Legal and Ethical Issues in Nursing

Introduction

• Host: Professor D
• Platform: YouTube Channel, Nexus Nursing Institute
• Course Offering: NCLEX prep, audio lessons on nursing topics

Key Principles in Nursing Ethics

Autonomy

• Right to make personal decisions, even against medical advice.
• Example: Jehovah’s Witness refusing blood transfusion despite being life-threatening.

Beneficence

• Doing good for the patient.
• Examples: Encouraging ambulation post-surgery to prevent hemorrhage, clots, and infection.

Fidelity

• Keeping promises to patients.
• Example: If you promise to return in 5 minutes, honor that promise.

Justice

• Treating all patients fairly and equally.

Veracity

• Telling the truth to patients.

Key Legal Terms in Nursing

Negligence

• Failing to perform duties as trained.
• Example: Not keeping a patient safe from harm.

Assault

• Threatening to touch or harm a patient.

Battery

• Following through on a threat to touch or harm.

Malpractice

• Performing duties/actions that should not be done by trained standards.
• Example: Miscalculating drug dosage leading to harm.

False Imprisonment

• Restricting a patient’s movement without proper justification.
• Example: Using restraints without an order.

Breach of Confidentiality

• Violating patient’s HIPAA-protected information.

Delegation and Task Management

Tasks for Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (UAP)

• Appropriate Tasks: Taking vital signs (stable patients), ambulating stable patients, performing ADLs (bathing, dressing), making beds.
• Inappropriate Tasks: Medication administration, suctioning, wound care.
• Notes: UAPs can assist with ADLs unless the patient is unstable or the task is their first time after an event like surgery.

Delegation Considerations

• Consider: Predictability of outcome, potential for harm, complexity of care.
• Do Not Consider: Speed or cost of the task, race of the patient.

Tasks for Practical Nurses (PN)

• Appropriate: Administering routine medications.
• Inappropriate: Creating or changing care plans, initial teaching on medication, assessing new injuries.

Admission Process

Essential Steps in Admission

• Orienting patient to staff, roles, and room.
• Planning for discharge starts at admission.
• Documenting patient's organ donation wishes.
• Developing rapport with the patient.

Non-Essential Steps

• Advanced directives are encouraged but not required.

Conclusion

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