Ethical Dilemma Paper
Ethical Dilemma using Technology
This week you will use the ethical dilemma provided (Telemedicine) and apply the Ethical Decision-Making Model from the text. Information presented will also focus on the application to your role as an administrator and the implications to nursing practice. This assignment will require thoughtful reflection.
Topic: Telemedicine
Instructions:
- Review the grading rubric BEFORE continuing with the assignment.
- Refer to the Ethical Model for Decision-Making on pages 95-97 (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022).
- Reviewthe literature and cite a minimum of 3 journal articles. Additional references may include the course textbooks and websites from the list of Informatics websites provided in the Resources.
- Submit a written paper and include a cover page and a reference page (Use APA format)
- Use headings noted below
- Maximum 1000 words not including the cover page and reference page. Refer to the rubric for additional information.
The written assignment should include the following headings and content:
- An introductory paragraph (following the title of the paper)
- Examine the Ethical Dilemma: What is the purpose for choosing this topic? Describe the background for this ethical issue related to nursing informatics.
- Literature Review: Search the literature for possible alternatives. Provide a summary of the literature review, identifying at least 2 alternatives of the ethical issue as it relates to nursing informatics. Hypothesize ethical arguments-What are the pros and cons for the alternatives?
- Implication to Nursing Practice and Informatics:Investigate, compare, and evaluate the arguments for each alternative. Discuss the implications of the ethical issue and the identified alternatives to nursing practice and informatics.
- Application: Choose the alternative you would recommend. Discuss why you chose this alternative and how the alternative applies to your role as a nurse leader/nurse educator.
- Formulate the Plan:Describe the plan for the alternative you chose and how the plan would be implemented?
- Conclusion
| Examine the Ethical Issue (15pts) 1. Background of the ethical issue related to technology. |
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15 pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Literature Review and Summary of the Ethical Issue(s) (20 pts) • Search the literature for possible alternatives. • Provide a summary of the literature review, identifying at least 2 alternatives of the ethical issue as it relates to technology. • Hypothesize ethical arguments-What are the pros and cons for the alternatives? |
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20 pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Implications of the Ethical Issue to Nursing Practice and Informatics (20 pts) • Discuss the implications of the ethical issue and the identified alternatives to nursing practice and informatics |
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20 pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Application (15 pts) Choose the alternative you would recommend. Discuss why you chose this alternative and how the alternative applies to your role as a nurse leader/nurse educator. |
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15 pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Formulate the Plan (10 pts) Act on your chosen alternative-Describe the plan and how the plan would be implemented? |
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10 pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Searching the Literature (10 pts) • Journal articles are within the last 5 years • Course textbooks and informatics websites may be used as additional resources |
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10 pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Writing and APA including: (10 pts) 1. Writing is clear, objective, formal, and professional 2. Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation 3. Use APA format for written assignment including an introduction and a conclusion 4. Cover page according to APA format. 5. Reference page according to APA format. |
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Solution
Ethical Dilemma: Telemedicine
Introduction
In the present time, the utilization of telemedicine has increased significantly, especially since the onset of the COVID19 pandemic. According to McGonigle & Mastrian (2021), telemedicine is the practice of medicine that relies on technology to deliver care to patients at a distance. A healthcare practitioner in one location relies on telecommunication devices and infrastructure to deliver care to a patient at a distant location. The practice of telemedicine leads to the emergence of numerous ethical dilemmas in the delivery of health care services, such as the influence on the patient-provider relationships and the confidentiality and privacy of patients. This paper will examine the ethical dilemmas associated with the practice of telemedicine, explore the literature related to such ethical dilemmas and finally highlight the implications of the ethical dilemmas related to the use of telemedicine to nursing practice and informatics.
Examine the Ethical Dilemma
With the increased use of telemedicine in the current times, it is important for healthcare practitioners to understand the ethical dilemmas that might arise with the use of such technology. Understanding medical dilemmas related to telemedicine can help healthcare practitioners to adopt the right strategies to mitigate ethical issues related to the use of telemedicine technology in reaching patients (Kichloo et al., 2020).
Relating to the use of telemedicine technology to attend to patients, the ethical dilemma that emerges relates to the interference of the patient-provider relationship and the privacy and confidentiality of patients. The use of telemedicine has a significant impact on the patient-provider relationship, which is the foundation of all treatment therapies. By relying on telecommunication devices and not being in physical contact with patients, health care practitioners might fail to establish an effective patient-provider relationship which can have a significant negative impact on patient outcomes (Moghbeli et al., 2017). The use of telemedicine technology can therefore interfere with the physical evaluation of a patient and make healthcare practitioners miss out on important details, which can subsequently contribute to poor outcomes among patients. The use of telemedicine technology to reach patients can result in health care practitioners not following the ethical principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence, which are central to the therapeutic relationship between a healthcare practitioner and a patient (Moghbeli et al., 2017).
The use of telemedicine to reach distant patients also raises an ethical dilemma related to the privacy and confidentiality of patients. The telecommunication infrastructure used in telemedicine has numerous security issues that can contribute to access of private patient information to third parties either on the physician side or on the patient side (Nittari et al., 2020).
Literature Review
According to Keenan et al. (2021), considering the main ethical issues related to the use of telemedicine which includes the privacy and confidentiality of patients and the weakening of the patient-provider relationship, different alternatives can be adopted to try and address these ethical issues. One of the strategies that can help to address the ethical issues related to poor patient-provider relationships in the use of telemedicine is enhancing the communication between a patient and a healthcare practitioner. Healthcare practitioners should utilize multimedia formats of communication such as messages, calls, videos, and images to try to enhance communication in telemedicine interactions which can significantly boost patient-provider relationships. Relying on multimedia forms of communication, including written, spoken, and other media forms such as images and video, can help significantly to improve the communication between healthcare providers and patients. This can resolve the ethical issue related to are patient-provider relationship which eventually contributes to the breaking of the ethical principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence (Keenan et al., 2021).
According to Nittari et al. (2020), the adoption of security procedures such as two-factor authentication and strong passwords can also go a long way in solving ethical issues related to patient privacy and confidentiality in the use of telemedicine. By providing guidelines such as relying on two-factor authentication and strong password to secure the different devices used in telemedicine, both physicians and patients can be able to avoid any security breaches that can interfere with the privacy and confidentiality of patients (Nittari et al., 2020).
Relying on multimedia formats to enhance the communication between patients and providers in the use of telemedicine technology can significantly benefit patients by enhancing the patient-provider relationship, which is vital to the therapeutic relationships and also ensuring the preservation of the principle of beneficence and nonmaleficence in the healthcare relationship (Moghbeli et al., 2017). On the other hand, the utilization of multimedia formats in telemedicine in a bid to enhance the patient-provider relationship can be time-consuming. The implementation of security strategies such as Two Factor authentication in the use of strong passwords to protect the privacy and confidentiality of both patients and healthcare providers during the use of telemedicine can have significant benefits of denying access to private patient information by any third parties. On the other hand, the adoption of a security strategy would require resources to sensitize both patients and physicians on the importance of different security measures in preserving patient privacy and confidentiality (Nittari et al., 2020).
The implication to Nursing Practice and Informatics
The two of the main ethical dilemma issues that emerged with the increased use of telemedicine in health care delivery include the weakening of the patient-provider relationship and the risk related to the privacy and confidentiality of patients during the use of telemedicine technology. In nursing practice, the establishment of an effective patient-provider relationship is central to assuring the patients of the best outcomes. When using telemedicine technology, nurses should rely on multimedia format of media such as audiovisual and written to effectively communicate with patients and form sufficient patient-provider relationships that can guarantee patients of the best outcomes through the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence (Keenan et al., 2021). Assuring patients of privacy and confidentiality is also important in the use of telemedicine. By relying on security measures such as two-factor authentication and strong passwords, nurses can ensure that patient information and interactions that occur through the use of telemedicine technology are secure and cannot be addressed by any third parties. Avoiding security breaches in telemedicine technology can also help to improve the utilization of such technology among patient populations (Keenan et al., 2021).
Application
In the use of telemedicine, the alternative I would recommend to resolve ethical issues related to the technology is the enhancement of better security measures such as two-factor authentication and strong password to protect the privacy and security of both patients and healthcare practitioners. Nurse leaders should therefore be at the forefront of sensitizing their teams and implementing measures to enhance privacy and confidentiality in telemedicine platforms.
Formulate the Plan
In a healthcare facility, the plan to promote privacy and confidentiality in the use of telemedicine technology could include educating both patients and health care providers on ways to improve security in the use of such technology. Healthcare practitioners and patients would therefore be taught strategies such as two-factor authentication and the use of strong passwords in telemedicine technology to boost security and confidentiality.
Conclusion
In summary, the practice of telemedicine leads to the emergence of numerous ethical dilemmas in the delivery of health care services, such as the influence on the patient-provider relationships and the confidentiality and privacy of patients. Nurse leaders need to formulate effective strategies for dealing with the ethical dilemmas in the use of telemedicine technology, such as adopting strategies to boost the security and privacy of patients and enhancing communication to boost the patient-provider relationships.
References
Keenan, A. J., Tsourtos, G., & Tieman, J. (2021). The Value of Applying Ethical Principles in Telehealth Practices: Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(3), e25698. https://doi.org/10.2196/25698
Kichloo, A., Albosta, M., Dettloff, K., Wani, F., El-Amir, Z., Singh, J., Aljadah, M., Chakinala, R. C., Kanugula, A. K., Solanki, S., & Chugh, S. (2020). Telemedicine, the current COVID-19 pandemic, and the future: a narrative review and perspectives moving forward in the USA. Family Medicine and Community Health, 8(3), e000530. https://doi.org/10.1136/fmch-2020-000530
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2021). Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Moghbeli, F., Langarizadeh, M., & Ali, A. (2017). Application of Ethics for Providing Telemedicine Services and Information Technology. Medical Archives, 71(5), 351. https://doi.org/10.5455/medarh.2017.71.351-355
Nittari, G., Khuman, R., Baldoni, S., Pallotta, G., Battineni, G., Sirignano, A., Amenta, F., & Ricci, G. (2020). Telemedicine Practice: Review of the Current Ethical and Legal Challenges. Telemedicine and E-Health, 26(12), 1427–1437. https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2019.0158