Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing
ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES OF NURSING
Many confusing factors make it a task to establish, monitor and sustain ethical and legal issues in nursing. Everyone has various personal views based on experiences of life, religion, education and political affiliations, all nurses should be aware about nursing laws and ethics and understand how nursing legal issues can affect them. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics is very influential to nurses because it is used as a framework for making ethical decisions with all aspects of health care. The foundation in any successful professional practice, are based on ethics, values, morals and principles from which the ANA Code of Ethics are formatted. Moral leadership in nursing is about professionalism, responsibility, accountability, and competency. Nurses have an obligation to preserve their patient’s values, beliefs and dignity, to assure optimal health care, personal well- being, and promote quality of life. In all aspect of nursing, nurses are role models, healthcare providers, patient advocates and are required to meet the needs of their patients. Which can be done by communicating openly and honestly, being fair and trustworthy, being proactive, and by putting patients first. Nurses are face with ethical dilemmas on a daily basic therefore, must examine their own personal and professional values and morals in order to maintain a caring and compassionate relationship with their patients. When complex ethical issues involving health care arise, the Ethics Committee may be needed for additional resources to aid the patient and family. The Ethics Committee is made up of multidisciplinary groups drawn from the institution and the local community.
It is important for nurses to know how to deal with ethical decisions so that patient rights and values are honored without compromising their own moral values. Nurses should respect patient’s cultural beliefs and values. For instance a patient
Many confusing factors make it a task to establish, monitor and sustain ethical and legal issues in nursing. Everyone has various personal views based on experiences of life, religion, education and political affiliations, all nurses should be aware about nursing laws and ethics and understand how nursing legal issues can affect them. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics is very influential to nurses because it is used as a framework for making ethical decisions with all aspects of health care. The foundation in any successful professional practice, are based on ethics, values, morals and principles from which the ANA Code of Ethics are formatted. Moral leadership in nursing is about professionalism, responsibility, accountability, and competency. Nurses have an obligation to preserve their patient’s values, beliefs and dignity, to assure optimal health care, personal well- being, and promote quality of life. In all aspect of nursing, nurses are role models, healthcare providers, patient advocates and are required to meet the needs of their patients. Which can be done by communicating openly and honestly, being fair and trustworthy, being proactive, and by putting patients first. Nurses are face with ethical dilemmas on a daily basic therefore, must examine their own personal and professional values and morals in order to maintain a caring and compassionate relationship with their patients. When complex ethical issues involving health care arise, the Ethics Committee may be needed for additional resources to aid the patient and family. The Ethics Committee is made up of multidisciplinary groups drawn from the institution and the local community.
It is important for nurses to know how to deal with ethical decisions so that patient rights and values are honored without compromising their own moral values. Nurses should respect patient’s cultural beliefs and values. For instance a patient
References: LLC and George F. Indest III. (2008). Florida Nursing Law Manual. Retrieved from Koernig Blais, K., & Hayes, J. S. (2011). Professional Nursing Practice: Concepts and Perspectives (6th Ed.). : Prentice Hall. Scope and standards of practice, American Nurses Association, 2004, Washington, DC: ANA