Ethical and Legal Issues in Caring-Based Practice

Ethical Issues

• Ethics refers to moral principles that dictate what one ought to do, while bioethics specifically pertains to ethical dilemmas in healthcare.
• Dilemma: A scenario containing multiple solutions that are not equally satisfying, often involving a conflict of values.

A N A’s Code of Ethics: Nine Provisions

• Nurses are committed to practicing compassionately and respecting the dignity of every individual, without bias.
• Advocacy for patient rights, health, and safety is a primary responsibility of nurses.
• Nurses must maintain self-respect and health while promoting quality care and a positive work environment.
• Contribution to the nursing profession occurs through research, education, and policy development.
• Collaboration with other professionals is crucial for promoting human rights and integrating social justice into health policies.

Theoretical Approaches

• Deontology (Immanuel Kant): Focuses on the principle of universalizability, where the morality of an action is based on rules rather than consequences.
• Teleology: Utilitarianism (John Stuart Mill) emphasizes achieving the greatest happiness and the least harm, justifying actions by their outcomes.

Ethical Principles

• Autonomy: Emphasizes self-determination and respect for individuals, often limited by paternalism, necessitating informed consent.
• Beneficence: Involves positive actions balancing harms and benefits, applicable in scenarios like caring for contagious patients.
• Nonmaleficence: The principle of "do no harm," fundamental to healthcare practices, allowing for the omission of action when necessary.
• Veracity: Truth-telling, ensuring communication is understood by the patient, relevant in discussing advance directives.
• Confidentiality: Protecting patient information is essential under HIPAA regulations, maintaining trust in healthcare relationships.
• Fidelity: Upholding commitments and avoiding creating false expectations, critical in patient-nurse relationships.
• Justice: Fair treatment and addressing individual rights, challenging in situations like organ transplants and resource allocation.

Resolution Guidelines

• Examine data and think of relevant stakeholders to make ethical decisions using a decision-making framework.

Relationship Between Ethics and Law

• Legal actions are not always ethical, and vice versa; some situations can be both, while others can be both illegal and unethical.

Scope of Practice

• Understanding the responsibilities of one's nursing license and being familiar with the State Practice Act are essential for compliance.

Model for Advanced Practice

• A P R N Consensus Work Group established standards for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses covering Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Education.

Legal Issues

• Knowledge of prescriptive authority is crucial to avoid medication errors, as is understanding reimbursement challenges in practice.

Malpractice

• Establishing malpractice requires demonstrating a duty to the patient, deviation from standard care, and resulting harm.

I O M Report: Future of Nursing

• Promote full utilization of nurses' training, improve educational infrastructure for career advancement, and enhance collaboration among healthcare professionals.
• Effective healthcare policy requires better data collection.

I O M Five Core Educational Competencies

• Focus on patient-centered care, teamwork, evidence-based practices, quality improvement, and informatics in nursing education.

Questions for Health-Care Reform

• Exploration of preventive care cost-effectiveness, employer roles in coverage, the impact of tort reform on malpractice, and strategies for managing drug prices.

Explore the critical ethical and legal considerations surrounding caring-based practice through this comprehensive quiz. Delve into definitions and frameworks such as bioethics and dilemmas, while also examining the ANA's Code of Ethics. This quiz is essential for understanding responsible healthcare practices.