Question

The Colleges of Nurses of Ontario developed a decision tree in the event that a nurse needs to withdraw his/her nursing services. What questions must nurses ask themselves when making the decision to withdraw? Check all that apply.

a) Can you access the client's family to help manage the situation?
b) Is the imminent risk to self or other clients greater than the risk to the client if you withdraw care?
c) Does the client or client's family exhibits behaviour that intends to harm nurse or another client?
d) Is there a serious threat of imminent danger?
e) Is there a nurse-client therapeutic relationship being developed?

Answer 1

Nurses must critically evaluate the risk of harm to themselves or other clients against the risk to the client if care is withdrawn. They must consider imminent danger and potentially harmful behavior by clients or their families. This ensures the ethical dilemma of care and safety is handled thoughtfully.

Step-by-step explanation:

When nurses on the College of Nurses of Ontario platform are considering withdrawing their nursing services, they must ask themselves several important questions to ensure that the well-being of the client is not compromised. These questions include:

• Is the imminent risk to self or other clients greater than the risk to the client if you withdraw care?
• Does the client or client's family exhibit behaviour that intends to harm the nurse or another client?
• Is there a serious threat of imminent danger?

These questions are designed to evaluate the situation critically and ensure that the decision to withdraw care does not negatively affect the client more than the potential risk of staying. Situations may arise where the ethical dilemma of providing care conflicts with personal safety or the safety of others. Therefore, the decision process is meant to be both considerate and systematic to navigate such complex scenarios.