Discussion: Individual Right Versus the Collective Good NURS 8100

Discussion: Individual Right Versus the

Collective Good

Most of the recent successes in improving the public’4 s health have had to address the
tension of individual rights versus the collective good. Anti-smoking campaigns and laws
banning smoking in public places protect people from the negative health effects of
second-hand smoke, yet some believe that they infringe on the individual rights of those
who choose to smoke. Requiring childhood immunizations has helped prevent diseases
such as polio and measles, but some parents assert that they have the right to decide if
being immunized is in the best interest of their children.
This tension also exists in the allocation of scarce resources, from providing adequate
staff coverage to making decisions about the amount of health care to provide. Given
the nurse’s involvement in policy and health care delivery, it is important to understand
the dynamics of this tension, as well as the legal and ethical implications.
To prepare:

 When have you encountered a tension between the individual right and the collective
good in your nursing practice?
 With information from the Learning Resources in mind, consider relatively recent
examples of health care policy that demonstrate this tension. For this Discussion, select
one example of timely health care policy that allows you to evaluate the tension
between individual rights and the collective good. Conduct additional research as
necessary using credible websites and the Walden Library.
By Day 3
Post a cohesive response that addresses the following:
 In the first line of your posting, identify a health care policy.
 Explain the tension between individual rights and the collective good.
 Analyze the ethical and legal considerations of the policy.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues posting adding to the discussion of the
tension and legal and ethical considerations (beneficence, malfeasance, autonomy, and
justice).
Note: Please see the Syllabus and Discussion Rubric for formal Discussion question
posting and response evaluation criteria.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting.
Note what you learned and/or any insights you gained as a result of the comments
made by your colleagues.
Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week's Learning
Resources and any additional sources.
Submission and Grading Information
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 6 Discussion Rubric
Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 6
To participate in this Discussion:
Week 6 Discussion

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Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the
Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings
Bodenheimer, T., & Grumbach, K. (2016). Understanding health policy: A clinical
approach (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Medical.
 Chapter 13, “Medical Ethics and Rationing of Health Care”
This chapter discusses the four principles of medical ethics—beneficence,
malfeasance, autonomy, and justice, and views current health care conditions
through these lenses. Distributive justice, allocation of limited health care
resources, rationing, and the ethics of health care financing are also examined.
Bae, S., & Brewer, C. (2010). Mandatory overtime regulations and nurse
overtime. Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice, 11(2), 99–107.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

The authors examine the effect of government regulations on health care issues by
studying nurse overtime. They discovered that states with mandatory overtime
regulations had higher total RN work hours.
Blum, J. D., & Talib, N. (2006). Balancing individual rights versus collective good in
public health enforcement. Medicine & Law, 25(2), 273–281.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

This article examines the balance of public good and individual liberty through the
examples of policies regarding communicable disease and childhood immunization. The

impact of the U.S. Supreme Court Case, Jacobson v. Massachusettson health care
policy is discussed.
Pauly, B. (2008). Harm reduction through a social justice lens. International Journal of
Drug Policy, 19(1), 4–10.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

The author discusses the ethical issue of marginalized groups, such as the homeless,
and their barriers to health care. The philosophy of harm reduction and various social
justice theories are examined as possible guides to a policy initiative.
Ruger, J. P. (2008). Ethics in American health 2: An ethical framework for health system
reform. American Journal of Public Health, 98(1), 1756–1763.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
Wieck, K. L., Oehler, T., Green, A., & Jordan, C. (2004). Safe nurse staffing: A win-win
collaboration model for influencing health policy. Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice,
5(3), 160–166.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
Optional Resources
Fowler, M. (2008). Guide to the code of ethics for nurses: Interpretation and application.
M. D. M. Fowler (Ed.). Silver Spring, MD: The American Nurses Association, Inc.
O'Connor, J. C., MacNeil, A., Chriqui, J. F., Tynan, M., Bates, H., & Eidson, S. K.
(2008). Preemption of local smoke-free air ordinances: The implications of judicial
opinions for meeting national health objectives. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics,
36(2), 403–412.
Rogers, E. M., & Peterson, J. C. (2008). Diffusion of clean indoor air ordinances in the
southwestern United States. Health Education & Behavior, 35(5), 683–697.
Trentham, M. (2009). Patient abandonment—What is it really? ASBN Update, 13(1).

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Discussion: Individual Right Versus the Collective Good NURS 8100