Understanding Law, Ethics, Professional Guidelines in Nursing Practice

This essay delves into the critical importance of ethical codes and professional conduct within healthcare settings, specifically in nursing practice. It examines various transgressions, including a nurse's unauthorized drug use, working under the influence, and a nursing student's breach of patient confidentiality through social media. The essay analyzes how these actions violate legal compliance, professional integrity, and specific ethical standards outlined by the Australian Registered Nurse Standards for Practice. It further explores the potential legal and ethical consequences of such actions, emphasizing the need for strict workplace discipline, restrictions on electronic devices, and thorough pre-employment screening to prevent future violations. Finally, the essay suggests proactive measures, such as reporting misconduct and intervening to prevent ethical breaches, to ensure patient safety and uphold professional standards. The conclusion reinforces the necessity for healthcare facilities to enforce ethical guidelines rigorously.

UNDERSTANDING LAW,
ETHICS, PROFESSIONAL
GUIDELINES AND THEIR
RELATIONSHIP TO
NURSING PRACTICE

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
It has been seen as an integral part of the healthcare facilities to follow the set codes and
ethics in order to provide appropriate service to their patients. The below essay explores the
importance of the code of ethics and code of conduct in ensuring better control over the
healthcare facilities (Mathews and Bismark, 2015). The essay explores in what manner the
violated standards and practice can be provided with better legal and ethical future implications
to ensure better control. Along with it, it explains what can be done in order to solve if such
problems occur when the codes of conduct and ethics are being jeopardised.
MAIN BODY
Today, It is an important aspect of healthcare facilities to follow the code of conduct and
the code of ethics in order to ensure that appropriate practices are being followed within the
environment. It is essential that the healthcare facilities are following the set guidelines and
codes in order to ensure better working environment and safety of the individuals.
The first transgressions which has been occurred in the provided case study is the time
when Registered Nurse Jane stole or took the paracetamol from the medicine room. It is
inappropriate as per the law and both the ethics and conducts to steal or take anything from the
medical facilities (specially a drug) without the permission of a senior. It is important to take a
senior's permission in order to take anything from the medical facility. Specially, it is important
to have the prescription of the doctor to take any sort of drug or medicines, otherwise it is
ethically illegal.
The potential transgression seen in the case study is that the nurse arrived at the medical
facilities with a hangover of after consumption of alcohol. It violates the laws of ethics and the
patient cannot be treated when the doctor which is treating is in bad condition or in intoxicated, it
can impact patients health (Kassim and Alias, 2016). Later, after the lunch the registered nurse
started treating a patient in his complex vacuum dressing with being “unwell”. This explains that,
the nurse made a very big mistake because at first, by starting treatment with an unwell health
and second by arriving at the healthcare facilities with an intoxicated body. It violated both the
law and it impacted the set codes for effective security and safety for the patients.
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The biggest transgression which is seen in the study was done by the registered nursing
student. He took the picture of the patient and uploaded it on the social media and also made fun
of it. This is the biggest mistake of him because the patient was blind sighted and was old.
Making fun of him and posting the picture on social media with the inappropriate body part
could have been caused him a lot of mental discomfort. Above all, it breaks the law of safety and
security and the cold of ethics and code of conduct as well.
The above transgression of handling the patient with intoxicated mind and body (1) and
posting the image of the patient of social media without consent (2) have violated different codes
of both ethics and conduct. The first and the foremost code which is broken is the code of legal
compliance. This code explains that the nurses needs to respect and adhere to their professional
obligation (Sanggaran, Haire and Zion, 2016). In both of the situations the obligation were fairly
broken and none of the professional obligations were followed.
It is important for the persons working in the healthcare to ensure that they are following
the obligations and are ensuring right healthcare practices to the individuals arriving at the clinics
and hospitals. The registered nurse did not follow the obligations which were set under the law.
This includes ensuring safety of the individuals which are being treated by making sure that the
one who is operating them is in a healthy condition. The nurse was not in the appropriate
condition and she was intoxicated. The other code which was violated is acting with professional
integrity (Professional Behavior). Under this code it has been stated that it is important for the
individuals to follow the professional behavior.
In case, when professional behavior such as showing integrity, honesty, respect and
compassion are not being followed, they might pose a threat for the patients and their life as
well. The transgression of posting the image of the patient on social media and making fun of it,
does not showcase any type of respectful professional behavior (Berger and Miles, 2016). It also
shows lack of responsibility as well.
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When it comes to code of ethics, the violated ethics as per the Australian Registered
Nurse Standards for Practice were the ethics of “Nurses and People”, “Nurses and Practice”,
“Nurses and the profession” and of “Nurses and co-workers”.
In the above mentioned transgression 1, it has been seen that the ethic of Nurses and
People were jeopardized first, when the nurse started operating the patient by being in an unwell
health. It is important for the nurse to ensure that her own personal health is in appropriate
condition before treating the patient. The next ethic which was violated is of “Nurses and the
profession”, in which it has been stated that it is important for the nurses to maintain a good
profession (Moore and Donnelly, 2018). This will help in creating an environment which is
supportive of each other and it's ensuring a good role and responsibility of the individuals
working for an in the organisation. The transgression 1 and 2 both violated this ethic. Firstly,
when the registered nurse was in the condition of intoxication and was not alright by herself
started treating the patient. This is not as per the set ethics. At that time, it was important for her
to assign someone else for the treatment of the patient. Secondly, when the registered nursing
student took the picture of the patient and posted that on the social media. It violated the ethic of
Nurses and the profession.
The possible legal and ethical future implications for the student nurse or registered nurse
includes maintaining of strict discipline at workplaces. This implication is going to allow the
nurses working in the healthcare place to maintain a discipline while working. In this
implication, the senior doctors and the management of the organisation can keep up with the
checking of the nurses working in their clinics, hospitals and organizations. They can maintain a
duty rota in which every day each and every nurse is going to be checked by a senior doctor of
the organisation. They will be checked to ensure that they are in the appropriate health and are fit
for treatments (Hillis and Grigg, 2015). This implication will help the clinic and the workplaces
to ensure that effective treatments is taking place.
As per the views Sanggaran (2016), it is important for the medical facilities to set an
implication in which the doctors and medical officials working are not allowed with the mobile
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phones and any related electronic gadgets. This implication will save the facilities from the kind
of transgression that took place in the above findings. Not allowing the cellphones and other
gadgets in the workplaces will not provide anyone with the opportunity to post the personal
information of the patients, medical staff or the organisation itself online. Also, it would help the
workplace to protect and maintain its intellectual property.
According to Haire (2016), it is important for the clinical facilities and the hospitals while
recruiting to ensure that the people which they are hiring are not involved with any activities of
intoxication. Such as consumption of drugs and alcohol. This will help the medical facilities to
ensure that they are safe and are not having any individuals that can cause harm to the well-being
of the patient and the reputation of the organisation. Along with it, this is going to provide the
medical facilities with the individuals which are safe and can help the organisation in treating the
patients with safe approaches.
Similarly, Zion (2016) states that it has been seen as one of the most important aspect that
the individual which are being hired by the medical facilities are checked to ensure that are
aware of the code of ethic and codes of conducts This practices will allow the clinics and the
facilities to ensure that better growth and development is taking place along with ensuring the
health and welfare of their patients.
For the specific issues chosen above, firstly, when the registered nursing student saw the
registered nurse (Jane) taking the paracetamol from the medical facilities. He should have
directly informed the seniors working in the organisation about the situation. His information
would have helped the seniors to allow Jane to take rest for the day and then take necessary
action in order to ensure that such thing does not take place by her or anyone else working in the
organisation (Berger and Miles, 2016). Along with it, it would have saved the patient with the
trouble to being treated by someone who is not well already.
When the student nurse became aware of that the registered nurse is in the condition of a
hangover and she is unwell to take the patients. He should have immediately take action on that.
He should have informed this to the senior or either told Jane that she should not work, because
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working in such condition can might affect both the health of the individual and the patient
which are being treated by her (Moore and Donnelly, 2018). The student nurse if reported this
issue to the senior individual, they might have the strict action and have provided the nurse with
the required leave. It was important in such situation, because treating the patients in such
condition can impact the health and safety of the patients and also can impact the reputation of
the medical facility.
After lunch, when Jane (in the condition of hangover and bad health) started treating the
patient in his complex vacuum dressing, at that time, it was the responsibility of the student nurse
to inform Jane that this is not the appropriate thing to do because the patient is suffering from a
serious case and its is important for Jane to ensure that she should not treat him with being in
such condition. Along with it, the student nurse himself could've taken action on this particular
thing and have reported the whole scenario the senior doctors working in the workplace. This
could've save Jane from performing such complex dressing and the patient with the suffering of
facing any pain and discomfort caused by the nurse's mistake (Hillis and Grigg, 2015). Along
with it, it could've save the workplace with suffering from any harm being caused by the
activities of its nurse to the organisation and workplaces.
Taking these actions and ensuring these responsibilities were important for the student
nurse. It could've saved Jane with a lot of troubles and most importantly could've ensured that
important ethics and codes are properly being followed in the workplace. It is essential that
people working in the organisation and any of the healthcare facilities understand the importance
of following the ethics and codes and ensure that desired growth is taking place (Mathews and
Bismark, 2015). It is one of the most important responsibilities of the workplace as well to make
the people working in the organisation knowledgeable and aware about the situation important
ethics and codes.
CONCLUSION
The above report explores the importance of code of ethic and code of conduct required
in the healthcare facilities. From the above evaluations, it has been concluded that important
healthcare facilities needs to be strict in order to ensure that effective codes of conduct and code
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of ethics are being followed within the organisation. This can help the workplace to ensure that
their environment is safe and they are providing their patients with the required safety. Along
with it, the report explores the importance of implicating strict legalities on the people working
in the organisation in order to ensure that they are safe and fit for working in the organisation and
providing better healthcare and safety to their patients. These all aspects explains how important
it is for the organisation or healthcare facilities to ensure better healthcare and development of
their own individuals and patients both.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Berger, D. and Miles, S. H., 2016. Should doctors boycott working in Australia’s immigration
detention centres?. Bmj. 352. p.i1600.
Hillis, D. J. and Grigg, M. J., 2015. Professionalism and the role of medical colleges. The
Surgeon.13(5). pp.292-299.
Kassim, P. N. J. and Alias, F., 2016. Religious, ethical and legal considerations in end-of-life
issues: fundamental requisites for medical decision making. Journal of religion and health.
55(1). pp.119-134.
Mathews, B. and Bismark, M. M., 2015. Sexual harassment in the medical profession: legal and
ethical responsibilities. Medical Journal of Australia. 203(4). pp.189-192.
Moore, A. and Donnelly, A., 2018. The job of ‘ethics committees’. Journal of Medical Ethics.
44(7). pp.481-487.
Sanggaran, J. P., Haire, B. and Zion, D., 2016. The health care consequences of Australian
immigration policies. PLoS medicine. 13(2). p.e1001960.
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