Nursing Ethics: Case Study Analysis, Legal and Ethical Implications

This essay presents a case study involving a nurse witnessing a colleague stealing antidepressant drugs from a drug room, analyzing the situation through the lens of Australian Registered Nurse standards. The essay explores the ethical and legal implications of the colleague's actions, referencing the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia's guidelines and code of ethics. It examines specific standards related to evidence-based practice, compliance with regulations, ethical decision-making, documentation, professional relationships, communication, and reporting. The essay details the actions the witnessing nurse should take, including immediate intervention, documentation, reporting to management, and adherence to ethical frameworks. Legal and ethical implications of the theft are discussed, emphasizing the nurse's responsibilities to maintain patient safety, uphold professional standards, and ensure accountability within the healthcare setting. The conclusion stresses the importance of ethical conduct and adherence to nursing standards to maintain a safe and effective healthcare environment.

NURSING
ESSAY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
Case .................................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................7
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INTRODUCTION
Australian registered nurse standard have given guidelines that are essential to be
followed for all the registered nurses. Different sections of the standards gives guidelines for
practices that needs to be followed by registered nurses (Parahoo, 2014).
CASE
According to the case scenario it has bee observed that nurse is working in the drug room
preparing an intravenous injection. A colleague comes in and slips a packet of antidepressant
drugs in their pocket. It is an unethical action that has been taken by the the health care
practitioner and it is required that immediate actions should be taken so that this type of actions
should be avoided in coming future. There are some responsibilities of nurses that they need to
ful-fill for ensuring that all the patients should be provided with better care and services.
It is imperative that immediate actions should be taken so that theft and other illegal
practices should be prevented. There are some ethical standards that needs to be followed by a
registers nurse so that smooth functioning of care setting should be ensured. In addition to that
guidelines have been given under the Australian Registers Nurse standard for practice. There is
need for implementing the system properly so that it should be ensured that they should be
patients should be provided with better medical care. Registered nurse (RN) is an individual who
has completed the required and prescribed education preparation and who demonstrates
competence towards practices. Registered nurse is a person who is been registered under the
Health practitioner regulation national law as a registers nurse in Australia.
Ethical guidelines for nurses :- Code of ethics have been developed for nursing professionals in
Australia and it is relevant to all the levels and areas of practices. As per the code of ethics it is
required that nurses should value quality nursing care for all people and nurses should value
respect and kindness for all others (Twigg & McCullough, 2014). Nurses needs to value quality
nursing and health care for all individuals and they should value informed decision making. It is
responsibility of nurses to value of culture and safety in nursing and health care for all the
associated people. Nurses also needs to value informed decision making and nurses needs to
value economically, Socially and ecologically sustainable environment with objective to promote
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health and well-being of individual. It is require that ethical framework should be used by nurses
for making decision sin the care setting.
Australian Registered Nurse standard for practices :- Nursing and Midwifery board of
Australia has given Australian Registered Nurse standard people (Wahoush & Banfield, 2014).
Nurses also needs to value informed decision making and nurses needs to value record for
practices. Under this there are seven standards that have been given for practice. In these
standards all the standards are interconnected and each one depicts about the methods through
which they are demonstrated.
Under standard 1 and section 1.1 it has been mentioned that the registered nurse is liable for
accessing, analysing and using the best available evidences that includes research findings for
ensuring safe and quality practices. In the present case the nurse is is drug room and preparing an
intravenous injection. At the same time a colleague comes in and slips a packet of antidepressant
drugs in their pockets. As the witnessing nurse it becomes duty to immediately stop the person
so that this kind of incidents should be stopped. If the person makes arguments than it is required
that further actions should be taken so that culprit should be punished for the mistakes made by
him.
Nurse need to apply further researches so that I should found about the previous record
of my colleague. It will aid me in identifying the cases in which the person have been involved.
As per the guidelines given in the Section 1.1 of standard 1 it becomes responsibility of
registered nurse to access, analyse and use the best available evidences so that safe quality
practices should be ensured. As a witnessing nurse will try to collect further evidences against
the person so that RN can report it to the top management so that proper actions should be taken
by management against the person. RN will try to gather necessary evidences from the record
book of drug room. RN will also check the monitoring cameras recording so that I can assemble
necessary information against the person. It will support me in presenting authentic and reliable
information in front of management so that appropriate actions should be taken against the
person. RN will make efforts for collecting best possible evidences through conducting research
so that guilty should be punished.
Standard 1 section 1.4 :- According to the guidelines given in the section nurses needs to
comply with the regulations, policies, guidelines and other standards that are required andn
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relevant in context of practices when making decisions for care home (El Haddad, Moxham &
Broadbent, 2013). As a witnessing nurse RN have observed that my colleague is found to be
involving in theft practices for stealing packet of antidepressant in their pockets. It becomes my
duty top take immediate action against the person who is found to be involved in stealing a
packet of antidepressant.
Standard 1 section 1.5 :- It is accountability of the registered nurse to use ethical framework
while taking decisions. In this case it is ethically wrong that a person is involved in theft
practices at work place (Scanlon, Cashin & Buckely, 2016). According to the ethical guidelines
it becomes my duty to stop the person for getting involved in stealing practices. RN need to stop
the person immediately so that anti depressant drugs should be protected and resources of the
health care home should be protected. Ethical frameworks needs to be used my me so that RN
can take more better and appropriate action against the individual.
Standard 1 section 1.6 :- A registered nurse is responsible for maintaining accurate,
comprehensive and timely documentation of assessment, planning and decision making, actions
and overall evaluations. RN need to take immediate action against the person who is found
involved in theft activities (Ralph, Birks & Chapman, 2015). RN need to prepare proper
documents so that top management of care home should be provided with the reliable and
authentic information. Actions taken by management against the person also needs to be
documented properly so that in future this type of documents should be used for taking future
actions against such type of people.
Standard 2 section 2.1 :- Guidelines have been mentioned in this that registered nurses needs to
be establish and sustain and conclude relationships in a manner that could make differentiate
between boundaries between personal and professional relationship. In this case while working
in drug room RN have observed that my colleague have been involved in picking antidepressant
drugs from the store room. In this case as the person is my colleague and due to this RN do not
have any right for including my personal relationship in this case. RN need to make more efforts
for separating all the boundaries so that legal and ethical actions should be taken against the
person. In this case RN need to ful fill my professional duties.
Standard 2 section 2.2 :- In this standard it is mentioned that Registered nurses should
communicate effectively. It is essential that top management should be informed about this
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incidents and it will aid for taking appropriate action against the person. RN need not to make
use of abusing language so that respect , dignity, culture and values, beliefs and rights of
individual should not be disturbed.
Standard 2 section 2.6 :- According to this standard RN should use proper delegation,
supervision, coordination and consultation in professional relationships. RN need to take
effective action against the person as RN am witnessing nurse so RN need to keep proper
supervision on the person so that appropriate action should be taken.
Standard 2 section 2.9 :- In this section it has been clearly mentioned that registered nurses
should clearly report the notifiable conduct of health professionals, health workers and other
individuals. With this, it becomes my duty as a nurse that RN should made aware to my seniors
about such kind of practices so that strict action should be taken against such individual. My
colleague was involved in activities of stealing drugs from the drug room. It becomes my
responsibility that RN should report such type of behaviour to the management people so that
strict action could be ensured and this type of practices should be stopped in the firm. In this case
RN have observed that my colleague has stolen anti depressant drugs and it is an unethical and
illegal practice that is conducted by my colleague. It is vital that this should be informed to
management so that on due time appropriate actions should be taken.
Standard 6 section 6.6 :- It has been mentioned under this that registers nurses needs should
make use of appropriate processes to identify and report potential and actual risk that is related
system issues. Practices that are below the expected standards should be informed and reported
to the top management. In this section proper guideline have been given that all the processes
should be properly reported to the management so that appropriate actions should be taken
against the person who is guilty.
Legal implication :- As a witnessing nurse RN have observed that in the drug room my
colleague has been found involved in slipping a packet of anti depressant drugs in their pocket.
The person is involved in doing illegal activity. It is an illegal action that has been taken by the
health care professional and due to this it is required that immediate action should be taken so
that legal actions should be taken so that punishment should be given to the person. Legal action
can be taken against the person so that better action could be taken against the individual.
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Ethical implication :- It is unethical that a person is stealing things from the floor and due to
that resources of the care home are getting deteriorated. It is an unethical behaviour that is
performed by the person and due to that overall impact has been observed on the stock of drugs.
If this type of activities will be performed on continuous basis. The person needs to be made
aware that it is an unethical practice and he should immediately stop such kind of actions. It is
required that the person should be told that it is an unethical behaviour. Management of the
company needs to take immediate action so that person involved in such type of heinous crime
should be punished.
Actions :- Witnessing nurse immediately need to tell the person that it is wrong to steal the
things from the drug room and from the store room. It is required that RN should supervise the
person closely so this type of incidents should be stopped and health care setting should be
smoothly run. If person is found involved in this type of activities in future also than it is
required that strict actions should be taken against the individual. Top management people needs
to punish the guilty so that other health care professionals should also be made realize that this
type of behaviour will not be entertained. It is required that clear message should be given to all
the health care professionals so that they can behave in professional manner.
CONCLUSION
Summing up the present report it can be concluded that it is responsibility of registered
nurse for ensuring that all practices in health care setting should be performed effectively.
Australian registered nurse standard gives guidelines about code of conduct and ethical practices
that needs to be followed by midwives and nurses.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
El Haddad, M., Moxham, L., & Broadbent, M. (2013). Graduate registered nurse practice
readiness in the Australian context: an issue worthy of discussion. Collegian, 20(4), 233-238.
Parahoo, K. (2014). Nursing research: principles, process and issues. Palgrave Macmillan.
Ralph, N., Birks, M., & Chapman, Y. (2015). The accreditation of nursing education in Australia.
Collegian, 22(1), 3-7.
Scanlon, A., Cashin, A., Bryce, J., Kelly, J. G., & Buckely, T. (2016). The complexities of
defining nurse practitioner scope of practice in the Australian context. Collegian, 23(1), 129-
142.
Twigg, D., & McCullough, K. (2014). Nurse retention: a review of strategies to create and
enhance positive practice environments in clinical settings. International Journal of Nursing
Studies, 51(1), 85-92.
Wahoush, O., & Banfield, L. (2014). Information literacy during entry to practice: Information-
seeking behaviors in student nurses and recent nurse graduates. Nurse education today, 34(2),
208-213.
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