NUR222 The Code of Conduct and Ethical-Legal Points Assignment Sample

• Subject Code : NUR222
• University : University of Sunshine Coast My Assignment Services is not sponsored or endorsed by this college or university.
• Subject Name : Nursing

Health, Law and Ethics - Case Study 1

Introduction

On my placement, when I was taking my patient to his room I saw that my fellow mate had a heated argument and slapped his patient in front of others. He then left him and went away. According to principle 1.2 of the code of conduct of nurses, the nurses are supposed to maintain the lawful behavior of the patients (Cowin et al. 2020). However, in this case, the shouting at the patient and slapping him was inappropriate behavior. According to principle 2.2 of code of conduct in Australia for nurses, the nurses are required to maintain effective decision-making concerning the care of the patient but the way the victim patient was treated, made him feel that his values are not maintained and he burst out in anger. This resulted in misunderstanding and argument with the associated nurse. Moreover, according to principle 8.2 of the code of conduct in Australia for nurses, the nurses are required to maintain a professional environment for fast and effective recovery of the patient (Schmidt et al. 2017). However, in this case, shouting at the patient, slapping him in front of others and his safety was also not maintained. This shows that such a safe environment was not maintained by the nurse, as the patient felt so ashamed and was crying out of fear.

Discussion

The moment that the entire event was seen, it was decided to immediately serve the patient and then ran to report the senior nurse to look into the matter. As the act did by the fellow nurse was not as per the code of conduct and the patient can file a legal case against the nurse. So, the police were also called to legally manage the situation. According to Hartin et al. (2018), it is the duty of the nurse to inform his/her senior nurse or the nurse unit manager about the unexpected outcomes. The nurse is also supposed to maintain a safe lawful behavior and appropriate environment to ensure the patient’s recovery is fast and if these values are not maintained a legal case may arise. Ethics are found to be very important in nursing to ensure that the health care services and the health care professionals establish a healthy environment among patients, co-workers, and other health care providers (Birks et al. 2018).

Reflection

Last night on my placement, I witnessed that my fellow nurse had an unprofessional and unethical behavior as he slapped the patient and left him in the middle of the corridor. I felt so bad and was shocked to see the entire event. I realized that he did not maintain the principles 1.2, 2.2, and 8.2 of the code of conduct of Australian nurses. For which he should be punished and the matter should be solved in a proper legal manner. I learned that a nurse should exhibit professionalism in his/her duty and should prioritize the patient’s safety and care. In the future, if a similar case arises then I will make sure that the patient is explained about things properly and nurses take more time if needed to have proper and effective communication with lawful behavior and safe environment with the patient to avoid arguments and unexpected results.

Conclusion

Sometimes due to ineffective communication, an argument may arise between the nurse and the patients. However, the nurse should always be in boundaries of professionalism and follow the code of ethics or code of conduct in the duties to ensure that the patient’s respect, dignity, and safety are maintained at every stage so that a complete and quality care is provided to the patient. All the nurses should respect their patients, protect and maintain their rights, dignity, and respect. If the nurse works according to the ethics and code of conduct then she/he can win the patent’s trust, this can prevent unexpected arguments that might hurt patient’s feelings and peaceful state of health or mind. The impact of a proper environment on a patient’s health and recovery plays a major role so it should be ensured that the patents are provided with an appropriate environment where they do not feel fear to express their feelings and convey their point of perceptions.

Health, Law and Ethics - Case Study 2

Introduction

My roommate also works in the same ward as a nurse but as she had a lot of alcohol so issues have arisen. According to the principle 1 and 7.1 of code of conduct, the change in the state of health of the colleague then that should be reported to the senior so that patient’s dignity and safety is not harmed and lawful behavior is also maintained (O'Callaghan et al. 2018). As the roommate asked me not to do so and also not himself reported to the seniors, this might lead to harm to the patient. Moreover, due to the non-conduction of principle 1.2 of code of conduct the nurse showed that this act leads to legal actions in the future if the patient filed a case against his safety not being maintained inside the hospital by the associated nurses. According to principle 6.2 of the code of ethics, the nurse should prevent the situation that can potentially harm the patient or hospital’s workplace healthcare services (Birks et al. 2018). As the nurse is smelling of alcohol a lot and is also not in a complete sense, this can lead to serious harm either himself or a risk to the patient’s health and his safe environment.

Discussion

It was decided to inform the seniors as it the duty of the nurse to either inform the senior nurses or encourage the co-workers to do the same. According to Ingham-Broomfield (2016), a nurse should always maintain the professionalism and code of conduct while working in the workplace. This is so because it is a duty of the nurse to provide a safe and secure environment and comprehensive services to the patient. According to Bryce et al. (2017), alcohol can cause the consumer to become less alert and less responsive to the actions. In such cases, in a hospital workplace where alertness and responsiveness are highly required it is unacceptable and also possible that a nurse can provide or manage efficiently if any immediate medical emergency arises. If in case any unexpected outcomes occur then the patient or hospital can file a legal action case against such irresponsible nurse.

Reflection

Last week, my roommate started drinking a lot and was also arrested for drink and drive. He also had an early morning shift for which he badly smelt like a drinker. So, I asked him to inform the seniors about his status but he neither did it nor allowed me to do the same. I felt very surprised to see his unethical and irresponsible behavior. However, I also felt proud of myself that I followed my duties and responsibilities effectively and helped in saving and provide continued and quality care services to the patent. I learned that if the nurse himself/herself is not in a proper state of a drunken state, then this can harm the safety or health of the patient and this behavior is also unethical and unacceptable. In the future, if such cases arise then I will encourage the co-worker to avoid such behaviors and inform the seniors about their state.

Conclusion

A nurse is very supposed to drink and then come up for their services in hospital as this is a completely unethical and unprofessional attitude. The seniors should always be informed about the status of the nurses so that no harm is there to the patient and no legal complications can arise. Therefore, the code of conduct and ethics should always be followed by nurses. It is the duty of the nurse to be alert, accountable, and responsible for his/her actions. Such behavior ensures that the patient, co-workers and other health care provides are safe. Moreover, the co-workers should always step-up if they notice any unethical activity in the workplace that might harm the patient’s health. These codes of conduct not only help in gaining the patient’s trust but also help in providing competent health care services to the patients.

Health, Law and Ethics - Case Study 3

Introduction

The female patient’s necklace was kept by the assistant nurse. According to the 1.2 principles of code of conduct, lawful behavior should be shown by the nurses (Johnstone 2016). In this case, the assistant nurse took complete care of the personal property of the patient like her necklace, which was kept safe until her processes. According to the 2.3 principles of code of conduct, there should be informed consent with the patient. In this case, the patient was told that her necklace has been kept in a safe place and it will be returned to her after her medical procedures and the patent agreed to this statement as well. Moreover, according to the 3.5 principles of code of conduct, it is the duty of the nurse to maintain privacy and confidentiality (Johnstone 2017). In this case, the patient’s highly precious material was not disclosed to anyone else and was safely stored/kept by the assistant nurse.

Discussion

The patient’s necklace, earrings, and other stuff are removed before starting the medical procedures that these substances can hinder the processes (Fisher et al. 2020). Therefore, the medical staff ensures that the patient’s private materials or his/her property is privately and securely stores or kept so that it is not lost and the patient is provided with his/her materials after medical procedures are over. However, the assistant nurses should be taught to keep such materials in appropriate bags only despite keeping the patient’s material with them (Linton and Koonmen 2020). So that a proper manner is followed and if theft or loss occurs then it can be informed to the police to ensure legal action is taken for the patient’s quality and complete care. 

Reflection

I was in an early morning shift with my assistant nurse, where we admitted female for her medical procedure and removed her necklace. The patent was told that her necklace has been safe and it will be returned to her after the procedure is over. However, I did not find the necklace where I had kept it, so I asked the assistant nurse then found that it was with the nurse. I felt scared with the fear of losing the patent’s property but was relieved after the necklace was returned to the patient safely. I learned that the nurses should keep the patient’s property or related material is a proper bag despite keeping it with them, so that compete safety is ensured. In the future, if a similar condition arose then I will inform the patient first for her consent and then keep the materials in a properly labeled bag.

Conclusion

It is concluded that to provide and practice safe nursing practice it is ensured that the nurses follow the code of conduct in the nursing workplace while providing health care services to their patients. They should remove the patient’s necklace, earrings, bangles, and other related materials from their body for safe and undisturbed medical procedures. With the patient’s consent his/her materials should be removed and kept safely. The patient’s property should not be kept with the nurses but it kept in a separate and properly maintained labeled bag. This is so because if any theft or loss occurs then the police officials will be informed that professionalism was maintained at the nurses’ end still due to other reasons the loss has occurred. In this way, the nurses should maintain their level of professionalism and perform their duties and responsibilities efficiently.

References for Health, Law and Ethics

Birks, M., Smithson, J., Lindsay, D. and Davis, J. 2018. How registered nurses determine their scope of practice: A cross-sectional study. Contemporary Nurse, vol. 54, no. 6, pp.578-591. https://doi.org/10.1080/10376178.2018.1520605

Bryce, J., Foley, E. and Reeves, J. 2017. Conduct most becoming. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, vol. 25, no. 6, pp.25. https://doi.org/10.1111/voxs.12409

Cowin, L.S., Riley, T.K., Heiler, J. and Gregory, L.R. 2019. The relevance of nurses and midwives code of conduct in Australia. International Nursing Review, vol. 66, no. 3, pp.320-328. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12534

Fisher, K., Robichaux, C., Sauerland, J. and Stokes, F. 2020. A nurses’ ethical commitment to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Nursing Ethics, pp.0969733019900310. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0969733019900310

Hartin, P., Birks, M. and Lindsay, D. 2018. Bullying and the nursing profession in Australia: An integrative review of the literature. Collegian, vol. 25, no. 6, pp.613-619. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2018.06.004

Ingham-Broomfield, R.B. 2016. A nurses' guide to mixed methods research. Australian journal of advanced nursing, vol. 33, no. 4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aucc.2016.02.001

Johnstone, M.J. 2016. Key milestones in the operationalisation of professional nursing ethics in Australia: A brief historical overview. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, The, vol. 33, no. 4, pp.35. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0969733019878833

Johnstone, M.J. 2017. Ethics, evidence and the anti-vaccination debate. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, vol. 24, no. 8, pp.27. https://doi.org/10.1097/HCM.0000000000000292 

Linton, M. and Koonmen, J. 2020. Self-care as an ethical obligation for nurses. Nursing Ethics, pp. 0969733020940371. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0969733020940371

O'Callaghan, C., Loukas, P., Brady, M. and Perry, A., 2018. Exploring the experiences of internationally and locally qualified nurses working in a culturally diverse environment. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, The, 36(2), p.23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2019.11.005

Schmidt, B.J., MacWilliams, B.R. and Neal-Boylan, L., 2017. Becoming inclusive: a code of conduct for inclusion and diversity. Journal of Professional Nursing, 33(2), pp.102-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2016.08.014

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