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Mental Health Nursing Essay

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Added on  2020-04-21

Mental Health Nursing Essay

   Added on 2020-04-21

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Running head: MENTAL HEALTH NURSINGLegal aspects of nursingName of the StudentName of the UniversityAuthor Note
Mental Health Nursing Essay_1
MENTAL HEALTH NURSING1The role of a nurse encompasses actions related to providing care to families,individuals, and communities. Nursing professionals have the duty of providing services thatare designed to promote the health of all individuals, prevent the onset of illness, in additionto achieving optimal recovery from a range of health abnormalities (Blais et al. 2015). Itbecomes extremely imperative for nurses to gain an awareness of the legal aspects associatedwith nursing, while caring for the patients. This essay will elaborate on confidentiality, whichforms the bases of a trustworthy relationship between a nurse and the client.Legal aspects of nursing have been found to create a major impact on the manner ofdelivery of healthcare services, by shaping the environment of nursing practice and themanner of keeping or sharing essential documents. Hence, nursing professionals must beaware of the scope and standards of practice that will act as a foundation guide for excellencein nursing practice (Akyüz and Erdemir 2013). Client confidentialitygenerally encompassesthe principle that prevents an individual or institution from revealing necessary informationabout specificclientsto a third party or organisation, without the prior consent of the client.Only in a setting that encompasses trust, can a client share medical history, feelings andinformation on presenting complaints to enable the nursing professionals for comprehending,diagnosing and administering effective treatment services (Agaku et al. 2013). Thus, the nursing professionals must abide by the ethical rules that right to privacy ofa client is fundamental and personal. The Data Protection Act 1998 was enforced by theUnited Kingdom Parliament with the aim of protecting personal data that is stored inelectronic devices such as, computers or in paper filing system. Thus, all confidentialdocuments are held in accordance to the requirements of the act, to ensure correct handlingand confidentiality of all kinds of information that the nurses have access to, in a healthcaresetting (Legislation.gov.uk 2018). It is imperative for all nurses to abide by a set of eightprinciples that govern the care of patients and safeguarding of data. Thus, nurses must ensure
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MENTAL HEALTH NURSING2that all kinds of personal information for patients are lawfully and fairly processed, forlimited purpose, in addition to being adequate, and relevant. Adherence to the act ensures thatnurses protect and respect the mental health information for all clients. Evidences haveestablished the fact that most psychiatric patients believed in improvement of theirtherapeutic relationship, if the conversations are confidential (Wong et al. 2015).Further principles of the Data Protection Act also govern the fact that all client dataare accurate, updated and processed in time, with the data rights of the clients. Furthermore,such confidential data should not be transferred across countries without adequate protection.Furthermore, client confidentiality also makes it necessary for the nursing professionals toprovide all clients the right to access the medical records. In other words, nurses shoulddemonstrate respect towards the right of the patients regarding their expectation that theirpersonal information is kept private and safeguarded (Hsieh et al. 2015). The Care Act 2014also focuses on supply of information that relates to the nursing responsibilities of complyingwith information requests from the safeguarding adult boards (Legislation.gov.uk 2018). According to the Code for Nurses and Midwives it is integral in nursing practice toowe a duty of confidentiality to care service users. This makes it mandatory for nurses torespect client’s right to privacy and also share necessary information in the best interest ofpatient safety (NMC 2015). This has been established by research evidences that havecorrelated respecting patient confidentiality with gaining a sound understanding of terms,good record keeping and proper information disclosure (Bai et al. 2014). On the other hand,Article 8 of the Human Rights Act protects the rights to respect private and family life.Furthermore, the article also stated that no interference should be made by public authoritieswith exercise of the right, except in accordance to the law (Liberty Human Rights 2018).Failure to adhere to these rights result in a breach of confidentiality by the nursingprofessionals, thereby causing a lawsuit. Written disclosure or authorization form must be
Mental Health Nursing Essay_3

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