Professional Values in Nursing Practice: Upholding Confidentiality and Effective Communication

Professional values 1
Professional values
Name
Institutional affiliation

Professional values 2
Introduction.
The nursing practice is broad; from patient care to research and education. The various
aspects of nursing practice are regulated by various legal, ethical and professional codes and
standards. All nurses are included in the register when they commit to abide by the requirements
of the profession which are stipulated in the codes and standards. Adherence and compliance to
these regulations are enforced by a professional regulatory body. The nursing and midwifery
council is mandated with this task in the UK (Osborne, 2015). Their legal standards are those
which are those whose adherence is required by a law to be undertaken. A failure to comply
attracts a punitive action following a criminal proceeding.
Professional codes are not necessarily a requirement of the law. They are stipulated by
the professional body for its members. A deviation from the expectations subjects an individual
to disciplinary measures through a professional tribunal that analyses their conduct. According to
Feo, Rasmussen, Wiechula, Conroy, and Kitson (2017), this is done by considering their
professional expectations with reference to their skills and qualification. Ethical requirement
derives the expectations of the values and virtues gained in practice. It also has demanded some
level of professional judgement. Ethical requirements may be a legal requirement or just an
expectation of the professional body. Personal values in practice are the main consideration.
In the case scenario, professional values of confidentiality and communication are the
main concern. These are important aspects of a nurse-patient interaction. They are the basis of
building a rapport and trust upon which nursing practice happens. These values cut across the
legal, ethical and professional requirements in practice. These two basic components of nursing
practice are comprehensively discussed below.

Professional values 3
Confidentiality
According to the nursing and midwifery council (2015), the nurse owes the duty of
confidentiality to all those receiving their care. Patients have a right to privacy and
confidentiality (Moss, 2017). When a nurse takes up the responsibility of care, they are obliged
to treat the patients with utmost level confidentiality. They enter into an agreement of non-
disclosure which must be respected. A breach of this agreement is punishable by law and the
regulatory body. Confidentiality is argued to be the most important value for any health
professional. Care can only be provided when the patient discloses all the necessary information
to the care provider during history taking (Griffith, 2015). The course of interventions is based
on the acquired information. If the patients withhold some information, a care plan that is
formulated may miss some very vital details which may have some far-reaching consequences to
the patient. This may range from the prescription of the wrong drugs or prescription of drugs in
lower quantities than the required doses. Some studies have shown that healthcare providers have
spent so much time and resources treating the symptoms rather than the root cause of a problem.
The root problem could have otherwise been detected in the process of history taking.
Taking a good history is influenced by the level of trust a healthcare provider inspires
from their interaction with the patient. Patient integrity is a major concern to them that does not
influence their health-seeking behaviour but also their adherence to the treatment regimen. The
success of nurse-patient interaction is pegged on the level of confidence (Gilbert, Rickert &
Aalsma, 2014). It is one aspect that cannot be substituted. The issue of confidentiality has some
legal and ethical requirements surrounding it. In law, the aspect of confidentiality is a key factor
in patient care. There is no single law that has been formulated to address the issue of

Professional values 4
confidentiality (Ferguson, 2016). The sources of these laws have been judicial precedents
following cases that touched on the matter. For instance, in the case of Hunter v Mann (Carr,
2015), the court ascertained that a doctor is bound by duty not to voluntarily disclose,
information, which they have gained in their professional capacity from the patient, without their
consent. This law addresses the nurses and all other healthcare providers involved in care
provision.
The law protects the dignity and autonomy of individuals (Monrouxe, Rees, Dennis &
Wells, 2015). Confidentiality is necessary to uphold this human right (Michalowski, 2017).
Medical information is recognized as private and the law requires its protection. Handling of
patient data is done to in confidence and by only those authorized. Consent is sort in case the
information is to be shared. In the case scenario, being a nurse, the duty of responsibility has to
be upheld at all times. Patient information, concerning their course of treatment and prognosis
can be disclosed to other people only when consent has been sought from them. Without a
consent, it is prohibited to do so. The information that is being sorted in the case scenario is
identifiable to the patient; thus should be held handled with strict confidentiality.
Sharing information with friends and relatives is also guided by the principle of
confidentiality. The patient should consent to disclosure of information to them (Dheensa,
Fenwick & Lucassen, 2016). The law has a provision where a patient can give the power of
attorney to a family member or attorney to make decisions concerning their care if they are
incapacitated. Such an individual will be granted the right to access their information in order to
make an informed decision. By signing the legal documents granting such powers, the patient
will have consented to disclosure as per the terms and conditions governing the relationship. In