Health Policy and Legal Rights

This article discusses the importance of nursing safe harbor, nursing standards of practice, nursing peer review, patient information privacy, nurse fatigue, therapeutic relationships, malpractice claims, and professional liability insurance in nursing practice.

Running Head: HEALTH POLICY AND LEGAL RIGHTS 1.
Health Policy and Legal Rights
Name
Institution

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Key Point One: Nursing Safe Harbor
Why it is Important
A nursing safe harbor is essential in nursing practice as it provides nurses with an
opportunity not to engage in any activity or assignment that is not safe for their practice. It also
provides an opportunity for the nurses to have an understanding of any question or concern
regarding safe practice based on the safety provisions by the Nursing peer review committee. It
also acts a protective shield to the nurses from the employers in case of retaliation in an event
where the nurse report any practice that they believe might affect their duties as nurses.
How does it Impact Nursing practice
The implementation of safe harbor provides an opportunity for Nurses to improve patient
safety during the healthcare process. It also plays a critical role in enhancing the quality of
healthcare services provided to different clients through the strict use of treatment or healthcare
guidelines. Malpractices have impacted the healthcare sector negatively and therefore safe harbor
provides an opportunity to reform the existing malpractice system and thereby reducing the cost
associated or resulting from the malpractices.
How it is will change my practice in future
The implementation of the nursing harbor will be critical in shaping my future nursing
practices to be patient-centered by improving their safety and the quality of the healthcare
services they receive. It will also shape my practice in terms of my engagement with different
nursing practices by ensuring that I will not be found engaging in any malpractices which will
affect the healthcare services provided as well as go against the nursing principles and

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guidelines. It will also shape my thinking or seriousness with different nursing tasks or activities
by critically thinking of the assignments given and thinking of the best outcome irrespective of
the consequences.
Key Point 2: Nursing Standards of practice
Why are they Important
In a nursing practice like any other profession, professional standards are very critical in
encouraging healthcare practitioners to continuously enhance their knowledge and skills as well
as experiences so as to reach a certain competency level. The standards of nursing practice also
play a critical role in promotion and guidance to clinical practice as they determine the various
activities to be undertaken by the nurses in healthcare provision and hence increase nurse’s
accountability for their clinical decisions and actions. Most importantly, I have learned that the
implementation of nursing standards of practice is critical as it provides an opportunity for the
nurses to identify the key areas of improvement in clinical practice.
How it impacts Nursing Practice
I have been able to learn that it is my responsibility as a nurse to promote professional
development in the healthcare sector and therefore nursing standards of practice have provided
an opportunity to become more accountable in our duties. The standards also play a critical role
in enhancing patient safety and improved quality of healthcare services provided. They increase
our competency in our clinical practice and therefore contribute to increased efficiency in service
delivery. They encourage us to increase our knowledge through research and development and
hence improving competency in healthcare service delivery.

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How it will change my practice
Carrying out my nursing duties in correspondence with the existing nursing standards
provides an opportunity to increase my competency skills in nursing practice. I will also be able
to improve the quality of healthcare services provided to the patients. Lastly, these standards will
play a critical role in helping me identify some of the areas of weakness in meeting the required
standards of practice and thereby improving my skills to deliver quality and standard healthcare.
Key Point 3: Nursing Peer Review
Why it is Important
Nursing peer review is a very critical aspect of in improving nurse’s engagement as well
as empowering them to make necessary nursing practice changes based on their individual
monitoring and evaluations. It also plays a critical role in enhancing professional accountability
and the ability to make positive individual decisions. The peer review in nursing is also essential
in improving the quality of healthcare provided to patients by individual nurses.
How It Impacts Nursing Practice
Nursing peer review has impacted nursing practice positively in that it has provided
nurses with an opportunity to take charge of the healthcare practices by making an appropriate
decision. It has also promoted the ability to identify various issues or areas of concern in the
nursing or the healthcare system through effective monitoring and evaluation. It has also
improved the quality of healthcare provided by the nurses by improving their efficiency.

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How it will Change Nursing practice
Implementation of nursing peer review will help me in developing an evidence-based
nursing practice which will enhance the results or the quality of healthcare provided to patients.
It will also help me gain more sills and competency in developing strategies that are beyond the
current nursing practice traditional static processes and hence improving efficiency. Research
provides that a timely and a continuous nursing peer review provides an opportunity for
development of effective systems-centered approach which will help me in reducing the common
mistakes or errors in nursing practice and enhance increased efficiency.
Reflective Journal Module 3: More Peer-Review Laws and Rules
Key point 1: Multiple incidents
Why it is important
This rule in very essential in regulation nurses practices to ensure that they do not pose
danger or threat to others. It ensures that nurses are able to control or reduce their errors by been
more careful with their treatment to ensure that their practice does not affect offers negatively. It
ensures that appropriate action is taken by the board to against the nurses continued behavior that
is likely to pose threat to the patients through increased errors.
How it does impact nursing practice
It demonstrates a lack of competency in nursing practice and therefore posing a risk of
lack of trust with the healthcare staff by the patients. It contributes to increased costs of

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healthcare as a result of multiple errors. It also impacts negatively the quality of healthcare
provided to the patients.
Who will it change nursing practice?
Successful reviewing of the model has equipped me with the knowledge that keen
observance of patients health condition is critical in minimizing possible errors and improving
the quality of healthcare provided. It has therefore increased my assertiveness and the need to be
more careful during my engagement with patients. The consequences of facing the board as a
result of the multiple incidents of errors may result to loss of employment opportunity or impact
my career growth negatively and therefore this will change my practice towards more focus on
the patient outcome.
Key Point 2: Minor Incident
Why it is important
I believe after reviewing this module that this law is critical in protecting the nurses from
the effects of the board in which there few mistakes can be used to jeopardize their career. By
not reporting the minor incidents to the board provides a room for the nurses to help one another
by pointing out the various issues of competency and correcting them appropriately. It also
serves to protect the image of the healthcare facility and build patients confidence with the
healthcare practitioners.
How it does impact nursing practice
The rule recognizes the possibility of every human being to make mistakes in one way or
the other and therefore does not see to punish them for mistakes which can be corrected in a

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different manner. It impacts nursing practice positively in that it provides a room for correction
and identification of small mistakes which can be costly in the future.
Key Point 3: Incident-based Nursing Review
Why it is important
Many are the times when nurses do not speak or report any issues that could be essential
from the patients or from their own perspective and therefore this law provides them with an
opportunity to report such cases without fear of retaliation. It promotes accountability on the
part of the nurses in caring about the safety issues of the patients. It also provides a platform for
engagement with the management or the board to improve the quality of the services.
How does it impact nursing practice?
The module review has helped me to understand how I should deal with such incidences
which are likely to happen in one way or the other in my profession. It also impacts my practice
positively in helping understand what really needs to be reported and to whom should I report
given the different incidences. It has created a desire to strive to achieve excellence in healthcare
services delivery through optimum minimization of the possible mistakes or errors.
How will I change my practice?
Increased awareness of what needs to be done in case an error that could create risk
occurs due to increased knowledge on what constitutes good faith. Development of planning
schedules for my work in my nursing practice to reduce the chances of errors. I will be able to
build trust and faith with fellow nurses by helping each other through continuous monitoring and
evaluation of our practices to improve efficiency.

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Reflective Journal Module 4: Professional Boundaries and Challenges
Key Point 1: Patient Information privacy
Why it is important
Maintaining the privacy of patient’s information is one of the critical aspects of nurse and
patient confidentiality agreement and therefore helps in developing confidence as well as trust
with one another. It also protects the information from access by an unwanted group of people.
How does it impact my career/Nursing Practice?
Patient’s information privacy will determine the level of trust and confidence I will be
able to create with the patients and their willingness to share more information that will
contribute to improved healthcare services. It also enhances the quality of care provided by
ensuring that the patient information or records are not interfered with by a third party.
How will I change my nursing practice?
It will contribute to increased sensitivity on patient’s medical information and ensuring that it is
well kept and protected. The nursing practice will be more patient-centered by ensuring
information is shared with the authorized people by the patient. It will also affect the nursing
shift programs by ensuring that patients information is protected even in midst of the shift
challenges.
Key Point 2: Nurse Fatigue
Why it is Important

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Due to the number of patients in most healthcare facilities nurses end up attending to
many patients and hence becoming exhausted. As a result, they are unable to offer quality
healthcare services and in most cases, they may not make the appropriate judgments concerning
the patient’s conditions and hence increasing the patient’s safety concerns.
How it impacts nursing practice
Fatigue is common in most people and therefore this would interfere with the quality of
services provided to the patient. I will not be able to effectively address the healthcare needs of
my patients. It is also possible that I will be emotionally or psychologically be absent from the
patient and hence not understand his or her healthcare concerns.
How will i change my nursing practice?
The issues of fatigue have become critical in most healthcare systems and have resulted
in the development of the nurse shift. However, as much as the shift has helped in improving
healthcare services it has negatively affected patients-nurse relationship as a result of a breach of
confidentiality agreement. In future practice, there will be a need, therefore, to develop systems
of two nurse program to attend to specific patients.
Key Point 3: Patients- Nurse Relationship
Why it is important
Therapeutic relationships are critical in achieving healthcare objectives or goals. It plays
a critical role in improving the treatment process through increased trust and confidence. Any
breach of confidentiality affects the treatment or the recovery phase negatively. There is a need,

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therefore, to maintain the therapeutic relationships to improve the quality of healthcare and
patients recovery period.
How it Impacts Nursing Practice
It will contribute to increased trust with sensitive information. It will also contribute to
increased deep and long-lasting relationships. It will also contribute to increased confidentiality
with the healthcare system.
How I will change my Nursing practice
I will focus more on understanding the patients including the physical needs, emotional
and social needs. I will also focus on listening to what they would love to be done to them and
getting feedback on the treatment process to improve the experiences which may not be good. I
will also focus on understanding their fears and concerns during the treatment period so that I
may be able to emphatically connect with their emotional needs.
Reflective Journal Module 5: Malpractice
Key point 1: Malpractice Claim
Why it is important
Lack of competency in handling patient’s issues may contribute to improper handling or
ineffective health delivery to the patients. As a result, both the doctor and the nurse can be sued

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by the patients but in most hospitals nurses are protected through different insurance covers
against such incidences.
How it impacts nursing practice
Malpractice claims impact nursing practice negatively if the claims are not investigated
and the claim solved. It has increased the potential to affect the public trust with the healthcare
facility or system if the issues go to the public. It also destroys the trust and relationship between
the healthcare practitioners or staff with the patients.
How I will change my practice
Claims resulting from a lack of effective service provision or improper handling of patients or
even lack of satisfaction with the services rendered. Therefore I will seek to improve on my
health care services to reduce the chances or malpractice as well as become more responsible and
accountable in my practice. I will also seek to build effective communication where some of
these issues can be addressed before they get out of control.
Key point 2: Professional Liability insurance
Why it is important
Due to increased chances of malpractice which can be voluntary or can be imposed on
the nurses by the patients, there is a need for nurses to be insured. This is because they cannot
entirely depend on employer’s liability coverage. The nurses will, therefore, be covered by this
insurance and reduce their risk to exposure to lawsuits cases from patients.
How it impacts Nursing Practice

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It protects nurses from possible lawsuits by patients as a result of their interaction with
the patient which could lead to a form of malpractice. Malpractices have the potential to spread
and impact the health care facility image before the public. It creates the need for nurse’s
protection rules which should be distinguished from any other regulations by the healthcare
facility.
How I will change my practice
I will ensure that I am protected under the Professional Liability Insurance cover to
minimize the chances of lawsuits. I will also adhere to the various nursing code of ethics to
reduce the probabilities of such lawsuits resulting from things which could be solved. Acquire
the occurrence insurance which is generally the best insurance cover for nurses.

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