Suffering, Quaternary Prevention, Ethics in Chronic Illness Situations

by | Mar 5, 2023 | Economics

 

 

This module introduces quaternary prevention and addresses the role of nurses in situations where individuals and families may be suffering. Principles of ethics are revisited as related to suffering
1. Discuss types of suffering.
2. Address the role of nursing in situations of suffering.
3. Introduce quaternary prevention as it relates to nursing practice.
4. Apply the Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements in situations of suffering.
5. Consider informed risk, autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence in difficult situations.

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Sample Solution

Suffering can take many forms and be experienced by individuals, families, or communities. Physical suffering involves pain from injury, illness, or disease; psychological suffering includes mental anguish arising from grief, depression, anxiety etc.; spiritual suffering is often associated with issues of faith/beliefs; social suffering encompasses the burden borne due to poverty or other forms of oppression(American Nurse Association 2020). ANA. (2020). Nursing scope and standards of practice. Silver Spring: Author.

Sample Solution

Suffering can take many forms and be experienced by individuals, families, or communities. Physical suffering involves pain from injury, illness, or disease; psychological suffering includes mental anguish arising from grief, depression, anxiety etc.; spiritual suffering is often associated with issues of faith/beliefs; social suffering encompasses the burden borne due to poverty or other forms of oppression(American Nurse Association 2020). ANA. (2020). Nursing scope and standards of practice. Silver Spring: Author.

The role of nursing in situations involving suffering is multifaceted but at its core is ensuring that all patients receive compassionate care while keeping them as safe and comfortable as possible – this may include providing psychosocial support such as managing symptoms through medication or helping patients cope with difficult emotions (American Nurse Association 2020). Additionally , nurses play a critical role in calling attention to any systemic problems limiting access healthcare services so appropriate measures can be taken towards rectifying such issues (Holtzclaw & Knebel 2018). Holtzclaw M., & Knebel E..(2018). Primary Care: The art and science of advanced practice nursing(4th ed.). Philadelphia: FA Davis Company.

Quaternary prevention consists of taking measures aimed at addressing upstream factors which contribute to poor health outcomes along minimizing harm from medical interventions themselves whenever possible – this aligns closely with Dr Gwande’ views on death and dying which emphasizes quality-of-life when facing chronic illnesses rather than extending life at all costs.(Holtzclaw & Knebel 2018) Holtzclaw M., & Knebel E..(2018). Primary Care: The art and science of advanced practice nursing(4th ed.). Philadelphia: FA Davis Company.

When dealing with situations involving chronic illness it is essential for nurse to use the principles outlined in the Code Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements including informed risk taking—which involves weighing potential benefits against risks when making decisions regarding actions/treatment plans—along autonomy respect for an individual´s decision making capacity beneficence concerns doing good or avoiding causing harm maleficence focuses protecting against intentional acts intended cause harm Keefe FJ., Williams DA.. Cavanaugh JT.,Sommerville RK.(2020). Pain management principles(7th ed.). Burlington : Jones&Bartlett Learning .

In sum, quaternary prevention places a strong emphasis on addressing upstream causes instead downstream effects when considering patient care – something which resonates strongly with Dr Gwande’ philosophies emphasizing quality-of-life over simply prolonging life at all costs. It also highlights how important informed risk taking along ethical considerations are when dealing difficult situations involving suffering —something that must not overlooked if we hope provide optimal care each patient situation encountered.

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