Question

What do you think about social exchange theories in regard to the nurse within the health care organization? There is a transaction occurring and it is monetary, not to mention the monetary transaction between the patient and the hospital. Do you find those transactions ethical?

Answer 1

Answer. Social exchange theories tells when are considered in nursing profession, many aspects arise from nurse's point of view. It can relate with nurse and patient bond or the nurse and the organisation bond.

In the nurse and organisation bond, the social exchange theory works in a manner that the nurses are taught and practiced to be a social nurse for his/her patients. The nurse has to provide teatment in a proper and dignified manner to the patients. With this, the reputation of the health care organisation increases. To maintain the delivery of safe and high quality care by nurses to the patients, the organisation has to provide them, better and authenticated rewards like by giving good salary hikes, promotions, etc. Such social exchange is beneficial for both. Either side of the bond will be work hard and genuinely for the other side.

Such theories are ethical to some extent. When in any case, there is a misuse of such theories, like to harm someone or to mis diagnose someone, etc for the sake of money or power, are the facts that ruin the ethics of the theories. Only when the objectives are genuine behind the transaction, till then they are considered as ethical.