Reaction Paper: Ethics in nursing
1. How I would respond to Mr Newcomb's request.
What Newcomb was requesting was to lie to his wife to allow him to have time with his
mistress. According to Butts & Rich (2019), lying is unethical in nursing practice because a
health practitioner is not allowed to lie either to the patient or the family. As a nurse, I would not
lie to the wife to protect the mistress that would leave the wife feeling cheated. However, I
would not stop Newcomb from meeting the mistress.
2. How I applied the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice to
the scenario.
The principle of beneficence states that the action taken should be for the benefit of
others and in this case, it was to protect Newcomb's marriage. Butts & Rich (2019) argues that
the principle of non-maleficence concerns avoiding harm to the patient and in this scenario, I
would explain to Newcomb without hurting his feelings instead of just saying no. The principle
of autonomy concerns the power and authority that a nurse has in making independent decisions.
In this case, I decided not to lie to the wife, and with that, I was entitled to make such a decision.
Besides, I applied the principle of justice in the sense that I allowed him to be visited by anyone,
including the mistress.
3. How personal beliefs and values influenced my response to the scenario.
What I believe is that it is wrong to cheat in marriage. Newcomb did wrong by cheating
on his wife for all that while and could not have the courage to tell her even in his death bed.
The fact that my values and beliefs do not entertain cheating in marriage contributed a lot to me
saying no to his request.
REACTION PAPER 3
4. Three strategies of promoting self-care
According to Scott (2017), self-care are regular activities that a care provider does to
promote good health. First is choosing the best and most appropriate hobbies. The right
hobby gives one happiness and joy and relieves stress. The second strategy is eating healthy
food. Eating healthy nourishes the body by supplying the body with nutrients that ensure
effective growth and development. Third, doing regular exercises that keeps the muscle
active and relaxes the body. It promotes fitness and ensures good health.
REACTION PAPER 4
References
Scott, P. A., (2017). Key Concepts and Issues in Nursing Ethics. Basingstoke, England:
Springer.
Butts, J. B., & Rich, K. L. (2019). Nursing ethics. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
