Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing

This essay discusses the ethical and legal issues in nursing, focusing on a case study of a frustrated patient. It explores the possible course of action, ethical principles, and their conflict with the law. The essay also highlights the importance of adhering to the code of conduct and ethics in nursing.

Essay on Ethical and Legal issues
in Nursing

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRIDCUTION.............................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

ESSAY
Nursing is termed as the important part in development of society along with taking care
of health patients. The nurse helps in the advocating the health promotion,educating the patients
and the prevention of diseases and injury. This will helping providing the level of assistance in
curing ans participation in rehabilitation and provide the support. Nurse turned out to be the
major source in term to providing moral support and care to patients. The following case in
regarding the nurse Mavis, 70 years old gone under the laparotomy for an acute bowel
obstruction. The case more have the further information regarding the abnormal symptoms in
terms of change in expression and abnormal changes in body parameters. Further more she has
been frustrated giving injury to herself and want to go home. In the report, there will be the
discussion regarding the possible course of action that can be taken along with ethical principles
and doctrine concepts. There will be discussion regarding the ethical principles conflict with law
along with application of various code of conduct and ethics which are applicable case.
Frustration and self-harm are becoming the part of interdependency of each other. As in the case,
due to the age factor of Mavis, 70 years she has become frustrated from the laparotomy for an
acute bowel obstruction and its continuous medication from the term time. In the following case
when the nurse has identified the changes in the blood pressure and heart beat and the continuous
change in behaviour Ingham-Broomfield, (2017). The nurse should take the course inaction there
should be assurance that the patients should not be left alone during the time of hospitalization.
As in the case it has been observed that nurse leave Mavis alone which turned to find her in
visitor room, where she has turned as taking self-harming cases. The nurse should have properly
assessed the changes of the medication along with able to patient to contract the for the safety
within the next 24- 48 hours. The next course of action that the nurse is to take s having the
proper assistance in having the identification of behaviour, feeling and thoughts and handle the
stressful situations.
There are various ethical principles about nursing such as the Autonomy, Beneficence,
Fidelity, Informed Consent, Integrity, Justice, Nonmaleficence, Paternalism,Veraciy As Well As
Privacy And Confidentiality. The ethical theory related to autonomy refers the patients have the
patients understanding regarding the decision about the health care and the lives with the
interference of healthcare personal such as the physician, nurse along with other team members.
This actually means that the nurse can resist in urging his or her own feeling value and belief of

patients Schadewaldt & et.al (2016). The nurse should have better idea related to
consequentialism and ethical relativism along with proper understanding regarding the certain
point that should be remembered by nurse. Consequentialism is simply understandable regarding
the consequence is evident. It refers to the idea with the moral sense of responsibility in having
the knowledge of outcome or the consequence of the particular act taken by nurse. As it has been
noticed in the case, due t lack of course of action that the nurse should have the proper attention
on Mlavis when she is behaving wired. But nurse failed to follow ethical code of understanding
which results in the consequence of self-harming in case Ralph, Birks & Chapman, (2015). The
patient has removed the dressing from her wound site, and smearing faeces across her abdomen
and onto her surgical wound. Additionally, she also had pulled out her IV cannula which has
caused bleeding from the insertion site.
In nursing profession there are various ethical principles which are to be followed in
order to attend patient carefully. It is important that nurses must adhere to the principles of
justice, non-maleficence, fidelity, accountability, fidelity, veracity and autonomy. It is vital in
nursing profession to be fair while distributing care. In a case study there are various principles,
doctrines which can be applied to actions that can be put forward. One of the basic principles
which can be applied is Beneficence which requires the action taking by helping the patient and
preventing harm or removing harm and promoting good for the patient Esmaelzadeh & et.al.,
(2017). As, Mavis was suffering from various problems like first day post-operation, low blood
pressure, fever, also she removed dressing from wound site, pulled off IV cannula and there was
also smearing faeces across her abdomen. As per the principle of beneficence this could have
been avoided as it involves helping the patient and removing harm and promoting good. In order
to promote Mavis should have been handled carefully and addressed all of her issue which she
faced which could have avoided her anxious behaviour and frustration. Another doctrine or
principles which could have been applied in action was privacy and confidentiality, which states
the privacy and confidentiality of the patient has to be protected. Privacy belongs to each person
or patient this right cannot be taken away from the patient irrespective of how much vulnerable a
patient is Ramos & et.al., (2015). This should have been applied as Mavis was located in the
visitor's room and her gown was open which resulted a question of privacy as she was deprived
of. Another is justice, which means giving each person what he or she are due. Mavis should

have been treated with proper justice and fairly. As per this principle, equitable nursing should
have been provided to Mavis of which she was deprived of.
As in the nursing practices there are numerous principles which is to be applied in their
nursing career in order to make their profession just, fair and equitable for every patient which
they address. So, there are very high chances some ethical principles may conflict with each
other or with law. The two principles which conflict with each is beneficence and autonomy,
according to the principle of beneficence a patient should be provided proper treatment by taking
an action of removing harm, preventing harm and promoting good to patient. But this principle
contradicts with the principle of autonomy which suggests that every individual has the right to
self-determination where nurses can take decision of their own without any other's interference
Olsen, & Gjevjon, (2017). So, it depends on the nurses how to take care of patient and when to
take care, there may be leniency from the side of nurse in a particular case which may result in
harm to patients and cannot promote good to patient. So, if any nurse is allowed to take decision
of its own sometimes it can result in a harm of patient.
There are various principles which contradict with the law one of the major principles is
autonomy which again contradicts with the law. When nurses are given autonomy in their
profession, they feel ethically violated when their autonomy is being decreased by the law or
puts some restrictions on it. In some cased nurses are given completely limited autonomy by the
law in order to render the safe practices. For example, if there is legally limited autonomy for
making highly autonomous decision and render the care, if nurses don't feel prepared in treating
a patient effectively what will be their right to refuse the care is contradictory in such case. On
the other hand what if patient refuse for treatment, which was even refused by Mavis in such
case what will a nurse do. So, this is totally a contradiction between a law and autonomous
principle of nursing.
The legal concern regarding the above suggested course of action. As the above case,
there is the suggested that assurance that the patients should not be left alone during the time of
hospitalization. So, the nurse fails to have the achievement regarding the suggested concerns
which results as he self-harming case of the Malvis in which paitent has removed the dressing
from her wound site, and smearing faeces across her abdomen and onto her surgical wound.
Additionally, she also had pulled out her IV cannula which has caused bleeding from the
insertion site Schmidt, MacWilliams & Neal-Boylan, (2017). There is certain code of conduct

that is needed to be followed by nurse that are attentiveness, sense of responsibility, competence
along with the level of patient involves and responsiveness that the nurse should take care of to
provide better service to patient. As it is related to legal concerns, there are certain standard
which are set up by Nursing and Midwifery board and Australia or practicing the standards for
nursing. There should be quality of training for the nurse which should include the therapeutic
and professional relationship. As per the above standard and the course of action, there should be
applicability of providing the quality of work. There should be development of standard of
practice of the nurse as the essential component of the regulated professional practice framework
Daly, Speedy & Jackson (2017). As a registered nurse, these core nursing competency standards
provide the framework for assessing nursing competence as per National Nursing and Midwifery
Board of Australia to assess competence as part of the annual renewal of registration. The nurses
should have the educated oversea seeking the proper work in Australia along with breaks in
service. There legal concerns have the code of conduct and the ethics of nursing to raise the
standard of the nursing as to gain the level of course in action to provide better services to
patient.
Code of conduct for nurses in Australia sets out the legal requirements, conduct
expectations and professional behaviour for all types of nursing setting in a country. There are
various code of conducts which can be applied is Primacy of Patient Interest which suggests that
nurse's primary concern as well as dedicate their work directly to patients best interest in every
situation. There may arise a conflicting situation but it should be able to take a decision for the
betterment for patients. This code of conduct could have been applied in this situation, where
nurses primary concern should have been Mavis's interest. There are various codes of ethics for
nurses in Australia which can also be applied in a particular situation for example one of the
basis code of ethics is Nurse vales access to quality nursing as well as healthcare for all people
Woodworth, (2016). This code should have been applied in a situation where Mavis should have
been given access to quality nursing care and also another code which should have been applied
is nurses value a culture of safety. As Mavis started to self-harm herself which resulted in lack of
safety to her if this conduct had been followed situation could have better. There are also various
Required Nursing Standards which could have been applied in a given situation like provide
appropriate, safe and responsive quality nursing practices which could have helped in providing
better treatment to Mavis and could not have worsened the situation for her.

It can be concluded for nursing principles and code of conducts plays and important role
in providing proper healthcare nursing practices to patients. There are various coursed of action
which can be taken by a nursing staff while treating or taking care of patients. It is also
concluded that there some ethical principles which contradict with each other like autonomy of
nurses and limited autonomy provide by the law. Also, there it is really important for nurses to
remember code of conducts, code of ethics and Required Nursing Standards while treating or
taking care of patient.

REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Daly, J., Speedy, S., & Jackson, D. (2017). Contexts of nursing: An introduction. Elsevier Health
Sciences.
Esmaelzadeh, F & et.al., (2017). Ethical sensitivity in nursing ethical leadership: a content
analysis of Iranian nurses experiences. The open nursing journal. 11. p.1.
Ingham-Broomfield, R. (2017). A nurses' guide to ethical considerations and the process for
ethical approval of nursing research. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, The,
35(1), 40.
Olsen, P. R. & Gjevjon, E. R., (2017). Perspectives: European Academy of Nursing Science
debate 2016: Are there any aspects unique to nursing?. Journal of Research in Nursing.
22(3). pp.247-255.
Ralph, N., Birks, M., & Chapman, Y. (2015). The accreditation of nursing education in Australia.
Collegian, 22(1), 3-7.
Ramos, F. R. S & et.al., (2015). Ethical conflicts and the process of reflection in undergraduate
nursing students in Brazil. Nursing ethics. 22(4). pp.428-439.
Schadewaldt, V. & et.al (2016). Experiences of nurse practitioners and medical practitioners
working in collaborative practice models in primary healthcare in Australia–a multiple
case study using mixed methods. BMC family practice, 17(1), 99.
Schmidt, B. J., MacWilliams, B. R., & Neal-Boylan, L. (2017). Becoming inclusive: a code of
conduct for inclusion and diversity. Journal of Professional Nursing. 33(2), 102-107.
Woodworth, J. A., (2016), July. Promotion of nursing student civility in nursing education: A
concept analysis. In Nursing forum. (Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 196-203).