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Legal principles of nursing
Legal principles of nursing
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Client based advocacy is an important backbone to the relationship the nurse has with the client. In a 2017 survey by GALLUP nurses were found to have the highest expected honesty and ethics standards (GALLUP, 2017). Clients trust the nurses to be their advocates for the best possible care while in a vulnerable and often frightening time. In the healthcare setting the nurse acts as a bridge for the client to appropriate information and other practitioners in the healthcare system. Nurses are in the position to advocate for the various client rights and the rights of their family (CNO, 2015). In Tilda Shalof’s book A Nurse’s Story, the stories of working in an intensive care unit apply well to multiple examples of nurses acting as advocates …show more content…
When a client is in a vulnerable situation such as the patients in the intensive care unit in Tilda Shalof’s book A Nurse's Story the clients rely on the nurse to be their advocate. The nurse acts as advocate for the patient and their family for the patient rights, for informed decisions and for the patient to other healthcare professionals on their team. The nurse relies on his/her experience and knowledge to advocate for the best intervention for his/her client. Advocacy is a responsibility of the nurse, protecting the rights, care and dignity of the patient. The patient is scared, confused and in a susceptible position. Acting as an advocate comforts the client and his/her family making the experience, though often not optimal, as pleasant as …show more content…
L., Kudzma, E. C., & Mandle, C. L. (2014). Health Promotion Throughout the
Lifespan (8th Edition ed.), (15,110). Missouri: Elsevier.
Estes, K. (2016, November). The Role & Responsibility of Advocacy in Nursing. Colorado
Nurse. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1 &sid=be8af3b9-7f95-482e-8fc8-230c55a4e97e%40sessionmgr102
Honesty/Ethics in Professions (2017, December). In GALLUP. Retrieved from http://news.gallup.com/poll/1654/honesty-ethics-professions.aspx Gazarian, P. K., Fernberg, L. M., & Sheehan, K. D. (2016). Effectiveness of narrative pedagogy in developing student nurses’ advocacy role. Nursing Ethics, 23, 132-141. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/doi/pdf/10.1177/0969733014557718 Point-of-Care Leadership Tips and Tools for Nurses. (2014, May). RNAO. Retrieved from http://rnao.ca/sites/rnao-ca/files/POC_16.5_x_8.5_WEB_0.pdf Potter, P.A., & Perry, A.G. (2014). Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing (5th ed.). J.C. Ross-Kerr,
M.J. Wood, B.J. Astle, & W. Duggleby (Ed.), (83-84). Toronto: Elsevier.
Shalof, T. (2005). A nurse’s story: Life, death and in-between in an intensive care unit. Toronto,
ON: McClellan &
Nurses are required to protect and support their patients if they are to be an efficient patient advocate. Ethically questionable situations are quite common for nurses that conflict with their professionals and personal morals. At times, the patient necessitates the nurse to speak out for them demonstrating
It reflects trust, intimacy, and responsibility, which are elements essential to any nursing relationship. It is the core of nursing. In the article, “Dimensions of Caring: A Qualitative Analysis of Nurses’ Stories”, an analysis was done on over two hundred stories submitted by nurses around the world, illustrating the point that the practice of nursing encompasses much more than just technical skills. In one of the stories, a nurse stood by the side of a young mother grieving the loss of her baby with nobody else to turn to. This nurse accompanied the 19 year old mother to the cemetery the day after the baby’s death, New Year’s Eve, to bury her baby that had been born at just 22 weeks gestation. She bought her a book on grieving and loss and supported the woman during that difficult time. This nurse did not have to do that—she did not have to go above and beyond for this stranger. But she did. She felt empathy and compassion for this woman and she acted on that. That is what nursing is about, going above and beyond, making emotional investments into the lives of other people. The significance of the actions of this nurse cannot be overstated. We will never know the full impact that this nurse made on that young woman’s life; perhaps she saved her life, or changed the direction of it for the
Hanks, R.. (2008). The Lived Experience of Nursing Advocacy. Nursing Ethics, 15(4), 468-77. Retrieved February 27, 2012, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1486004371).
Nurses everywhere face problems and challenges in practice. Most of the challenges occur due to a struggle with the use of ethical principles in patient care. Ethical principles are “basic and obvious moral truths that guide deliberation and action,” (Burkhardt, Nathaniel, 2014). Ethical principles that are used in nursing practice include autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, veracity, confidentiality, justice, and fidelity. These challenges not only affect them, but the quality of care they provide as well. According to the article, some of the most frequently occurring and most stressful ethical issues were protecting patient rights, autonomy and informed consent to treatment, staffing problems, advanced care planning, and surrogate decision making (Ulrich et. al, 2013). The ethical issue of inadequate staffing conflicts with the principle of non-maleficence.
The need for advocacy is most often first noticed by the nurse through empathy. When nurses are able to empathize with their patients it begins the process of advocacy. When the nurse empathizes with their patient an altruistic attitude towards the patient grows, this improves caring and caring is essentially an innate form of professional ethics. The want to advocate by the nurse is greatly enhanced when the nurse truly cares about the patient; which is best developed through empathy. The want to advocate for the patient by the nurse is the biggest factor in positive advocacy outcomes (Reed, F., et. all, 2016). Professional caring combines caring and empathy with nursing knowledge and competency; together these factors enable the nurse to serve as a capable moral agent for their patient within the healthcare system. It is not possible to advocate for a patient properly without being first able to empathize and create a therapeutic nurse-client
Frequently, nurses are confronted with the task of finding the balance between advocating for the patient, and remaining loyal to their hospital or institution (Hanks, 2007). Risks that are associated with patient advocacy are more on the institutional level (Bu & Jezewski, 2007). Risks such as accusations of insubordination, reputation slander, hostile work environment, and loss of job security are among some of the top reasons nurses tend to shy away for patient advocacy (Bu & Jezewski, 2007). Another problem with advocacy is that there isn’t a universal definition as to what being an advocate means, along with inconsistency of interpretations (Bu & Jezewski,
The healthcare system can be difficult for clients to navigate and they are often unsure how to access information which puts them at the mercy of others and can lead to feelings of helplessness (Erlen, 2006). Nurses can provide resources to educate patients when they becomes dependent on a health care provider and no longer feel in control of their own body which can lead to fear, hopelessness, helplessness and loss of control (Cousley et al., 2014). The change in roles individuals face can further increase their stress and feelings of powerlessness (Scanlon & Lee, 2006). According to the CNA code of ethics, nurses are responsible for protecting patients from objective risks that place them in an increased level of vulnerability (Carel, 2009). They can do this by providing the resources necessary for patients to educate themselves and be better able to cope with the health challenges they
Burkhardt, M. A., & Nathaniel, A. K. (2014). Ethics & issues in contemporary nursing (4th ed.). Stephan Helbra.
With that said, the nursing profession has a unique code of ethics, that though at times challenging, it is each nurses duty to uphold. Specific provisions can guide a preceptor in navigating and facilitating a conversation that can help a student nurse to understand the journey that lies ahead. More importantly, the student must understand how the profession defines their client, or in nursing, the patient. The ANA Code of Ethics defines the term patient by the derivative meaning, “the one who suffers” (ANA, 2001). This is fundamental for the student to understand because no amount of money or job security can retain a nurse when faced the trials, tribulations, perseverance, or jubilation that accompanies caring for “the one who suffers”.
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
Rich, K. & Butts, J. B. (2014). Foundations of ethical nursing practice (Chapter 4, 3rd ed.). In K. Masters (Ed.). Role development in professional nursing practice. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
In Nursing, there will always be instances where the patient's nurse needs to advocate for their patient. There are numerous reasons why a nurse would advocate for their patient ranging from getting the doctor to change the patient’s orders, helping the patient’s treatment team understand what it is the patient is requiring for the day, to expressing the patient’s last wishes before death. In every situation, the nurse should do what is in the patient’s best interest. Tomajan (2012), “Advocacy skills are the ability to successfully support a cause or interest on one’s own behalf or that of another. Advocacy requires a set of skills that include problem solving, communication, influence, and collaboration”(p. 2). With those skills, the nursing staff will be able to work together to advocate for their patients. Along with those skills, nurses need to keep in mind the three core attributes that are: safeguarding patients’ autonomy; acting on behalf of patients; and championing social justice in the provision of health care. (Bu & Jezewski, 2006)
The field of nursing provides one the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. Nurses interact directly with patients at times of hardship, vulnerability, and loss. The nursing profession has been around for decades. Due to the contribution from historical leaders in nursing, the nurse’s role has progressed over time. Although the roles of nurses have evolved throughout the years, one thing has remained the same: the purpose in giving the best patient care.
Burkhardt, M. A., & Nathaniel, A. K. (2014). Ethics & issues in contemporary nursing (4th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Ethics is defined as moral principles that govern a persons or a group’s behavior, ethical principles apply to both personal and professional relationships (Webster, 2015). The field of nursing is a profession that has been highly regarded and respected in society. Most nurses enter the profession in order to utilize their clinical skills to help others in their time of need. Those in failing health rely on nurses to care for them in their most vulnerable states, and expect a level of compassion and humanity while receiving care. Nurses have an ethical responsibility to their patients, clients, and their community. Compassion, empathy, and integrity are staple characteristics that nurses possess that allow them to successfully perform their