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Aubrey Paschetag

Professor Burleson

Philosophy 2306

2 May 2021

Deontological Ethics in Relation to Nursing

Deontological ethics is by far one of the superior ethical theories due to it being simple to

follow and based on basic rules and principles that most people agree to follow. This type of

normative ethics focuses on the principle that the morality of an action itself is right or wrong

under a series of rules, rather than the consequences of the action as in consequentialism. The

Department of Philosophy states, “Kant’s theory is an example of a deontological or duty-based

ethics: it judges morality by examining the nature of actions and the will of agents rather than the

goals achieved” (Kay). So, rather than focusing on the outcome deontological ethics states we

should focus on the action itself being morally right or wrong. They also state that Deontology

means to, “Always act in such a way that you can also will that the maxim of your actions should

become a universal law” (Kay). In other words, always act in such a way that you believe should

be universal for everyone to follow. If we did it, we are saying that the next person could and

should do the same.

Along with doing the right thing because it is right and avoiding the wrong thing because

it is wrong the Ethics Explainer: Deontology website states that, “Most importantly, Kant argues

that we may never treat a person merely as a means to an end (never just as a ‘resource’)” (The

Ethics Centre 18 FEB 2016 et al.). This is interesting because sadly enough, many people do this.

Many people (and everyone at some point in time) has used someone for what they could give us
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or do for us. Sometimes it is not intentional, but it does happen and in the eyes of deontology this

is wrong. There are times where we have all called our moms or dads and asked them to do

something knowing they would and it would make our lives easier, using them as a resource. Not

only should we not use people as solely a resource the article goes on to state, “Our reason for

doing the right thing (which Kant called maxim) is also important. We should do our duty for no

other reason than because it’s the right thing to do” (The Ethics Centre 18 FEB 2016 et al.). This

statement is also interesting because sometimes we forget we should be doing something just

because it is good rather than because it will make us look good. Nowadays there are so many

social media platforms where everyone is showing their entire life, or at least the parts they want

the world to see. There will always be some who post the good, the bad, and the ugly, but for the

most part people do not air their dirty laundry. When Kant says we should do things only

because they are the right thing to do, social media can be considered. How many times have you

seen someone post that they did a good deed today by helping an elderly lady load her groceries

in her car or paying the two dollars for the woman in front of her when her card declined at the

store. When they post those things everyone comments telling them what a great person they are

and maybe even, “the world needs more people like you”. While this is true it seems as though

the person made a public post for recognition and not solely doing the deed because it was the

right thing to do. In the eyes on deontology this is considered wrong. The article states, “Obeying

the rules for self-interest, because it will lead to better consequences or even because it makes us

happy is not, for deontologists, and ethical reason for action. We should be motivated by our

respect for the moral law itself” (The Ethics Centre 18 FEB 2016 et al.). So paying for the

woman in front of you solely to make you happy is considered wrong, as is posting on social

media for self-interest according to deontologists.

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The interest in deontology in relation to nursing is that of the basic principle to always

tell the truth no matter the cost because it is the right thing to do. That includes telling the entire

truth of a medical diagnosis or prognosis regardless of how it will make the patient feel or if it

will have a negative impact. This is an important belief in health care because it is assumed that

we as health care professionals will tell the truth regardless of the outcome. This is an important

virtue for us to exhibit because it leads to a trusting relationship between patients and health care

providers. Also, the hope is that by us being transparent and telling the whole truth the patient

will also feel propelled to do the same. It is imperative to the health and outcome of the patient

for them to be upfront and honest from the beginning as to not delay proper treatment due to

embarrassment.

From the article Deontology by Jennifer M. Barrow and Paras B. Khandhar, they discuss

the importance of relaying all information to patients, including the mistakes. They state, “A

clinical-based application of Kant’s ethical theory to client care involves disclosing medical

errors to clients” (Barrow and Khandhar). It is obvious why a provider would not want to admit

their wrongs, nobody wants to admit they made a mistake as this can accompany many

repercussions. They also state, “Many barriers surround disclosing errors to clients, including

fear of litigation, shame about the error, and lack of training on how to discuss errors with

clients” (Barrow and Khandhar). Depending on the severity of the mistake the provider could

potentially be taken to court and lose their license which means also losing their livelihood.

Some do not have the adequate training on how to speak to people in a way as to deescalate the

situation or even to be able to explain exactly what happened. Patients want to know why errors

occurred and, in some cases, providers may not be able to give them an exact answer as to why

the mistake transpired and this can cause irritation and lashing out by the patient and caregivers.
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Although it may be a difficult situation deontological ethics says that is it morally right to

disclose everything to the patient, withholding anything would be considered a lie and

consequently, wrong. The article says, “According to Gallagher, patients want their providers to

show respect for them by being honest about errors” (Barrow and Khandhar). This goes back to

the statement earlier in this essay where patients expect and should be given respect and upmost

honesty, these values convey trust between both parties which is essential is a patient and

provider relationship.

While these have all been inherently good things about deontology related to health care

and nursing there are some flaws. One example this article provides is, “Misselbrook offers the

example of relatives asking a provider if a recently deceased loved one suffered much at the end

of his life. Supposing the death experience was traumatic and not peaceful, should the provider

tell the truth?” (Barrow and Khandhar). According to deontology the provider should tell the

truth to the full extent which means no omissions. The provider should discuss the death and

what happened with truth, no matter how much the family knowing their loved one suffered

would hurt them. In this situation we can see that telling the truth would do more harm than

good, but deontology sees no gray areas.

The article Deontology gives one more example of why deontological theory is not

perfect. They state, “In a disaster situation, Kant’s principles lead us to believe that providers

have absolute moral duties to provide care to every patient. However, in an emergency situation,

providers must make decisions that place some needs ahead of others” (Barrow and Khandhar).

As seen here, someone with a small laceration to the finger would not equate to someone with a

gunshot wound to the chest, but deontology would state we should care for them equally not

placing ones needs higher than the others. If we in fact did as deontology would have it, the
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patient with the gunshot wound would not have as good of an outcome (and possibly die) if we

tended to the patient with the non-life-threatening injuries before him or even simultaneously.

Deontological ethics has many great concepts. We should strive to tell the truth every day

because it is morally right and avoid telling lies because they are wrong, and most people agree

with this. Although that statement is true, as seen in this essay there are situations in which

sometimes exceptions should be made. Telling a deceased patients family member that they

suffered and allowing a gunshot victim to wait while a superficial injury got tended to would not

have the best outcome in these circumstances.

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Works Cited

Barrow, Jennifer M., and Paras B. Khandhar. “Deontology .” Europe PCM, 31 Oct. 2017,
europepmc.org/article/nbk/nbk459296.

Kay, Charles D. “Notes on DEONTOLOGY.” Dr. Charles Kay " Deontology,

sites.wofford.edu/kaycd/deontology/.

The Ethics Centre 18 FEB 2016, et al. “Ethics Explainer: What Is Deontology?” THE ETHICS
CENTRE, 30 July 2020, ethics.org.au/ethics-explainer-deontology/.