Truth Telling in the Nursing Profession Essay

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Nurse, Must I always tell the truth

Truth in nursing fraternity

"I think it's difficult for many physicians and nurses to be completely truthful about their patients' medical condition. I believe we prefer giving positive news because of the desire for nonmaleficence and to avoid the stress of delivering bad news to patients and their families" (Crystal Hird, 2005).

Despite the grave sadness that truth saying within the nursing practice may bring to the nurse or the patient and at times the family members, there is need to have the truth told at all times by the nurse and truth that is handled with absolute care and professional communication system must be followed.

This paper is purely based on the value of truth in nursing and the virtue of nurse telling the truth despite the situation. It will also look at how the truth needs to be told in the nursing practices especially if the truth is bound to hurt the recipient.

Discussion

Whether a nurse must always speak the truth, even if he has full knowledge that that truth may not be what the patient or the family would like to hear has been a matter of discussion for a long time. There is need to understand first therefore, the value of truth in nursing before making up decisions if it is paramount to speak the truth always and for what reason.

Major philosophers on morality and ethics like Aristotle state that "falsehood in itself is bad and reprehensible while the truth is a fine and praiseworthy thing" (Kate Hodkinson, 2008: Pp 249). This is in line with the virtue ethics that looks into the moral character of the individual, how the individual puts forth the virtues and how they lead their daily lives.

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In this case, the virtue ethics demand that we should always say the truth at all times within the nursing profession, and indeed it should be the lifestyle of the nurse. By speaking the truth, first, as noted above, it will portray the nurse as a virtuous person who is dependable in telling the reliable, fine and praiseworthy thing.

The truth from the nurse will also represent the professional side of the practice and not only bring forth that particular individual as open and adhering to the codes of the profession, but bring respect to the nursing as a profession. Contradictory and false information will always bring shame and display the profession in a bad light especially if and when the patient or the relatives come to discover the truth.

Tuckett, A.G. (2004) indicates that, telling the truth goes a long way to boost the trust that the patient walked into the hospital with into a relationship, while still under the care of the nurse. Telling the patient the truth in a caring manner will make the patient trust that the nurse knows what he….....

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"Truth Telling In The Nursing Profession" (2014, March 07) Retrieved July 4, 2025, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/truth-telling-nursing-profession-184531

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