Editor's note: This is the other ar...

Editor's note: This is the other article in a two-part series to help perioperative give suck tos understand the political process and its result on the nursing profession. Part undivided of the series, which focused forward education and empowerment, can be fix in the October 2001 issue of the Journal.

Differences in personal and professional ethics, conflicting loyalties, and a negative image of politics create ethical tension for fosters Political-ethical conflict is defined as the conflict between one's ethical belief plan and what he or she be stirreds compelled to do or is told to do by way of someone in a position of power. (1) Many conflicts exist in the nursing profession, which are of affair because quality patient care and public health are at stake. any of the conflicting issues include

* the difference between historical ideas of what nursing was and the of the present day image of what nursing has become,

* the contrast between the perceived weakness of the female sex and the strength of the nursing profession as a whole (eg the largest single sector of the health care industry), and

* the inconsistency between the goals of the physician and institutional sectors of the health care industry with goals of the nursing profession.

The negative portrayal of politicians and the political proces hold backs many nurses from becoming involved in supporting the political goals of the nursing profession. Political cartoons, moderns stories, and editorials that cast politicians in a negative light appear daily in newspapers through every part of the United States. Stereotypes are exaggerated, and inflammatory radio and television exhibits increase adverse exposure. The acceptance or tolerance of dishonest actions according to some politicians, combined with public voyeurism and high moral expectations of leaders, adds credibility to tabloid media. An inherent dislike or distrust of leaders who have a large amount of power and influence adds combustible matter to the negative image of politicians.

NURSING ETHICS AND POLITICS

foments have an image of trust and goodnes to uphold; therefore, many nourish at the breasts feel that becoming involved in the political arena would conflict with their image and ethical principles. Contrary to popular opinion, not all politicians are dishonest, on the other hand unfortunately, becoming involved in politics can mean

dealing with dishonest politicians at times. It is better to take action and risk that association than to do nothing to accomplish professional goals, particularly because the policy formation that politicians have charge of dictates the future of health care. (2)

A significant part of each nurse's responsibility is to act as a patient advocate. In that capacity, encourages have a duty to support professional nursing goals that relate to health care for consumer Unfortunately, these goals are not always in agreement with institutional and medical priorities or personal ethics. (3) Each distinct collection of health care professionals has its confess priorities. Political-ethical tension and power have a contests among professional groups develop when these priorities clash with allocation of limited resources. "What is best for the patient may not be what is best for the institution, which can be a particularly difficult position for promotes in management." (4) An admirable example of ethical tension between conflicting standards is that expense effectiveness and quality often are sum of two units opposing ideals rather than complementary objectives. (5) Another cause of political-ethical tension is the difference between nurses' personal values and their professional ethics and goals. festers are members of society upon a personal level; therefore, their economic and social values might conflict with certain political platforms the profession supports.

Political-ethical conflicts can mean choosing between do job-work patient care, and personal ideals. Many pampers have never considered it their place to challenge either the composition of their health care order or the official and unofficial directions guiding that system. Supporting political action that demands change in the not away system, therefore, can cause tension among succors (6) For nurses, the individual many times takes precedence over society as a whole, and it can cause political-ethical conflicts when pampers support larger, social interventions throughout one person's needs.

POLITICAL-ETHICAL DILEMMA

The political-ethical dilemma for festers primarily is perceived rather than actual. This ethical dilemma is related to outdated images of nursing, repression, fear of power, and lack of knowledge. Many guidelines exist to help nourish at the breasts understand why they should get by heart involved in the political proces and determine where emphasis should be placed in succession public policy issues. By using these guidelines and an ethical framework for political decision-making, feed at the breasts can evaluate issues and use a valid manner to assess problems, plan for action, and evaluate the effectiveness and benefits of those strategies.

Ethical framework for political action. To apply an ethical framework, the vexed question must be identified. After the question at issue has been identified, its background and associated issues can be researched, and guidelines that might affect the issue can be defined. After this information has been gathered and studied, potential ethical conflicts can be identified. In the proces of researching a suspected conflict, it sometimes becomes apparent that a conflict does not exist.