Legal and Ethical Decision-Making in Nursing: A Comprehensive Analysis

This essay delves into the critical aspects of legal and ethical decision-making within the nursing profession. It begins by defining professional practice and its significance in maintaining a high standard of care. The essay explores the concepts of privacy and confidentiality within healthcare, outlining relevant laws such as the Health Practitioner National Law and the Privacy Act, and the importance of these principles in building trust and ensuring patient-centered care. It further examines the Australian Charter of Health Care Rights, highlighting its purpose and significance for both patients and healthcare professionals. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia's Code of Conduct is also discussed, emphasizing its role in guiding nurses' actions and decision-making. The essay concludes by summarizing how healthcare professionals can ensure they are providing professional nursing practice in accordance with the nurses' code of conduct.

Running head: LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN NURSING
Legal And Ethical Decision Making In Nursing Practise
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN NURSING
What is professional practice?
Professional practice assures nurses to preserve a superiority of care in the training,
continuously evidencing and appraising their practice. It also focuses upon culture,
governance, leadership, legislation,regulation and policy that needs to be followed during
providing care to the patients. It also important because it guides the continuing clinical
practice and promote safety (Government of South Australia, 2020).
Describe professional nursing practice
Professional nursing practice is the capability for concerned and compassion in
associations with patients. Professional practice involves proficiency in the field of practical
skills and also involves good behaviours for caring patients. It comprises of both experience
and knowledge in the choosen field of practice to give a better care.
Privacy and confidentiality within the Health field.
Medical confidentiality is a fixed set of rules that bounds entrance to information
conversed between an individual and their healthcare specialists. Privacy in a healthcare
means informations that are shared by the patients with the practisioners, these mainly
includes records of personal informations, previous medications and also any past history of
disease.
Which laws govern Registered Nursing health professionals with regard to privacy and
confidentiality?
The Health Practitioner National Law is enforced in Australia which guides the
individual in performing separate functions under the rules and regulation of the law. It forces
more upon protected information that the patients provides. The Privacy Act also helps in
protecting the information along with the communities and agencies (Ahpra & National

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LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN NURSING
Boards, 2019). The Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses also 10 rules that nurses must
follow in during the practise. This includes nurses must train in a safe method, they must
practise according to the rules of the board and health care, practice must be according to the
law, nurses must respect the patients, provide proper information to the patients, support the
patient, build trust and practice within ethics.
How is privacy and confidentiality part of professional nursing practice?
Nurses must maintain a proper privacy and confidentiality about the patient who is
under treatment and also not disclose the informations unless proper orders comes. Failing to
maintain privacy of any patient reduces the chance of person-centred care and breaks the trust
worthy relationship with the healthcare which effects the treatment as well (PRIVACY AND
CONFIDENTIALITY, 2015).
Outline the purpose of the Australian Charter of Health Care Rights and discuss why
those rights are significant for the patient/consumer and for the health professional in
the clinical setting.
The chart describes about the patients and consumers right that are used in the
healttthcares to provide a high quality of care and safety. The purpose of the charter is to
make everyones access in heath service, to protect the human rights and finally it respects all
the social cultures. This charter is significant because is provides every right to individuals to
access the service, in achieving safe and quality care, respecting each patient irrespective to
their social background, provides informed care, helps in free participation and decision
making, keeps information protected and also has right to address the concern about health. It
helps the care providers to omit further problems in future and avoid dilemma ("The
Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights in Victoria", 2016).

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LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN NURSING
What is the significance of the patients’ health care rights when related to professional
practice?
The significance of patients right is, it provides free access to health care services,
helps in participation and decision making, reduces the chance of biasness in health care,
provides correct information about the ongoing treatment. In case of patient complex care
consent forms are taken which reduces the difficulty in providing care.
Outline the purpose of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Code of Conduct
for Nurses and discuss its importance for clinical practice.
The Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses also 10 rules that nurses must keep an
eye on in the course of the practise. This contains nurses must practice in a safe method, they
must practise according to the rules of the board and health care, training must be according
to the law, nurses must respect the patients, provide proper information to the patients,
support the patient, build trust and practice within ethics. The codes are important because it
guides the nurse to make correct decisions about patient in difficult situation (Code of
Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia, 2020).
How can health professionals ensure that they are providing professional nursing
practice working within the nurses’ code of conduct?
The nurse must adhere to the 10 principles of code of conduct during practice. It helps
in avoiding conflict between the patient and healthcare. It also distrubes the chance of equal
treatment among all the patient. The nurse must have and keep a proper knowledge about the
rules and regulation of the code and also the health care service and accordingly document
the files.

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LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN NURSING
It can be concluded that professional practice is important in nursing practice as it
helps in giving a person-centered care towards any individual by following the clinical
guidelines.

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LEGAL AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING IN NURSING
References
Ahpra & National Boards. (2019). Privacy policy [Ebook]. Retrieved from
http://file:///C:/Users/LAPTOP_MP0281/Downloads/AHPRA---Policy---AHPRA-Privacy-
Policy.PDF
Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia. (2020). [Ebook]. Retrieved from
http://file:///C:/Users/LAPTOP_MP0281/Downloads/6_New-Code-of-Professional-
Conduct-for-Nurses-August-2008-1-.PDF
Government of South Australia. (2020). Professional practice :: SA Health. Retrieved 23
March 2020, from
https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/
about+us/department+of+health/system+performance+division/
nursing+and+midwifery+office/nursing+and+midwifery+professional+practice
PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY. (2015). Retrieved 23 March 2020, from
https://www.nursingworld.org/~4ad4a8/globalassets/docs/ana/position-statement-privacy-and-
confidentiality.pdf
The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights in Victoria. (2016). Retrieved 23 March 2020,
from http://monash-hospital.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Australian-Charter-of-
Healthcare-Rights-in-Victoria.pdf