Professional values in nursing

Specific learning objectives

At the end of the lecture, students should be able to :

• Write the Respect for the person-Human dignity

• Explain about Privacy and confidentiality

• Describe about Incidental disclosure

• Explain about Truth-telling in health profession

• Write about the Trust and credibility, Advocacy and Work

environment
Respect for the person-Human dignity

• Human dignity is the recognition that human beings

possess a special value intrinsic to their humanity and
as such are worthy of respect simply because they are
human beings.
• The concept of human dignity is the belief that all
people hold a special value that’s tied solely to their
humanity. It has nothing to do with their class, race,
gender, religion, abilities, or any other factor other than
them being human.
• Dignity is a given while Respect is earned.
Importance of dignity
• Everyone should live happy together and no one should
be hurt.
• Dignity means to be kind loyal, humble and courageous .

Treating people with dignity and respect is important in all

aspects of life, but is essential when working in a care or
nursing role. To treat someone with respect and dignity
involves treating them as a valued individual and helps to
establish an effective relationship between healthcare
professionals and patients.
Ways to promote dignity in care
• Let people choose their own clothing.
• Involve them in decisions relating to their care.
• Address the person appropriately.
• Make food look appealing and tasty.
• Respect personal space and possessions.
• Hygiene and personal care.
• Promote social activities.
• Engage in conversation
Privacy and confidentiality
• Privacy and confidentiality are two separate concepts that
protect different types of information. 'Privacy' is used in
relation to information that is protected under law (normally
under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)), whereas 'confidentiality'
refers to different information contained in valid contracts
and agreements.
• Confidentiality means the state of keeping secret or not
disclosing information. It comes from confide, meaning to
trust someone or tell secrets to them. Confidential
information, therefore, is information that should be kept
private or secret. Confidentiality is simply the act of keeping
that information private.
Importance
• Creating a trusting environment by respecting patient
privacy encourages the patient to seek care and to be as
honest as possible during the course of a health care
visit.
• It may also increase the patient's willingness to seek care.
Difference between Privacy and
Confidentiality
Sr. No. privacy confidentiality
Privacy is a situation when a person is free Confidentiality is a situation when information is kept
from public interference. secret from the reach of any other person.

Privacy talks about a person Confidentiality is about information.

Privacy restricts the public from accessing Confidentiality protects the information from the range
the personal details about a person of unauthorized persons.

In privacy, everyone is disallowed from confidentiality some specified and trustworthy people
interfering in the personal matters of a are allowed to have access to the information.
person.
Difference between Privacy and
Confidentiality
Sr. No. privacy confidentiality

Privacy is at the voluntary ; it is the choice Confidentiality, it is compulsory

of a person

Privacy is a right Confidentiality is an agreement

 Incidental disclosure

• An incidental use or disclosure is a secondary use or

disclosure that cannot reasonably be prevented, is limited
in nature, and that occurs as a result of another use or
disclosure that is permitted by the Rule.
• Incidental disclosure is secondary use that cannot be
reasonably prevented, is limited in nature, and occurs as
a result of another use or disclosure that is permitted.
• Definition- According to the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS), is a, "disclosure that cannot
reasonably be prevented, is limited in nature, and that
occurs as a result of another use or disclosure that is
permitted by the Rule."
• Example 1: In the waiting room of a doctor's office, other
patients and even a front-desk employee overhear a
conversation between a healthcare provider and their
patient. Being around the corner and down the hall from
the waiting room, both the patient and provider believe
they are safe from any eavesdropping. Unfortunately,
many people, including the front-desk employee, hear
their discussion.
 How to Prevent Incidental Disclosures
• Cover Protected Health Information (PHI) in patient care
areas. Do not leave this information 'laying around' when
you are not in close proximity.
• If you use paper files that include PHI, it is best to keep
those locked away to avoid them being lost or stolen. You
may also consider a sign-in/out system for these
documents as well
• Do not discuss PHI or anything else about your patients in
public spaces like waiting rooms. If you must, do so in a
lower tone, perhaps even covering your mouth to avoid
those trying to read lips
• Lock computer screens whenever you leave your
workspace
• Avoid the use of patient sign-in sheets. If you want to use
one, consider a white-out sign-in sheet instead

Honesty and integrity

• Definition- Integrity as encompassing honesty, keeping

one's word, and consistently adhering to principles of
professionalism, even when it is not easy to do so.
Importance
• To determine a course of action and governance of care
for a patient, the patient requires nothing less than
truthful information.
• The provision of truthful information to patients is one
way to enable them to make correct decisions which
benefit their overall health.
• Integrity can ensure that they execute all of their
professional duties and uphold their responsibilities to
their patients and their employer.
Characteristics of integrity
• Honesty- This means telling the truth, being open, not
taking advantage of others.
• Respect.
• Generating trust.
• Pride.
• Responsibility.
• Keeping promises.
• Helping others.
Demonstrate integrity in nursing practice

• Be honest.
• Be dependable.
• Treat other people with respect.
• Hold yourself accountable.
• Follow company policies and rules.
• Be a positive example for others to follow.
• Respect property and equipment.
• Lend a helping hand.
• Address conflict and stress at work with respect.
Consequences of Lack of Integrity in Nursing
Practice

• Poor nurse-patient relationships:

• Increased stress at work:
• Unfavorable patient outcomes:
• Loss of job security:
Truth-telling
• Truth-telling or honesty is seen as a basic moral
principle, rule, or value. Withholding information or
otherwise deceiving the patient would seem to at least
disrespect patient autonomy and potentially harm the
patient.
Importance
• As individuals, being truthful means that we can grow
and mature, learning from our mistakes.
• For society, truthfulness makes social bonds, and lying
and hypocrisy break them.
Characteristics of Truthful people
• Understand themselves, and know their own strengths and
weaknesses. They will not delude themselves about their
successes or failures;
• Present themselves in a way that shows who they really
are. Their reputation will be founded on what they are and,
whether in public or private, they will be the same;
• Meet any commitments or promises that they make;
• Be accurate in their descriptions of themselves or others,
so that they do not mislead others.
Consequences of telling truth
• Telling the truth or uncovering lies can lead to a loss of
friends, status, access to decision making or credibility.
• Telling the truth is sometimes dangerous
 Trust and credibility
• Health can be a very personal matter. Healthcare providers
make life-and-death decisions for their patients. And
patients make themselves vulnerable with every
interaction. That’s why building a foundation of
competence, credibility, and trustworthiness is essential for
every business in the healthcare industry.
• Trust means that you rely on someone else to do the right
thing. You believe in the person's integrity and strength, to
the extent that you're able to put yourself on the line, at
some risk to yourself.
• Credibility. Credibility involves consideration of information
source, currency, relevancy and editorial review process.
Source: The source of health information is one of the most
important criteria to determine its quality and credibility.
Importance of trust
• Patients are more likely to open up and disclose
information if they trust their pharmacist or healthcare
professional
• A better quality of interaction may result in greater patient
autonomy and shared decision-making.
• Trust impacts key health behaviors and outcomes, such as
vaccine acceptance, treatment adherence, and patient
satisfaction.
• Trust is essential to an effective team,
• It provides a sense of safety.
 Fidelity
• Fidelity is loyalty .
• Fidelity is defined as the consistent delivery of
interventions which ensures that all participants are
provided the same information, guidance, and/or materials.
• The ethical principle of fidelity means to be faithful or
loyal, which means that you keep promises to patients.
Principals
• Addresses a person's responsibility to be loyal and truthful
in their relationships with others.
• Promise keeping,
• Fulfilling commitments,
• Trustworthiness
Importance
• Fidelity in nursing helps foster a trusting relationship
between patients, families, nurses, and healthcare team
members.
• When nurses practice fidelity, patients experience more
favorable outcomes.
• Fidelity in nursing practice results in increased patient
satisfaction.
• Fidelity in nursing promotes patient autonomy, which is
beneficial to the patient and the healthcare team.
• Good habits are easily duplicated.
 Loyalty
• Loyalty means being consistent in your treatment,
behavior, and regard for another. Loyalty also involves
consistently treating the other person with kindness,
fairness, and generosity of spirit.
• Loyalty is the combination of good clinical quality and a
good patient experience. Organizations that can deliver
good outcomes plus high patient satisfaction will be well-
equipped to build deep patient loyalty.
Benefits of being loyal
• Loyalty helps build trust
• Loyalty helps form better relationships
• Loyalty creates security
• Loyalty makes you commit better
• Loyalty returns good karma
• Loyalty establishes good character
• Loyalty can bring rewards to your life.
 Advocacy
• Patient advocacy is an element of health care that
concerns sharing, expressing and highlighting the rights or
desires of a patient. Advocacy can also apply to a group of
patients or the caregivers of a patient.
Importance
• It helps give patients a voice in their own medical
treatment and keeps them informed about the treatment
and procedures provided.
• It help you understand your rights, express your views and
wishes, and help make sure your voice is heard.
 ways to advocate for patients
• Educate the patient
• Update the entire team
• Be present
• Ensure safety
• Double-check documentation
• Give proper care
• Offer resources
• Listen to your patient
• Teach patients how to self-advocate
• Connect with families
Work environment - Environment broadly includes
everything external to ourselves, including the physical,
natural, social and behavioral environments. Health is a
state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing,
and is not merely the absence of disease or illness.
• Environmental health advocates are public health officials
who work to identify potential threats to public health,
increase awareness about the situation and give people
the facts they need to protect their health.
• Environmental advocates have been telling the public to
recycle, reduce, and reuse for decades.
Characteristics of a healthy workplace
• Engaged, Satisfied Employees.
• Mutual Respect for Individuals and the Organization.
• Strategic Short- and Long-Term Plans.
• Achievement of Common Goals.
• Optimized Resources.

Environmental health issues

• A number of specific environmental issues can impede human
health and wellness. These issues include chemical pollution,
air pollution, climate change, disease-causing microbes, lack of
access to health care, poor infrastructure, and poor water
quality.
Nursing education and practice, and for advancing
the profession
• Advocacy to improve public health through the lens of
social determinants is critical for nurses at the individual
and collective levels. Policy advocacy and committed
resources are essential to address social factors that shape
population health.
Importance
• Preserving human dignity,
• Promoting patient equality,
• Providing freedom from suffering.
• Many nursing organizations hold annual nursing
conferences. These conferences bring nurses together
from across the country, and oftentimes worldwide, to
share education and best practices. They also offer the
opportunity to network with nursing colleagues from
around the globe.
• Nursing organizations empower nurses to stay up to
date on current practices, read what leaders in the field
are saying, and get a glimpse at what other hospitals
around the country are doing to innovate and advance
patient care.
• Advocacy for nursing stems from a philosophy of nursing
in which nursing practice is the support of an individual
to promote his or her own well-being, as understood by
that individual.
• Healthcare advocates give patients and their families
direct, customized assistance in navigating the
healthcare system. A healthcare advocate's role entails:
Helping patients access health care. Educating patients
so they can make well-informed healthcare decisions.
 Conclusion

• Today we have seen about the Respect for the person-

Human dignity, Privacy and confidentiality, Incidental
disclosure , Truth-telling in health profession and Trust and

credibility, Advocacy and Work environment.

 Expected Questions (Very short,,)
Short

Write the Respect for the person-Human dignity

• Explain about Privacy and confidentiality

• Describe about Incidental disclosure

• Explain about Truth-telling in health profession

Essay

• Write about the Trust and credibility, Advocacy and Work environment
 REFERANCES
• Healthcare Professionalism, Improving Practice Through
Reflections on Workplace Dilemmas, Lynn V.
Monrouxe, Charlotte E. Rees · 2017
• Professionalism is for Everyone, Five Keys to Being a True
Professional, James R. Ball · 2008
• Professionalism, New Rules for Workplace Career Success,
Patricia Dorch · 2012
• True Professionalism, The Courage To Care About Your Clients
& Career, David H. Maister, Robert Galford, Charles Green ·
2012
• www.Google