Legal, Ethical and Professional Frameworks of the Nursing Professional System in Australia

Running head: LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN PERSON CENTERED CARE
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LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN PERSON CENTERED CARE
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LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN PERSON CENTERED CARE
Introduction
The aboriginals are indigenous people in the territory of Australia. One of the statistics has been
published by the government of Australia, in which it has stated that approximately 4,00,000
people in this territory are aboriginal people, which is almost 2% of the total population of
Australia (Malaspinas et al., 2016). The nurses in the territory have possessed a duty towards the
aboriginals to improve their health and it is also an integral part of their duty for helping the
indigenous people. The topic of this assignment is the legal, ethical and professional
frameworks, which has been underpinning the professional nursing in the territory of Australia.
In the given scenario, an old aboriginal man, Murray, has been suffering from the ulcers on his
leg. Community health registered nurse, namely Allison, has been appointed for treatment of
Murray. She has provided a diet list for improvement of health, which Murray has not followed.
Murray has again suffered from that problem and has been admitted to a hospital other than a
National Aboriginal Community Health Service Centre. The treating physician has refused to
continue to treat him for an ignorant reason. As per the policy, Allison can not help the patient
without the permission of the doctor. However, she has taught his wife about the dressing of the
infection area. Again, for a severe deterioration of his leg, a bilateral amputation has been
performed. There are some ethical and legal issues, which have arisen in that scenario. The aims
of this essay paper to explain the legal, ethical and professional frameworks of the nursing
professional system in Australia with a link to this scenario.
Discussion
The term cultural sensitive care and awareness is an essential part of the nursing profession
(Clifford et al., 2015). A respectable medical practice has been guided by a sincere determination
of accepting and meeting the cultural needs and frameworks of various patients, which has
obtained an excellent health outcome. It has required various matters such as the acquaintance,
admiration for and sensitivity in the direction of the cultural needs of the public, the
understanding and acknowledging the economic, social, cultural and behavioral factors, which
help to underpin such health of the individual at a community level (Bainbridge et al., 2015). It
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LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN PERSON CENTERED CARE
has also required the process of understanding which one nurse’s own beliefs and culture, as well
as biases, should not influence the interactions with the patients and recommend the
improvement of the health of the patient and its outcomes.
In the given scenario, the registered nurse Allison has tried to fulfill the requirements of the
culturally sensitive care as she has done her duty with care and has forbidden Murray from
gaining his weight, that is, to control his obese, which is not suitable for his health.
In the Australian Charter of Health Care Rights, the government of Australia has provided the
rights of the patients as well as the other individuals to use the health system of Australia
(safetyandquality.gov.au., 2020). These prescribed rights are essential to confirm the time and
place of health care and it should be in high quality and safety. There are seven rights prescribed
in the Charter, which are discussed here. Firstly, the patient can access health care services in
accordance with their needs. Secondly, people have a right to accept a safe and high-quality
service for their health care. Thirdly, the care of the doctors and nurses in the health care system
should show respect and dignity towards his cultural values, beliefs. Fourthly, there must be an
appropriate communication between the nurses and patients. Fifthly, the patient has a right to
participate in the decision of their health care issues. Sixthly, they have a right to tell the health
system to keep the privacy and confidentiality of their personal information. Lastly, the patient
has a right to comment or complain regarding his health care (Trevena et al., 2017).
In the given scenario, Murray can exercise those seven rights, which is provided by the
Australian government. It is also the duty of the registered nurse Allison to help to fulfill these
rights of Murray. However, Allison has failed to show respect towards Murray when she has told
about the obese of Murray. It is her duty to provide a service, but when her senior doctor has
refused to treatment Murray she also refuses to help him. It is beyond the ethics of a nurse, as she
should provide service at any point. Though Allison has refused to provide services at the
hospital, she has tried to provide the best services to her patient Murray and has taught his wife
how to wash the infected area of the leg.
In the health care system in Australia, the consent, confidentiality as well as privacy of a patient
is an essential matter. The Code of Ethics of the Australian Medical Association has required
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