EthicalRN60

Yes , Absolutley it was rhetorical . Thank you canoehead for the link it shows exactlly what I have been saying here . This is a problem that is not going away. My fear is that as hospital emergency depts begin with reimbursment based on pt sayisfaction scores it can only get worse

Thank you for taking time to respond . I really appreciate all the feedback I have gotten. You are correct , sometimes the requested treatment is appropriate, however I would hope that this would be in line with what the provider was also offering in the plan of care . I think I am referring more to the abuse of narcotic pain medications in the ED as well as in the ordering of unnecessary radiological exams on demand "Just to keep them happy " Despite the education of increased risks of exposure, it amazes me how many parents are willing to increase their childs risk of developing a serious illness later in life . "I still want that CT " The issue of patients demanding narcotics is another whole issue in of itself that has become a systemic problem that I personally have found to be an Ethical issue . This is not to say that pain is not to be treated , as nurses we are trained to alleviate suffering but again , we also must "do no harm " Ethical RN60

Hello to all ! I'm new to the Forum so , Please excuse if I make some mistakes here , I will learn . I am I very experienced RN with 26 plus years in ICU , CCU , ED , Trauma and Management , currently working as a Charge Nurse in the ED . I choose to complete my career back at the bedside , in the ED , my first LOVE . I am tasked with a writing assignment for Ethics , and have chosen the topic as stated above . I find this extremely challenging with the implementation of all the " Patient Satisfaction " changes , including immediate bedding , 10 min door to doctor I have to ask myself are we actually doing the right thing for our patients . I have seen so very many changes our the years , and some not for the best , gone are the days when the ED doctor could tell the pt that the narcotic they are requesting for their migraine headache is contraindicated and could cause rebound headaches or that the knee pain they have is because they weigh 400 lbs. "don't make the patient unsatisfied our scores will be low" . I have interviewed several nurses and physicians I work with but would love feed back from other professionals on this ethical issue . As nurses and physicians we all took an oath to " do no harm " , Beneficence and Maleficence ! HELP Ethical RN60