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Running head: DIFFICULT PATIENT

Caring for a Difficult Patient


Lindsey Helms
Western Washington University

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Caring for a Difficult Patient

While reading the American Nurses Association (ANA) Position Statement (2010) I
found myself wondering what kind of patient would be most difficult for me to take care of from
an ethical perspective. I currently work with a challenging group of patients, often caring for
those who abuse heroin and other drugs, and patients with severe mental illness. While this work
is at time difficult, I do enjoy providing care to these patients. While reading the section on
health and human rights that describes health care as an individual right, including the right
to chose or decline care, the right to accept or refuse treatment or nourishmentand the right to
die with dignity, I realized that I would find it challenging to take care of a patient that was
choosing to forgo lifesaving treatment, such as a blood transfusion, for religious reasons (ANA,
2010). I respect every single humans right to make health care choices based on their beliefs.
However, I am not a religious person and that makes it hard for me to understand the rationale
behind said decisions. I look at health care decision based on what I perceive to be logical,
scientific information, but what I have to recognize is that not all people accept science to be
facts the way that I do.
Although providing care to a patient whose decision I do not agree would present
obstacles, I would treat them with the dignity and respect that nurses are bound to provide. As
the ANA Position Statement states, Human rights have historically been interpreted as
involving relationships of objectivity, independence, autonomy, and non interference (ANA,
2010). As a nurse, my desire is to always connect with patients on a certain personal level, but
such a difference in opinion could be a barrier to that connection. The ANA goes on to point out,
Caring, on the other hand, originates in relationships of shared human experience,
interdependence, subjectivity, and contextual influences (ANA, 2010). The latter statement

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appeals more to the kind of nurse I am. However, I understand the importance of finding a
balance between connecting with patients and giving them autonomy and independence. Despite
my feelings on their decision, I would find a way to connect with the patient and ask questions
about how I could best provide care to meet their needs.
A similar situation would be working with the group of women that Mary Abrums (2010)
wrote about in Jesus will fix it after awhile: meanings and health. The paper discusses how the
women use prayer as their first treatment for illness. They believe that by praying, Jesus will
make them well if it is his will to do so (Abrums, 2010). This is contrary to what I believe, but I
do recognize the importance of not only accepting peoples religious views, but also
incorporating those into their plan of care. Although it is sometimes hard to see people making
decision that you feel are detrimental, the greatest gifts we as nurses can give to our patients are
support, respect, and dignity.
Ethics and human rights play a huge role in nursing care. Patients, despite their
background, religious preferences, or situation in life, all deserve the same level of care. As
nurses we have an ethical duty to provide unbiased to care to all of our patients. Whether or not
that means that we have to put our own emotional baggage and our own agendas aside, it is an
obligation to the profession. In nursing, there is no room for judgment, discrimination, or
inequity. My hope is that as a member of this profession, I can strive to promote social justice for
all of my patients.

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References

Abrums, M. (2000). Jesus will fix it after awhile: meanings and health. Social Science and
Medicine, 50, 89-105.
American Nurses Association, Center for Ethics and Human Rights Advisory Board. (2010). The
nurses role in ethics and human rights: Protecting and promoting individual worth,
dignity, and human rights in practice setting. Retrieved from
http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenu Categories/EthicsStandards/Ethics-PositionStatements/-Nursess-Role-in-Ethics-and-Human-Rights.pdf (Links to an external site.)

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