Question

What type of ethical dilemmas might a school nurse deal with?

Answer 1

Ans) School nurses must consider the ethical principles that guide everyday practice.

- Autonomy, beneficence, justice, and nonmaleficence are the ethical principles most often confronted in the school setting.

- When beneficent care-giving begins to conflict with the family's decision-making autonomy, paternalism, a form of beneficence, affects the family's autonomy.

- This creates an ethical dilemma for the school nurse who guides his or her practice by ethical principles but who also must decide when it is appropriate to refer a child or family to a medical provider for further evaluation.

- The ethical dilemma is described using a model that examines external factors, professional responsibilities, and possible courses of action. It includes cultural considerations and barriers pertinent to the case example.