36 hours ago · Favoritism, which is defined as favoring 1 person or group over others with equal claim, also exists in the medical field, with healthcare providers having favorite patients. Favoritism can be conscious or unconscious behavior. It can breed resentment and negative feelings among patients and colleagues, and it may even be a form of discrimination. >> Go To The Portal
To avoid inadvertently divulging health information inappropriately, nurses should be familiar with their organization's policies and procedures; some facilities must have written release of information forms or use passwords/other identifying information with family members.
“The top complaint across the country, for at least the last five years, has been related to discharge or eviction from the nursing home,” Overall-Laib says. “The reason varies, but often times it’s because facilities are claiming that they can’t meet the resident’s needs any longer, and so they’re trying to transfer them to another nursing home."
“The reason varies, but often times it’s because facilities are claiming that they can’t meet the resident’s needs any longer, and so they’re trying to transfer them to another nursing home."
Nursing homes are required to have an official grievance procedure and residents (or their advocates if a resident isn’t able to understand due to cognitive issue, like advanced dementia) should be made aware of the procedure. According to regulations, that response must be put in writing and should be provided in response to a complaint.
Boundary violations can result when there is confusion between the needs of the nurse and those of the patient. Such violations are characterized by excessive personal disclosure by the nurse, secrecy or even a reversal of roles.
Favoritism, which is defined as favoring 1 person or group over others with equal claim, also exists in the medical field, with healthcare providers having favorite patients. Favoritism can be conscious or unconscious behavior.
Examples of crossing professional boundaries may include:Sharing personal or intimate information.Flirting or indiscriminate touching.Keeping secrets with or for patients.Acting as if you are the only one who can care for or understand the patient, positioning yourself as the “super nurse”More items...•
The ethical principles that nurses must adhere to are the principles of justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, accountability, fidelity, autonomy, and veracity. Justice is fairness. Nurses must be fair when they distribute care, for example, among the patients in the group of patients that they are taking care of.
Examples of favoritism include:A person's preference toward one's own racial or economic group in the context of hiring, friendship, or romantic opportunities.A parent's selection of one child over another for whom the parent shows more affection, offers more gifts, or provides fewer punishments.More items...•
Favoritism as Illegal Discrimination If workplace favoritism is based on protected characteristics, then it is illegal discrimination. For example, if a manager promotes only men or gives the best assignments and shifts to employees who share his religious beliefs, that would be discrimination.
Boundary violations involve transgressions that are potentially harmful to or exploitative of the patient. They can be either sexual or nonsexual. They are usually repetitive, and the therapist usually discourages any exploration of them.
Violations of professional boundaries include getting involved in a patient's personal affairs, buying or selling personal items, and assuming dual relationships that include friendship, romance, or sexual involvement with a patient or a family member. (See Nurse gone astray for an example.)
Small multiple boundary crossings can lead to a boundary violation, which can have legal consequences or loss of your hard-earned license. Crossing boundaries can also affect you personally.
The 7 ethical principles the Nursing Code of Ethics is based upon include beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, accountability, autonomy, fidelity, and veracity. The following are brief descriptions of each of the ethical principles.
As much as nurses try to avoid it, ethical violations do occur. Breaches in nursing ethics, depending on the incident, can have significant ramifications for nurses. They may face discipline from their state board of nursing, or from their employer. They can also face litigation.
The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to promote health and safety, preserve wholeness of character and integrity, maintain competence, and continue personal and professional growth. A nurse must also demonstrate care for self as well as others.
Funded by the federal Administration on Aging, NORC provides training, technical assistance and support to ombudsman programs across the country in states and local areas that field complaints about nursing homes. Ombudsman programs also provide consumer support and education, from choosing a nursing home to ensuring a resident receives proper care.
Ombudsman programs also provide consumer support and education, from choosing a nursing home to ensuring a resident receives proper care. “The Older Americans Act requires that every state has an ombudsman program, and they act as advocates for residents in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and assisted living,” Overall-Laib notes. ...
Be the extra eyes and ears for your family members to ensure they receive safe, individualized care. You’re just getting comfortable with the idea that your loved one will be living in a nursing home. Maybe you’re used to being able to monitor care they received at home.
Colonization refers to germs being on or in the body, and we are all colonized by many bacteria; but the spread of germs can lead to infection that sickens a person. Infections from MDR-GNB are difficult to treat and, the researchers noted, associated with increased hospitalizations and deaths.
A meta-analysis of previous research published last month in the American Journal of Infection Control determined that 27 percent of nursing home residents are colonized with multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria, which are associated with an increasing proportion of infections among nursing home residents.
The multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria – so named because it appears negative, or pinkish or red when subjected to a Gram stain test used to classify the bacteria – is increasingly resistant to most available antibiotics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services contracts with the states to do the on-the-ground inspections. “They are required to do them every nine to 15 months, under federal law – so roughly once a year,” Grant says.
Program of Interest. 3. Program Specialty. A significant part of being a nurse is dealing with dilemmas and problem-solving on a daily basis. Nurses are constantly faced with issues that require critical thinking and decision making. One of the most problematic concerns involves ethical dilemmas. As much as nurses try to avoid it, ethical ...
Privacy screens help reduce the visibility of patient charts, and passwords are required to access integrated systems. Nurses must keep patient privacy as one of their top priorities. However, breaches can occur even with the best intentions. One common occurrence involves divulging health information to a family member.
Being open and honest about the prognosis using factual data is also essential, but at the same time, nurses should include the family to educate on pros and cons of treatment and work to inspire hope, encouragement, and positivity.
A common ethical dilemma nurses face is when the values and beliefs of the patient differ from the family. For example, a family may ask members of the healthcare team to downplay (or even avoid disclosing) the severity of a diagnosis to avoid burdening the patient.
To avoid inadvertently divulging health information inappropriately, nurses should be familiar with their organization's policies and procedures; some facilities must have written release of information forms or use passwords/other identifying information with family members.
Nurses should verbalize concerns to their supervisor so that assignments can be switched or replacements found. However, when possible, nurses should practice in care areas where they will be less likely to be faced with these dilemmas. Personal beliefs can also affect how nurses approach patient education.
An example would be when a nurse receives a phone call from a person who asks for an update on their spouse's test results. The nurse may have met the spouse and knows they are involved in the care of the patient when present in the hospital. The nurse may feel comfortable divulging health information.
Discrimination continues to affect the health of populations. Discriminatory practices that are either intentional or unintentional must be addressed by individual nurses and the profession as a whole. Given the impact of unintentional discrimination based upon attitudes and stereotyping, all nurses must examine their biases and prejudices for indications of discriminatory actions. Health disparities continue to exist and are influenced by health policies, individual discriminatory actions, marginalization, and perceived discrimination by the affected population. The nursing profession is responsible for promoting an environment of inclusiveness where all receive safe, quality care, and caregivers are intolerant of any discriminatory practice.
Previous ANA position statements supported the elimination of discrimination in all of its forms. The position statement on Discrimination and Racism in Health Care (ANA, 1998) called for equality and justice at individual and population levels. The consequences of ignoring discriminatory behaviors and acts include an ever-increasing gap in health disparities and negation of our professional values. ANA position statement on The Nurse’s Role in Ethics and Human Rights (ANA, 2016) provided additional documentation in support of eliminating discrimination based upon the ethical obligations of nurses as outlined in the Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. Numerous recommendations are outlined in the 2016 position statement with implications for individual nurses, the nursing profession, nursing education, nursing research, and health care organizations. This ANA position statement upholds previous position statements by denouncing discrimination of any kind.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) recognizes progress in most national efforts to eliminate discrimination associated with race, gender, and socioeconomic status through improving access to and attainment of health care, and quality of health care. However, concerted efforts must continue for discrimination to be eliminated in all of its forms. ANA recognizes impartiality begins at the level of the individual nurse and should occur within every health care organization. All nurses must recognize the potential impact of unconscious bias and practices contributing to discrimination, and actively seek opportunities to promote inclusion of all people in the provision of quality health care while eradicating disparities. ANA supports policy initiatives directed toward abolishing all forms of discrimination.
Discrimination in any form is harmful to society as a whole and in opposition to the values and ethical code of the nursing profession, which directs the nurse to “…respect the inherent dignity, worth, unique attributes, and human rights of all individuals” (ANA, 2015, p.17). Discrimination has several definitions in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, including this one: “the practice of unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of people.” The purpose of this position statement is to reiterate the significance of a nondiscriminatory stance and provide guidance in creating inclusive strategies for nursing care of all individuals of all ages and from all populations.
Favoritism in the workplace is when a person (usually a manager) demonstrates preferential treatment to one person over all of the other employees for reasons unrelated to performance. If Sue sells 50% more product than Jane, it’s not favoritism if Sue gets the promotion, praise, and special privileges.
Nothing good happens when a manager shows favoritism towards an employee. The non-favored employees begin to feel that their accomplishments are not recognized. They get discouraged at the lack of correlation between hard work and success. Gradually, people start to disengage from their work.
It may seem strange, but some managers have no idea that they favor one employee over another. In cases where the boss and the employee are good friends or have personalities that click, the boss may not see his or her favoritism as unreasonable. Sometimes, just bringing it to the manager’s attention can solve the problem.
But it isn’t always sunshine and roses for the favored employee either. While some favored employees obviously relish their privileged spot , others begin to feel uncomfortable. They know that they aren’t the best, yet they receive praise from the manager. Other employees stop liking the favored one, which makes it difficult to make friends ...
Suzanne Lucas is a freelance writer who spent 10 years in corporate human resources, where she hired, fired, managed the numbers, and double-checked with the lawyers.