Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology (May 2023)
Ethical Dilemmas in the Dermatology Outpatient Department in China
Abstract
Sisi Wang,1– 3 Jinghui Song1– 3 1Department of Dermatology, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450003, People’s Republic of China; 2Zhengzhou University People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450003, People’s Republic of China; 3Henan University People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450003, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Sisi Wang, Department of Dermatology, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, No. 7 of WeiWu Road, Jinshui District, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450003, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 0371 6589 7690, Fax +86 0371 65964376, Email [email protected]: Recently, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain a sensitive issue within generally healthy environments. Different countries have developed various principle-based approaches to tackle the ethical issues surrounding STDs. Due to lacking any relevant laws or code of conducts to deal with the ethical issue, it has become a notable ethical problem in China.Objective: Ethical principles involve a sensitive clinical problem, this paper intends to reflect upon and discuss how nurses as moral agents deal with ethical dilemmas within Chinese culture and provided some orientations for further study.Methods: This paper briefly presented the nurses’ ethical dilemma related to the issue of confidentiality and disclosure of STD patients’ information via a case scenario. Based on Chinese cultural tradition, we focused on how to solve this situation as a clinical nurse with ethical principles and philosophical theories. The process of discussion provided eight steps by the Corey et al model to solve the ethical dilemma.Conclusion: The ability to deal with ethical dilemmas is a necessary quality for nurses. On the one hand, nurses should respect patients’ autonomy and contribute positively to the relationship between confidentiality and the nurse-patient therapeutic relationship. On the other hand, nurses should combine with the current situation and make a targeted decision where necessary. Of course, professional code supported by related policies is necessary.Keywords: ethics, sexually transmitted diseases, Chinese culture, utilitarianism, deontology
