Nurses report
Duty to Report
Practice Standards set out requirements related to specific aspects of nurses’ practice. They link with other standards, policies and bylaws of the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia and all legislation relevant to nursing practice.
Nurses1 have legal and ethical duties to report incompetent or impaired practice or unethical conduct2 of regulated health professionals. It is important for nurses to understand when to report, what to report and how to report, and to know what is required of them both legally and ethically.
In B.C., the Health Professions Act establishes a legal duty for nurses to report situations in which there is a good reason to believe that a health professional’s3 practice is impaired or incompetent and may pose a significant risk to the public. The Act also requires nurses to report any sexual misconduct of a health professional.
The ethical duty to report arises from nurses’ primary responsibility, which is to provide competent and ethical care to clients. This includes understanding how to respond in a situation in which another health professional is not providing competent or ethical care.
The obligation to take action is shared by nurses, employers, regulatory bodies and others.
PRINCIPLES
The following principles set out the legal and ethical requirements for practice.
Legal Duty
1. Nurses must report in writing to the appropriate regulatory body when they have good reason to believe that the public might be in danger because a health professional continues to practise when he or she is:
suffering from a mental or physical ailment, an emotional disturbance or an addiction to drugs or alcohol that impairs his or her ability to practise; or
not competent to practise.
2. Nurses must report in writing to the appropriate regulatory body if they have good reason to believe that a health professional has engaged in sexual misconduct. However, if concerns about sexual misconduct are based on
Practice Standards set out requirements related to specific aspects of nurses’ practice. They link with other standards, policies and bylaws of the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia and all legislation relevant to nursing practice.
Nurses1 have legal and ethical duties to report incompetent or impaired practice or unethical conduct2 of regulated health professionals. It is important for nurses to understand when to report, what to report and how to report, and to know what is required of them both legally and ethically.
In B.C., the Health Professions Act establishes a legal duty for nurses to report situations in which there is a good reason to believe that a health professional’s3 practice is impaired or incompetent and may pose a significant risk to the public. The Act also requires nurses to report any sexual misconduct of a health professional.
The ethical duty to report arises from nurses’ primary responsibility, which is to provide competent and ethical care to clients. This includes understanding how to respond in a situation in which another health professional is not providing competent or ethical care.
The obligation to take action is shared by nurses, employers, regulatory bodies and others.
PRINCIPLES
The following principles set out the legal and ethical requirements for practice.
Legal Duty
1. Nurses must report in writing to the appropriate regulatory body when they have good reason to believe that the public might be in danger because a health professional continues to practise when he or she is:
suffering from a mental or physical ailment, an emotional disturbance or an addiction to drugs or alcohol that impairs his or her ability to practise; or
not competent to practise.
2. Nurses must report in writing to the appropriate regulatory body if they have good reason to believe that a health professional has engaged in sexual misconduct. However, if concerns about sexual misconduct are based on