Influenza Ethical Issues

AN ETHICAL DILEMA: PRINCIPLES VERSUS CAREER CHOICE Throughout our lives we have to make decisions on what to do. Do we go with the flow, or do we stand alone based on what we say are our principles or ethics. What are those principles and how are they formulated? Is it how we were brought up, a personal belief, laws, religious beliefs, rules or principles, a duty of our career, or just to make a stand for an action we believe in? For one individual it was several, but was it justifiable given the career choice she made? “Seasonal influenza remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the industrial world” (Cortes-Penfield, 2014, p. 2060). This illness can cause grave conditions for some groups such as the elderly, children less than 6 months, patients who are immunosuppressed, or have chronic health conditions. Serious complications can arise from influenza to include pneumonia, meningitis or encephalitis (Hooper, Breathnach, & Iqbal, 2014, p. 95). Fortunately, there is a vaccination for influenza yearly with “60-75% effectiveness in reducing cases in those exposed to strains of viruses included in the vaccine” (Hooper et al., 2014, p. 96). The goal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is 90% of health care providers (HCP) to receive the …show more content…
150). Within this guideline, it states that nurses have to resolve conflicts that rise between their own personal and professional values in “ways that ensure patient safety, guard the patient’s best interests and preserve the professional integrity of the nurse.” (ANA, 2010, p. 150) Therefore, taking the influenza vaccination or wearing the mask is part of the duty owed to the patient. We do not want to spread the influenza from patient to patient; we need to act with nonmaleficence in mind; to protect the patient from