SNUG102 Nursing as a Profession #1

Ethics and Legalities

• Nursing Code of Ethics:
  • Respect for human dignity and worth
  • Commitment to primary care and patient advocacy
  • Promotion of health, wellness, and disease prevention
  • Protection of patients' rights and confidentiality
• Legal Aspects:
  • Nurse Practice Acts: regulate nursing practice, licensure, and certification
  • Malpractice: negligence or breach of duty resulting in harm to patients
  • Informed Consent: patients' right to make informed decisions about their care
  • HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (patient privacy and confidentiality)

Roles and Responsibilities

• Nursing Roles:
  • Provider of Care: direct patient care, administering medications, and performing treatments
  • Teacher/Educator: patient education, health promotion, and disease prevention
  • Collaborator: working with interdisciplinary teams to plan and implement care
  • Leader/Manager: supervising staff, coordinating care, and managing resources
• Nursing Responsibilities:
  • Assessment: collecting and analyzing patient data
  • Planning: developing individualized care plans
  • Implementation: carrying out care plans and interventions
  • Evaluation: monitoring patient progress and outcomes

Patient Communication

• Effective Communication:
  • Active listening: paying attention to patients' concerns and needs
  • Empathy: understanding and acknowledging patients' emotions and experiences
  • Clarity: using clear and simple language to convey information
  • Cultural Competence: respecting patients' diverse backgrounds and needs
• Barriers to Communication:
  • Language barriers: using interpreters or translation services
  • Sensory impairments: adapting communication methods for patients with disabilities
  • Emotional barriers: addressing patients' emotional needs and concerns
  • Power imbalance: establishing a patient-centered approach to care

Ethics and Legalities

• Respect for human dignity and worth is a fundamental principle of the Nursing Code of Ethics
• Commitment to primary care and patient advocacy is essential in the Nursing Code of Ethics
• Promotion of health, wellness, and disease prevention is a key aspect of the Nursing Code of Ethics
• Protection of patients' rights and confidentiality is a crucial element of the Nursing Code of Ethics
• Nurse Practice Acts regulate nursing practice, licensure, and certification
• Malpractice occurs when a nurse's negligence or breach of duty results in harm to patients
• Patients have the right to make informed decisions about their care through Informed Consent
• HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) ensures patient privacy and confidentiality

Roles and Responsibilities

Nursing Roles

• Providers of Care: nurses administer medications, perform treatments, and provide direct patient care
• Teachers/Educators: nurses educate patients, promote health, and prevent disease
• Collaborators: nurses work with interdisciplinary teams to plan and implement care
• Leaders/Managers: nurses supervise staff, coordinate care, and manage resources

Nursing Responsibilities

• Assessment: collecting and analyzing patient data to develop individualized care plans
• Planning: developing care plans and setting goals for patient care
• Implementation: carrying out care plans and interventions to achieve patient outcomes
• Evaluation: monitoring patient progress, outcomes, and adjusting care plans accordingly

Patient Communication

Effective Communication

• Active listening: nurses pay attention to patients' concerns and needs
• Empathy: nurses understand and acknowledge patients' emotions and experiences
• Clarity: nurses use clear and simple language to convey information to patients
• Cultural Competence: nurses respect patients' diverse backgrounds and needs

Barriers to Communication

• Language barriers: using interpreters or translation services to overcome language barriers
• Sensory impairments: adapting communication methods for patients with disabilities
• Emotional barriers: addressing patients' emotional needs and concerns
• Power imbalance: establishing a patient-centered approach to care to minimize power imbalance

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)

• Undertakes functions set by the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law
• Works in partnership with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)

Functions of NMBA

• Registers nursing and midwifery practitioners/students
• Develops standards, codes, and guidelines
• Handles notifications, complaints, investigations, and disciplinary hearings
• Assesses overseas trained practitioners wanting to practise in Australia

Core Registration Standards

• Developed to define the minimum requirements to be registered
• Requires declaration of criminal history and notification of any changes
• Requires demonstration of English language skills
• Requires maintenance of continuing professional development
• Requires maintenance of recency of practice
• Requires professional indemnity insurance arrangements

NMBA Code of Conduct for Nurses

• Sets out legal and professional behaviour for all nurses in all practice settings
• Outlines 7 principles of conduct, including:
  • Legal Compliance
  • Person-centred practice
  • Cultural practice and respectful relationships
  • Professional behaviour
  • Teaching, supervising, and assessing
  • Research in health
  • Health and Wellbeing

Registered Nurse Standards for Practice

• Provides a framework for assessing RN practice
• Outlines 7 standards, including:
  • Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice
  • Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships
  • Maintains the capability for practice
  • Comprehensively conducts assessments
  • Develops a plan for nursing practice
  • Provides safe, appropriate, and responsive quality nursing practice
  • Evaluates outcomes to inform nursing practice

ICN Code of Ethics

• Endorsed by NMBA in 2018
• Defines and guides ethical nursing practice
• Outlines 4 principal elements, including:
  • Nurses and patients or other people requiring care or services
  • Prioritise care and service of individuals, families, and communities
  • Maintain confidentiality and privacy
  • Nurses and practice, profession, and global health

Social Media Guidelines

• Maintains a standard of behaviour that promotes trust
• Created by AHPRA for all health practitioners

Scope of Practice (SoP)

• Students accountable for their own scope of practice
• Task-focused set of guidelines to allow nurses to focus on developing knowledge and skills

National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHS)

• Provides a nationally consistent level of care that consumers expect from health care organisations
• Outlines 8 standards, including:
  • Clinical Governance Standard
  • Partnering with Consumers Standard
  • Preventing and Controlling Infections Standard
  • Medication Safety Standard
  • Comprehensive Care Standard
  • Communicating for Safety Standard
  • Blood Management Standard
  • Recognising and Responding to...