The Health Care Reform Act provides insurance for all U.S. citizens and legal residents presenting far reaching ethical considerations related to diverse individual patient health care beliefs for those delivering nursing care

Question

Nurses must consider their civil rights under the Rights of conscience and how new health care agendas such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) could affect their practice in situations that may conflict with their own belief system. Today's practicing nurse must:
a. remember it is one's professional duty to render patient-centered care—even when it is in direct conflict with the nurse's own beliefs—or be held liable for withholding treatment.
b. consider whether the right to act according to one's inner beliefs will continue to be permissible when federal health insurance becomes fully enacted.
c. discuss with the patient and family different options in hopes they will accept the nurse's health care beliefs.
d. suggest to the hospital administration that they not accept federal funding to prevent controversial health practices.

Answer 1

ANS: B
Correct: With federal funding, many controversial health care services will be covered and provided as part of patient care when desired by the patient; therefore, whether a nurse has autonomy to refuse to provide care may not be as clear even when one might request another patient.
Incorrect:
a. A nurse must analyze his/her health beliefs to ensure the best care can be rendered without prejudice and under the Right of Conscience (nurses' civil right allowing them to act according to their conscience).
c. It is not the role of the nurse to attempt to persuade patients to accept another set of health care beliefs.
d. Federal health insurance will cover many patients, and refusing funding, even if possible, would place the hospital in financial difficulty.