain two nursing interventions that would comply with ethical and legal standards when caring for the client.

Answer 1

The ethical principle that can be applied in here this situation is principle of beneficence. The principle says that doing good for patient. Here we are doing a help to the patient by make the HIV positive status hidden from her husband. It may help her to maintain a good family life and for a better future, so we are do an help or good to her.

Nursing interventions include:

Keep the patient details confidentially and do not expose those to other people except the healthcare profesionals.

Identify any risk or abnormalities present in mother or child due to HIV