Definition of Moral – Behavioral sciences explore the cognitive processes within organisms and the behavioral interactions between organisms in the natural world. It involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behavior through the study of the past, controlled and naturalistic observation of the present and disciplined scientific experimentation and modeling.
It attempts to accomplish legitimate, objective conclusions through rigorous formulations and observation. Generally, behavior science deals primarily with human action and often seeks to generalize about human behavior as it relates to society.
Morals
The word derived from the Latin term “morālis”, moral means a message conveyed or a lesson learned from a story, a poem, or an event. It is not necessary that the author or the poet has clearly stated it. It can be left for the audiences or the learners to derive. However, at times, moral is clearly stated in the shape of a proverb.
Definition of Moral
Moral is concerned with or relating to human behavior, especially the distinction between good and bad or right and wrong behavior.
Moral and Ethical Behavior A Nurse
1. Non-malfeasance
- Nurses have to remain competent in their field to avoid causing suffering or injury to patients.
- This is the core of nursing ethics, and all health care professionals take this oath. Non- malfeasance also encompasses reporting any suspected abuse.
An example of non-malfeasance: If an incompetent, or chemically impaired, health care practitioner is taking care of patients, a nurse should report the abuse to protect the patient.
2. Beneficence
- This is the core principle of doing good and patient advocacy.
- To have compassion, take positive actions to help others and follow through on the desire to do good. Nurses concentrate on ensuring that their clients receive the best treatment to achieve optimal results.
An example of beneficence: If a nursing home patient falls and fractures his hip, a nurse should provide him pain medication as quickly as possible.
3. Autonomy
- Clients are given the right of self-determination, independence and the ability to self- direct.
- They are entitled to decide what will happen to them. Because of this, competent adults have the ability to either refuse or consent to treatment.
- All nurses are required to respect their clients’ wishes, even when they do not agree with them
An example of autonomy: If a patient has an advance directive or lacks the capacity to decide whether to continue cancer treatment, the individual who is the durable power of attorney can decide for her.
4. Justice
- All clients must be treated fairly and equally. Nurses face issues of justice every day as they organize care for their clients:
- They must decide how much time they have to spend with each client, taking patient needs into consideration, and then fairly distributing the resources accordingly.
An example of justice: If a hospital organization decides to donate no-cost eye exams and hearing tests to 10 elementary schoolchildren each month, a fair, unbiased method must be used to determine which children receive these services.
5. Fidelity
- This principle stands for many things, including dedication, loyalty, truthfulness, advocacy and fairness to patients.
- Nurses are encouraged to keep their commitments, based on their virtue of caring.
An example of fidelity: A patient requests that a nurse not reveal his terminal diagnosis to his family. The patient explains that his family would probably disregard his wishes and keep him alive no matter the circumstances. The nurse must recognize the obligation to keep this information in confidence and still support the patient’s family.
6. Paternalism
- Health care professionals’ beliefs about what is best for patients may affect the decisions they make about their patients’ diagnosis, prognosis or therapy.
- The nurse may choose to withhold information from the patient and family members.
An example of paternalism: A health care professional withholds a diagnosis of psoriasis of the liver because the patient voices her fear of receiving that very diagnosis, stating that she will commit suicide because she feels psoriasis is a death sentence.
7. Principles of totality and integrity
- These principles state that the entire person needs to be taken into consideration when deciding which therapies, medications or procedures a patient should undergo.
- For example, if a therapeutic procedure is likely to harm the patient or cause undesirable side effects, the patient’s benefit from the procedure must be proportionately justified.
