Health Law and Ethics: Legal and Ethical Responsibilities in Healthcare

This report discusses legal and ethical responsibilities in healthcare, including the need to follow laws and regulations, ethical principles, and codes of conduct. It includes case studies on a nursing student on placement and a healthcare professional dealing with drug use. The report also covers reflections on ethical dilemmas and the importance of delivering quality services to patients.

Name Student ID
Page 1 of 12

Name Student ID
Health Law and
Ethics
Page 2 of 12

Name Student ID
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................3
Case 1...........................................................................................................................................3
Reflection................................................................................................................................5
Case 2...........................................................................................................................................6
Reflection................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion....................................................................................................................................8
References .................................................................................................................................10
Page 3 of 12

Name Student ID
Introduction
Legal and ethical responsibilities refers to the duty of care which are adhering to
laws along with regulations within area of practice. This one influence to follow the
legal standards and law to delivery their healthcare services and practices to patient. In
healthcare legal and ethical responsibilities is about protecting the patient which they
care for. Due to neglect patient get suffer and this also helps to deliver right thing to
patient. In this report, there is discussion about the ethical principles which is required
to follow for the better delivery by following the laws and ethical standard to follow for
better decision for the patient benefits. In this report, there is discussion about nursing
student who is on placement and is not able to perform various task for better delivery
of care services where student need help in completing task. There is situation of law
and ethics where legally need to follow the code of conduct and ethical law (Zhang,
(2021)). There is also discussion about the code of conduct and ethical dilemma where
as a healthcare professional need to follow the standard and safety concern of patient
and legislation where there is case of Narcotic drug Act 1967. There is need to follow
the professional standard of nursing and midwifery. There is also discussion about the
reflection for decision making at that situation.
Case 1
This case study involves the situation where one student on placement is not
able to perform or effectively delivery of healthcare services to patient. It has been
observed that due to getting injured during playing, this create the situation of ethical
code of conduct where it is necessary to get able for delivery of effective healthcare
Page 4 of 12

Name Student ID
services to patient regarding their care. This is getting affected due to not completing
task at the right time (Jawoniyi, (2018)). In this case, according to registered nurse
standard 6 says for practice that there is need to provide delegate, quality and ethical
goal which is directed actions. In this, there is need to provide quality and safe practices
to achieve outcomes which are needed for the patient. It also allow to focus on the
effective timely direction which is impacted by the placement student due to incapable
to delivery their task effectively (Sutherland-FraseR (2018)). There is need to follow the
safety and quality guidelines for nurse practitioners. This is impact the delivery of
healthcare services to the patient for their better and improved health. In this situation, it
is necessary to inform to senior nursing staff member which can help student to manage
the situation or to find out some way to handle situation effectively and should not
impact the quality of care service to patient.
As a placement student, there is need to follow the standard guidelines and other
ethical laws that needs to focus on the better delivery of current healthcare services and
should not neglect the standard of care to patient. As a nursing student it is
responsibility to follow the legal laws and standard and to inform to the senior
registered nurse regarding the current situation which is compromising the patient care
due to not being well for delivery of healthcare services to the patient (Monsees,
(2017)). Here, other placement student is breaching the principle of Registered nurse
standards for practice which is needed to follow for better and effective delivery of
healthcare services to patient and it also improves the quality of nursing practice. It is
unethical to hide the situation because other student is struggling and unable to delivery
effective care in physical aspect which can impact standard care of patient (Whiteing
(2021)). It has also observed that overtime injured placement student is not getting well,
Page 5 of 12

Name Student ID
even situation is getting worse. In this situation there is need to take rest and should not
attend any patient for their healthcare services. Because there have the risk to
compromise with the quality of care that can impact patient health improvement. There
is an ethical concern to help that student in performing various physical task but it may
impact the services that should be deliver to patient for their better health and health
improvement (Mobasher–Amini, (2020)).
There is an ethical issue that other placement student is not able to afford the
placement again later. This can impact his further learning but due to not having better
condition to deliver the healthcare services there is need to focus on that, student should
guided well and should provided some relief of few days or should provide some rebate
in work. There is involvement of decision-making framework for nursing and
midwifery. This can allow to work as the placement student and will not impact the
quality of care which should be delivered to patient for their improved health. This can
fulfill the quality need for patient and also fulfill the current need to continue the
placement for better professional future (Rodler, (2020)).
Reflection
I was working in acute hospital and have observed that other student was not
seems well through his action and also unable to delivery his quality service to patient. I
have also observed he is not performing his physical activity actively. When I asked
about this and he informed me that due to sport he got injured and got injury on his leg
back. He also asked me to help in some task delivery because he was not able to
perform task actively. I was also requested not to inform to senior nurse due to having
fear to leave the placement due to ill health. I get trapped in the situation of ethical
Page 6 of 12

Name Student ID
dilemma which was regarding following the ethics or to follow the standard and
legislation which influence to inform senior authority about such situation when there is
compromise with quality of care to patient. It was difficult to help other student because
I have also to perform my task and in process to helping other student can impact my
task or delivery of services which can have risk of compromising with quality of patient
care (Sharma, (2017)). There was ethical concern where it is necessary to inform senior
authority about the current situation of that student because his condition was getting
worse with days. And if I will not inform then due to current situation he will self-
observed through any senior authority which can lead to legal action to hide the
situation and compromising with patient quality care.
Case 2
This case study involves a nursing student, healthcare professional, and student
family member. In this, there is a student who is working under healthcare professional
and due to his exhibiting behavior, there is some sense of carelessness observed in the
delivery of their services. After asking student confess that he has taken drugs last night
which effect is still on his body which is impacting the behavior. Here, student has
violated various laws and legislation with professional codes and practice standard
which includes Narcotic act, criminal code act 1995, therapeutic goods act are the code
of conduct which creates ethical concern according to student situation (Akhtar,
(2019)).
Student has violated the law to use of prescribed medicine which should only be
taken as per direction by the patent and not by other. There is also concern that
healthcare staff should not on drug during their service delivery. There is need to take
Page 7 of 12

Name Student ID
legal action which should followed in such case. When this code of ethics breach then it
breach the code of ethics and code of conduct which is a legal offense. This is the
situation of ethics and law where it is needed to follow the law and legislation where it
is highly required to follow the code of ethics where there is need to inform the
authority and should follow the act which is Narcotic Drug Act 1967. where it is
considering that to use of drug which is not prescribed by any physician comes under
criminal law and there is provision of imprisonment which is there for about 25 years.
By following the law there is need to involve police or legal institution that are within
country to take care of such activities. But due to having future and with thinking
ethically then it makes healthcare professional to help that student to leave such type of
criminal activity and to focus on normal life to make it effective (McGregor, (2020)).
This is the ethical dilemma where it is difficult to decide whether to follow the standard
or law and inform to concerned institution regarding this activity or to give student
another chance to stay good and work for better life without taking any drugs. In this
situation, there is need to follow the code of conduct but due to ethical concern, there is
a ethical dilemma which is to make him safe form any law that can make his life worse
due to getting criminal case due to using of prescribed drug illegally (Sansom. (2017)).
There is an ethical concern that whether to follow the code of conduct which is
protocol of the healthcare premises or to get ensure about the safe life and make his
learn not to do such activity in future. This can help student to get second chance for his
better future rather than getting criminals case and waste of bright future (.Jeon, (2017)).
There is an ethical concern where one is to follow the code of conduct according to
legislation and take strict action. Whereas, another one is to make ethical choice by
sharing of information with student about negative impact of drug and law activity
Page 8 of 12

Name Student ID
against using prescribed drug which is prescribed for others. This may help to
understand the consequences of his activity and can help to get over through such
unlawful activity and to focus on his better future by performing well at workplace in
delivering his effective services to patient.
Reflection
I have observed that student his not feeling comfortable and looked unable to
concentrate on this work during delivering of healthcare services and fidgeting
constantly which was not good for the patient regarding delivery of healthcare services
for that patients. I have observed this condition of student and took him aside to talk
about his condition where he agreed that he has taken drug last night which have its
impact till not. As a healthcare professional I had to take action against but this may
have change in his future and there could have damaging of his future. So, I decided to
make his understand about his offense and guide him not to repeat such type of offense
in future otherwise strict legal action will take for that. I got stuck in the ethical
dilemma which was whether to follow the protocol and report this to higher authority
and takes actions against it. I have chance to make him understand and show some
ethics and give him another chance but I asked him not to delivery services to patient
because it may lead to false practice and can harm patient or quality of services may
impact. In future I will focus on following the code of ethics at the workplace and
should ensure that such activity will not repeated. I will also follow the guidelines and
make some strict decision when there is matter of quality services delivery to patient
(Yang, (2018)).
Conclusion
Page 9 of 12

Name Student ID
Form above discussion, it can be concluded that there is need to follow the codes
of ethics, law and legislation to perform all the activity in smooth manner. Sometimes,
there is need to take decision which can help to follow the code of conduct. There is
need to delivery quality services to patient and should not compromise is allowed within
healthcare premises. There are many laws and legislation along with code of conduct
which needs to follow for the continuous process of services delivery. Sometimes there
is need make some ethical decision which can avoid legal law to make ethical decision
which is better to follow for better. There is need to get ensure about the delivery of
quality service to patient.
Page 10 of 12

Name Student ID
References
Akhtar, (2019). Telemedicine: An ICT based healthcare approach to ensure health
service for all. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public
Health, 6(9), 3732.
Jawoniyi, (2018). Organ donation and transplantation: awareness and roles of
healthcare professionals—a systematic literature review. Journal of Clinical
Nursing, 27(5-6), e726-e738.
Jeon, (2017). The effects of bandaging with an additional pad and taping on secondary
arm lymphedema in a patient after mastectomy. Journal of physical therapy
science, 29(7), 1272-1275.
McGregor, (2020). Access to cannabidiol without a prescription: A cross-country
comparison and analysis. International Journal of Drug Policy, 85, 102935.
Mobasher–Amini, (2020). Sources of Occupational Stress and their Relationship with
Personal and Occupational Factors in Nurses of Rasht Teaching Hospitals in
2016. Journal of Community Health Research.
Monsees, (2017). Staff nurses as antimicrobial stewards: an integrative literature
review. American journal of infection control, 45(8), 917-922.
Rodler, (2020). Lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: Will virtual
patient management reshape uro-oncology in Germany?. European journal of
cancer, 132, 136-140.
Page 11 of 12

Name Student ID
Sansom. (2017). CoNNMO-Coalition of National Nursing and Midwifery Organisations
report. Journal of Stomal Therapy Australia, 37(3), 20-21.
Sharma, (2017). A time-motion study of residents and medical students performing
patient discharges from general internal medicine wards: a disjointed,
interrupted process. Internal and emergency medicine, 12(6), 789-798.
Sutherland-FraseR (2018). The ACORN practice audit tools project: Using standards to
drive improvement in perioperative practice. Journal of Perioperative
Nursing, 31(2), 37-45.
Whiteing (2021). The practice of rural and remote nurses in Australia: A case
study. Journal of Clinical Nursing.
Yang, (2018). Do challenge stress and hindrance stress affect quality of health care?
Empirical evidence from China. International journal of environmental
research and public health, 15(8), 1628.
Zhang, (2021). Developing interprofessional collaboration between clinicians,
interpreters, and translators in healthcare settings: outcomes from face-to-face
training. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 35(4), 521-531.
Page 12 of 12