egal and Ethical Implications In Providing Accurate Documentation In The Delivery Of Client Care
Ethics as defined by Merriam- Webster is: *1
•involving questions of right and wrong behavior : relating to ethics
• following accepted rules of behavior : morally right and good
This simple definition provides key insight into the code conduct that should be maintained throughout one 's nursing career. One of the top concerns should always be to preserve integrity and place your ethics above a sometimes hectic work schedule, taking the time to make sure that things are done correctly instead of quickly.
Compromising your ethical stance in the face of pressure could cause your principles to be questioned, which could very well
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Being responsible for the maintenance of someone 's health and well being is never something that should be taken lightly.
Rounding on a client is something that is often overlooked as an important aspect of healthcare, but it remains one of the most legitimate ways to establish client safety and maintain accurate charting. It also allows you to bond, and therapeutically communicate with the client which also puts them at ease and promotes healing, and because the condition of certain clients can change rapidly it is important that the information that you are documenting is timely. Upon leaving the room every observation should be clearly charted, any changes in the clients status, complaints they might have, or if the care received achieves an undesirable outcome. these are all vital factors when it comes to meeting the criteria set forth to uphold the cornerstones of nursing.
Below are few of the purposes of maintaining an accurate health record as outlined in Rosdahl 's textbook of "Basic Nursing" (Chapter 37 'Documenting and Reporting)
•To maintain effective communication among all caregivers
•To provide written evidence of
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In conjunction falsifying documents could be seen as an attempt to cover up poor nursing which could include negligence and mistakes made on behalf of the nurse or the facility.
In an article by http://www.sacbee.com/news/investigations/article2573412.html falsification of medical documents has become one of the leading problems within California nursing homes. This problem has become so rampant that it has generally considered part of the culture. Nurses as well as department heads have been found going to great lengths to deceive the family 's of patients as well as state regulators to avoid being sanctioned by officials and avoid lawsuits filed by the family.
It is a prime example of the dangers of diverting from what you have been taught in school. While it seems relatively harmless and very well could be the accepted norm among your peers within the workforce, it is important to remember that sacred oath taken at the moment of graduation. This should always be kept in mind while practicing.
The Practical Nurse 's
Through centuries nurses were given the title “Caregivers”. Unlike some doctors, nurses actually care for their patients, not necessarily saying doctors do not; they both just have a different way of caring. Yes, doctors cure illnesses, but nurses are just as important because they help with the healing process. Most nurses can have the same exact education or knowledge as a medical physician but the only thing individuals see is a name tag with either the acronym CNA, LPN, R.N. and PH.D. Of course PH.D will get all the credit, seeing as how nurses do not exactly diagnose patients. A nurse could just become a doctor but there are different aspects of each title. Nurses take instructions from a higher administrator, which is sometimes a doctor. What needs to be known is doctors are not the only ones that stress and have rules to abide by. Nurses have ethical codes, daily ethical dilemmas, morals, and ridiculous distress, but some of these examples differ with country, state, and hospital. If nurses are capable, then they should be given the opportunity to make medical decisions or diagnosis in critical situations.
Acuity assessed at the start and end of a shift using an acuity tool enables a nurse to accurately prioritize patient care based on patient acuity score. Completing acuity scores identifies patient current needs and illness severity, allowing nurses to plan cares that meet the patient’s requirements during the shift.
On April 17th 2013, Senator Barbara Boxer (California) introduced a federal bill that is aimed to reduce nursing shortages by establishing a minimum nurse-to-patient ration in hospitals. She is also ordering whistleblowing protection for nurses who report quality-of-care violations. The law requires that every hospital implement a written hospital-wide staffing plan that will guide the assignments to...
...ort her actions, then Jack must do so as he is too responsible for making this situation known to the appropriate people. However, one must acknowledge how difficult this may be for Jack due to the long-standing relationship he has with Linda. It should also be apparent now that Linda’s actions are unjustifiable. She is not only acting unprofessionally and unethically by not delivering the medication but she is committing an illegal offence by falsifying records and stealing from the ward. To conclude, it is important to remember that the Department of Health and Children (2008) acknowledge that healthcare has originated in a world which is not flawless and that as humans, errors are possible. However, members of the healthcare system must try and prevent these errors from occurring where possible to ensure a high standard of care which is owed to the service users.
In this essay the author will rationalize the relevance of professional, ethical and legal regulations in the practice of nursing. The author will discuss and analyze the chosen scenario and critically review the action taken in the expense of the patient and the care workers. In addition, the author will also evaluates the strength and limitations of the scenario in a broader issue with reasonable judgement supported by theories and principles of ethical and legal standards.
...huge responsibilities to the patient’s that the nurse cares for. These responsibilities require the nurse to maintain the safest environment possible for the patient. To do that the nurse must be able to meet the character requirements written about in this paper. Ethics, integrity, accountability, responsibility, and boundaries, keeps everyone in a safe environment. Without these attributes the door opens for questionable behaviors to occur inside of the hospital or other environments. Once the behaviors are allowed to occur, then the standards that nurse’s standby will diminish. Standards such as these do not just belong in the clinical setting. These are standards that everyone should live by in their day to day life. The Board of Nursing topics discussed here, are the foundation for the moral fiber that each person should weave within into their lives.
...s of accountability all speak to what is expected of a nurse when it comes to their responsibility for actions taken. Not only must the nurse admit to wrong doing, but they must take responsibility for their wrong doing. This responsibility could involve many different forms from lawsuits to write-ups to terminations. What is important about this section, is that it specifies that the nurse must own up to their actions and take responsibility for what they have done, even if they did not mean to hurt anyone. Being accountable for their action, can be hard to do. Having a consequence put onto you when there could be a million reasons why the action happened to begin with, is difficult to swallow. This dilemma goes back to ethics. Realizing morally, that you must be accountable and take responsibility for the action, no matter the circumstance surrounding it.
Ethics and integrity are essential parts of the nursing profession since they provide nurses with the capacity for weighing in on the impacts that their actions may have on the profession (Guido, 2014). However, maintaining high levels of ethics and integrity may create significant challenges for nurses some of which impact on their position as healthcare providers. One of the key challenges that nurses experience as part of their profession is increased cases of ethical dilemmas some of which impact on their abilities to make decisions based on the interests of their patients. The nursing code of ethics indicates the need for nurses to ensure that the decisions or actions they take reflect on the interests
To understand ethics in the nursing field, you must first know what ethics is. A general explanation of ethics is the beliefs, values and morals that an individual has. These may not be that same for everyone and some may disagree with each others ethics. Ethics is dealing with what is right and what is wrong everyone has different views regarding what is. A nurse must understand and be clear about ones own beliefs, values and morals, before understanding others and being able to deal with the difference that one will encounter in the nursing field. Ethics in nursing, (Concepts pg.220), “The nurse is someone who has internalized the concept of what it means to be a human being and accepts personal responsibility for relationships with other human beings. A nurse has an obligation to do good and not harm anyone and is committed to providing the same high-quality level of nursing service to all human beings”. Ethics in nursing can be hard to differentiate between the law and the code of ethics. There are committees and groups that are put together to help make the Nursing Code of Ethic...
Nursing code of ethics was developed as a guide in carrying out nursing responsibilities in a matter consistent with quality in nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession (ANA, 2010). The term ethics refers to the study of philosophical ideals of right and wrong behavior (Olin, 2012). There is a total of nine provisions however, throughout this paper I will discuss provisions one through four. These provisions would include, personal relationships, primary care, nurse commitment, safety, patient rights, responsibility and accountability of the patient.
The word ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos, which means character (1). Being moral always fills a nurse with morals respects, guidelines of good judgment and expert lead. There are three essential obligations for nurses, among many other which are the duty of autonomy, confidentiality, and obligation of care to all patients (2). There are professional duties with becoming distinctly legitimate obligations if any law and policies are ruptured in between professional practice. In 2001, a review found that there was an apparent requirement for more guidance on moral predicaments inside the medical professionals, subsequent to expanding legal cases and open request (3). Medical attendants ought to withstand to regulatory law and statutory law while managing the nursing practice.
As a nurse you must know how to write legible so that other nurses can understand your writing to follow out care plans. If a nurse can’t understand the writing they may give wrong medications to patients, which could cause several medical issues. A simple mistake like this can cause a nurse their licenses and serious federal charges (Purdue). Several times information written on medical charts can turn into legal documents in the results of death of the patients (Purdue). Therefore the information must be accurate and correct at all times. Many nurses go by the motto “If its not charted, then its not done”.
Documentation has been explained by so many authors and many studies have been done concerning it. According to Kammie Monarch JD,R.N. Documentation can protect nurses against allegation of negligence and malpractice, preservation of medical records and mistakes commonly made in charting that leave nurses vulnerable to law suit.
On a daily basis, I will have to engage in charting and documentation writing to ensure patients receive the best possible care. Charting will involve patient identification, legal forms, observation, and progress notes. Documentation must be factual with objective information about the patients’ behaviors. Accuracy and conciseness are crucial characteristics of documentation in the nursing profession so that other medical professionals can quickly read over the information (Sacramento State,
The American Nurses Association created guidelines for the profession including, a set clear rules to be followed by individuals within the profession, Code of Ethics for Nurses. Written in 1893, by Lystra Gretter, and adopted by the ANA in 1926, The Code of Ethics for Nurses details the role metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics have within the field (ANA, 2015). Moral obligation for an individual differs within professions than it does within an individual’s personal life, so the code of ethics was written to establish rules within the profession. The moral obligation to provide quality care include the fundamental principles of respect for persons, integrity, autonomy, advocacy, accountability, beneficence, and non-maleficence. The document itself contains nine provisions with subtext, all of which cannot be addressed within this paper however, core principals related to the ethical responsibilities nurses have will be