Analysis of Care Plans and Ethical/Legal Considerations in Nursing

This assignment provides a comprehensive overview of nursing care plans, emphasizing their significance in delivering holistic patient care. It defines a care plan as a written document outlining a patient's needs, including physical, emotional, spiritual, cultural, and social aspects, and highlights its rol...Read More

Nursing
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Institutional:

Question 1
A care plan is a written document that clearly illustrates the client’s assessment of holistic
needs including physical, emotional, spiritual, cultural and social needs (Doenges, Moorhouse,
Murr, 2014). It sets out the care directions for the client’s holistic needs and specifically outlines
observations to be made, nursing interventions to be made, and the expectations from the client
together with the family members.
Care plans aid nursing staff in the monitoring of the patients' conditions (Blair $ Smith,
2012). The observations made, and nursing actions to be carried out are precisely documented.
Care plans allow continuity of care; it is a means of communicating the instructions of care
which are to be implemented by the constantly changing nursing staff. As the health care needs
of the patients are met, it documented in the care plan as per the implementation is done. The
updated nursing care plan is therefore handed over on to the nursing staff reporting on duty at the
change of shift for continuity of care and monitoring.
Care plan provides direction and guidelines for individualized care of the specific clients. Every
patient has his/her distinct list of diagnoses which are normally tackled according to the priority
of the individual's specific needs. The nursing staff takes note of what is to be done at what time
and how is it to be done for an effective outcome and not to put the client in danger.
Care plan also serves as a guide of reimbursement (Green, 2018). If the care given to the
patient is clearly documented in the nursing care plan, then it acts as proof that nursing care
management was provided. Care plans are used by the insurance companies to reflect and
determine the level of care so that they pay in relation to the hospital care received by the client.
Normally the insurance agencies may not release any funds where there is no documentation of
care of the patient.
Question 2
Some of the legal and ethical consideration required to provide individual patient support are
as follows; Privacy/confidentiality or Disclosure, Dignity of risk, Human rights, Discrimination,

mandatory report and Work role boundaries (Thorogood, Knoppers, 2014). When handling the
patients' records and findings information should not be shared with the non-staff members
anyhow. Privacy should also be observed when giving out care and performing procedures such
as intramuscular drug administration. Patient's human rights are the freedoms to which all
patients are entitled and should be considered when giving out care. Patients have right to life,
right to religion, right to good health, right to the pursuit of happiness and even a right to make
medical decisions (Gillick, 2012) and all these should be considered. Every patient should be
free from discrimination and care should be given to each and everyone with equality.
Regarding dignity of risk, every patient should be protected from any risk that may hurt
him/her. Nursing staff should ensure the safety or well-being of the patients. If the patient is
convulsing, he/she should be put in an environment free from obstacles which could hurt the
patient. Suspected cases of child abuse or the aged should be reported according to the enacted
mandatory reporting laws of the government. When a nursing staff observes the above legal and
ethical requirements, he/she will promote independence and support the physical, social,
emotional and psychological well being of the client consumer.

References
Green, M. A. (2018). Understanding health insurance: A guide to billing and reimbursement.
Cengage Learning. references
Blair, W., & Smith, B. (2012). Nursing documentation: frameworks and barriers. Contemporary
Nurse, 41(2), 160-168.
Thorogood, A., & Knoppers, B. M. (2014). The ethical and legal duties of physicians in clinical
genetics and genomics. Routledge Handbook of Medical Law and Ethics, 319.
Doenges, M. E., Moorhouse, M. F., & Murr, A. C. (2014). Nursing care plans: Guidelines for
individualizing client care across the life span. FA Davis.
Gillick, M. R. (2012). Doing the right thing: a geriatrician's perspective on medical care for the
person with advanced dementia. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 40(1), 51-56.