Module 5: Nursing Values, Ethical and Legal Considerations in Nursing Practice
Module Overview
Module Title: Nursing Values, Ethical and Legal Considerations in Nursing Practice
Objectives: 12 key objectives, split into professional values, ethical principles, and documentation.
Understanding Values and Ethics
Values:
Strong beliefs shaped by personal experiences, culture, upbringing, and societal influences.
Personal values are crucial as they influence ethical decision-making in nursing, determining how nurses interact with patients and approach their care.
Ethics:
The philosophical study of what is right and wrong; it outlines expectations and standards for nurses' conduct and decision-making processes.
The blending of personal values with professional values is essential in nursing, as nurses must align their ethical reasoning within the context of their professional responsibilities.
Professional and Personal Values
Nurses are often faced with the challenge of navigating the complex interplay between personal and professional values.
Professional Nursing Values include:
Caring: Building trust and rapport with patients.
Autonomy: Respecting patients' rights to make their own healthcare decisions.
Kindness: Ensuring compassionate care delivery.
Loyalty: Upholding commitments to patients and the profession.
Importance of reflection on personal values:
Engaging in self-reflection helps nurses understand how their personal beliefs may impact client care and ethical dilemmas.
Reflection is crucial for value clarification, allowing nurses to articulate their values and how they intersect with their professional obligations.
Ethical Dilemmas
Definition: Ethical dilemmas arise as conflicts between two or more valued principles, where fulfilling one principle can hinder compliance with another.
Situations causing discomfort in clinical practice may indicate the presence of an ethical dilemma that requires careful consideration.
Ethical dilemmas commonly arise when there is a dichotomy between client values, such as personal beliefs or preferences, and nursing ethics, thus necessitating sensitive navigation.
Nursing Ethics Overview
Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses (CNA):
Contains seven principles (values) essential for ethical nursing practice:
Safe, compassionate, and ethical care
Promoting health and well-being
Respecting informed decision-making
Honoring dignity
Privacy and confidentiality
Promoting justice
Accountability in practice
CLPNA Code of Ethics:
Ensures five guiding statements for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs):
Promoting optimal health and well-being
Providing culturally safe care
Advocating for autonomy and dignity
Maintaining personal well-being
Contributing to a healthy practice environment
Ethical Principles in Nursing
2. Autonomy: Respecting clients' rights to make informed decisions about their care.
4. Beneficence: The ethical principle of actively promoting good for clients and enhancing their well-being.
6. Nonmaleficence: The obligation to do no harm and to prevent any potential harm during care.
8. Justice: The principle of fairness, ensuring equitable distribution of resources and treatments among clients.
10. Fidelity: Emphasizing the importance of honesty, integrity, and keeping promises in the nurse-client relationship.
Navigating Ethical Dilemmas
Seven Steps to Address Ethical Dilemmas:
Determine if it is an ethical issue or dilemma.
Gather relevant information and facts surrounding the issue.
Identify the affected parties and their perspective.
Reflect on personal values related to the issue and how they affect your role.
Verbalize the ethical problem clearly for all involved parties.
Consider possible courses of action and their potential outcomes.
Reflect on outcomes after the decision is implemented.
Evaluate the process and learn from the experience for future dilemmas.
Legal Considerations in Nursing
Nurses' Responsibilities: Critical role in protecting public health; maintaining safety standards in practice and patient care.
Standards of Care: Set benchmarks for nursing actions, comparing them to those of a reasonably competent nurse in similar circumstances; these standards guide legal accountability.
Types of Torts in Nursing:
2. Intentional Torts: Actions taken deliberately, leading to harm (e.g., assault, battery, false imprisonment).
4. Unintentional Torts: Linked to negligence cases, such as failure to provide appropriate care or making medication errors.
Consent and Accountability
Informed Consent: A legal requirement to obtain permission from clients before performing any invasive procedure; ensures patients are aware of risks and benefits.
Documentation Importance:
Acts as a legal document, critical for defending nursing actions in the event of complaints or legal challenges.
Documentation must be comprehensive, accurate, updated, and recorded immediately after care is provided to ensure validity.
Professional Liability Protection: Essential for nurses to carry malpractice insurance to safeguard against legal lawsuits and claims of malpractice.
Communication and Documentation
Types of Documentation:
Includes electronic health records, verbal reports, and consultations among healthcare providers.
Key Principles of Documentation:
Documentation must be factual, accurate, complete, current, and organized to ensure clarity and reliability in patient records.
Common Abbreviations to Avoid:
Using ambiguous abbreviations can lead to misinterpretation and errors in care:
OD (Every Day) should be avoided for safety.
DC (Discharged) must be clear and explicit in context to prevent misunderstandings.
Examples of Ethical Issues in Nursing Practice
Addressing challenges related to short staffing; nurses must ensure adequate and safe care for all patients, which can be complicated by limited resources.
Floating to different units requires a clear understanding of the scope of practice, competencies, and responsibilities expected in different clinical settings.
Providing care to clients with communicable diseases necessitates a balance between patient care and ensuring safety through strict adherence to infection control measures.
Reporting suspected abuse is both a legal and moral obligation for nurses, requiring sensitivity and adherence to reporting laws.
Understanding and respecting advanced directives is essential as they reflect patients' wishes regarding end-of-life care and treatment preferences.
Recognizing the nurse's role in complex scenarios such as medical assistance in dying and organ donation is vital to navigate ethical and legal landscapes sensitively and appropriately.