Reflective Essay on Nursing Ethics and Practice

Running head: NURSING ETHICS
NURSING ETHICS
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

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NURSING ETHICSReflective essay on nursing ethics and practice
Nurses have always played major role in patient safety. They are the professionals who
are with the patient around the clock. They are the bed side professional and are also positioned
for preventing the medication errors, ensuring the patient to get the safety treatment. A proper
registered nurse is also well aware of the problems of the health care system that delay care
(Johnstone, 2015).
The following essay aims to focus on the type of nursing that has been used in this case
study and would analyze the conduct of the nurse. The essay will further give ideas about the
NMBA standards of the nursing and how some of the standards have been breached in this case.
For discussing the breaching of the standards we will provide a distinct idea about the different
NMBA standard (Butts & Rich, 2012).
The essay is based on the analysis of a case study where some of the codes of ethics for
the nurses and the midwives have been breached in this case. The essay proceeds with the
overview of the patient. Patient A had been admitted to the hospital due to several comorbidities
like acute breathlessness, tachycardia, leg edema and diabetes. Two days before his admission to
the hospital he was found to visit the hospital with low BP and respiratory distress, where he was
diagnosed and was found with fine creps in his lungs and low BP. He was applied oral Latix to
relieve breathlessness, but according to the convict of Patient A, it did not decrease his
breathlessness. He was admitted in to the hospital with more serious conditions. As per the report
by HCCC commission, the condition of the patient was worsening day by day. It was reported
that before the demise of Patient A, he was suffering from diarrhea and acute chest pain. On his
last days, when he was being monitored for a clinical handover to some other improved setting,
he died. It was reported that he died out of Septicemia.

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NURSING ETHICSThe essay aims to throw light on the malpractices and the indifference attitude of the health care
professionals, towards a deteriorating patient, whose negligence succumbed death in Patient A.
The case study already provides with the fact that the patient was suffering from very low
blood pressure which is a matter of concern for an elderly patient. But the complaint said that the
health practitioner failed to document the assessment of Patient A. The patient’s B.P was 89/53
and the respiratory rate was 40-44, signifying bradycardia. Inspite of observing the patient’s vital
sign to be in the ‘red zone’, the respondent did not call or any medical review or did not inform
the clinical nurse manager. As per the complaint, the respondent did not document the
observations of the patient. The patient was suffering from prolonged back pain, but neither the
health officer nor the respondent bothered to investigate the reason. It was visible that the white
cell count in patient A has increased from the normal count, which was a clear condition of
infection. The respondent had admitted in front of the committee that she was concerned about
the patient’s condition and supported the fact that the hospital was not well equipped to deal with
such critical conditions. As per the statement of the respondent, she had been informed at the
clinical handover that the health practitioner who was attending the patient had gone away, and
as there was no doctor available she waited for the locum to attend the patient.
Registered nursing practice is normally evidence based and is person centered with
curative, preventive, supportive, formative and palliative elements (Dawson, King & Grantham,
2013). An RN should focus not only in establishing professional and therapeutic relationship
with the patient but also with the patient’s family. In some cases the nurses have to establish non
clinical relationship with the patient. It is her duty to look after the patient safety and care at any
cost.