This would be difficult without informing the parents. The patient’s parents must be informed because the patient is at an age where she in not capable of making her own medical decisions. The committee may have been called in to advise the nurse and physician involved as to what steps they should take to inform the parents. Patient confidentiality is vital to maintain patient trust. When a nurse breaches this trust patient outcomes can be jeopardized.
Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing Diane Eckert, Christen Rosa, Gary Pagdilao, Melissa Mendoza Nurs 391 April 20, 2015 Willie Goodwin Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing The nurse plays an important role in the safety and well-being of the sick and vulnerable. In two different cases, one involving the care of the unresponsive patient without advanced directives and the second involves the nurse observing negligent behavior by another nurse. The nurse is responsible not only ethically but legally for the care of the patient. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics serves to protect the welfare of the sick, injured and helpless. Nurses are relied upon to advocate for our patients dignity, privacy, confidentiality, improper and incompetent care.
Ethical nursing; patient abandonment It is important to first understand the difference between law and ethics. Ethics examines the values and actions of people. In nursing, ethical issues arise daily. There are issues such as death, dying, birth, abortion, genetics, quality of life, and general human rights. Laws on the other hand are binding rules of conduct.
The conflict arises because the decision not to resuscitate could be seen as not promoting the well being of the patient and an omission on the nurse’s part, causing detrimental consequences (Rumbold, 1999). On the other hand, clause seven of the ‘Code of Professional Conduct’ states that a nurse should “recognise and respect the uniqueness and dignity of each patient and client and respond to their need of care” (UKCC, 1992). The nurse who does not comply with a patient’s wish to die with dignity and not to be resuscitated, could be seen as violating this clause (Rumbold, 1999). There are several viewpoints regarding the use of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (C.P.R.). One such viewpoint is that it
This paper will help to analyze exactly what the HIPAA Privacy Rule means and what the consequences are if it is breached. This paper will also analyze a particular case that involves a nurse that mistakenly breaches a patient’s privacy. Patients are
Becoming aware of these laws would be ideal, but not knowing the key points of each law where someone may encounter an emergency should be protected if they act reasonably. Keywords: liable, protect Good Samaritan Laws May Vary In her article “How good a Samaritan should you be?” Penny S. Brooke (2003) describes legal ramifications and duties a nurse has when encountering an emergency situation outside of work. Many people refuse involvement during an emergency due to a possible lawsuit. They may be unaware that most states have Good Samaritan laws. These laws are designed to protect an individual from being held liable when volunteering their healthcare skills in an emergency.
Chapter 2: Principles of Autonomy and Informed Consent The principle of autonomy states one shall not treat a patient without the informed consent of the patient or his or her lawful surrogate, except in narrowly defined emergencies. The patient’s free will is exercised even though they may not demonstrate the capacity of developing their own decisions. The health care professional, by irrefutable law, is required to respect patient’s rights while providing a clear understanding to the consequences of their decisions. Although some patients are legally incompetent they are still ethically competent to make decisions about their treatment. The informed consent presents the treatment information in an understandable manner in an effort to avoid any misunderstandings leading to a possible delay in care.
The routine practice of physician-assisted suicide raises serious ethical and other concerns (Snyder, 2004). According to ACP-ASIM, legalization of physician assisted suicide would undermine the patient–physician relationship and the trust necessary to sustain it. It would alter the medical profession's role in society and endanger the value our society places on life; especially on the lives of disabled, incompetent, and vulnerable individuals. The Hippocratic Oath is one of the oldest binding documents in history. Its principles are held sacred by doctors, “Treat the sick to the best of one's ability, preserve patient privacy, and teach the secrets of medicine to the next generation” (Hippocratic Oath, n.d.).
Although competing demands of patient, family, and physician have risen, the nurse’s first priority is always providing care that ensures patient safety and protects the best welfare of the patient. A nurse is subject to a malpractice lawsuit if incompetent care results in patient harm. When a nurse cares for patients, he or she takes on the duties and responsibilities to care for the patient in a skilled and thorough manner. Nurses are expected to provide the same quality of care
Ethics committees can be useful in this situation, because they can help explain the patient’s situation and provide possible answers to those hard questions. The nurse who neglected care towards the patients, in my opinion, should lose their job. Nurses who neglect care are putting their patients at danger. According to the Code of Nursing Ethics, “The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth” (ANA Code of Nursing Ethics). This nurse neglected the patient, therefore, neglected the responsibility in preserving the safety and integrity of the patient.