Ethical & Legal Issues in Nursing (Health, Medicine, Nursing Essay)

Ethical & Legal Issues in Nursing
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Ethical & Legal Issues in Nursing
Introduction
Legal and ethical issues in nursing and medical fields are based on rules, laws, licensure, and standards that provide a framework by which medical practitioners are expected to conduct themselves during practice (Cohen et al., 2014). When they fall below the expected levels and acceptable competence and care standards, they are exposed to litigation. The litigation relates to professional negligence, malpractices, and failing to exercise a reasonable level of care.
Ethical issues are based on individual values of right and wrong. In a medical environment, ethical issues occur, and on different occasions, medical practitioners are faced with ethical dilemmas. In the line of duty, various ethical principles guide them. These include but are not limited to respect for patient autonomy, beneficence, justice, veracity, fidelity, and nonmaleficence (Humphreys, 2005). The American Nurses Association's code of ethics provides guidance and explains nurses' ethical standards across all roles and setting expectations.
Therefore, medical practitioners should confine to legal, ethical, and professional duties in their practice to avoid legal consequences and ethical dilemmas.
Example of a Legal and Ethical
Mrs. Dave, a patient in a nursing home, made constant requests for 40mgs of meperidine, which was prescribed to her every 5 hours. She stated that the drug was not relieving her pain, and after four hours of taking it, she requested another dose. The assigned nurse thought that the patient had become addicted to meperidine. Upon consulting the doctor, the nurse prescribed her normal saline instead.
Legal and Ethical Framework
According to the example above, the legal and ethical issue is to respect the patients' duty of care and autonomy given to all patients. Respect for patient's autonomy means acknowledging that patients can make decisions concerning their care even if they contradict doctors' recommendations. If their choices contradict the doctor's advice, doctors should educate them on the risks of their decisions and any alternatives available for them to make independent and informed decisions. Those with mental problems are exempted(Gunn et al., 2014). These issues, when breached, lead to legal consequences all over the world. The nurse's perspective is to ethically maintain the standards of practice and respect the rights of clients. Therefore, nurses should acknowledge the individuality of a patient, use professional skills and knowledge for the patient's benefit, and uphold the nursing profession's required standards and pra...