Accountability as a Concept
Wendie Malkinski
Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing
Dr. Linda Phelps
November 29, 2015

Accountability as a Concept Accountability in the field of nursing is very important as everything we do can either save or take lives. When mistakes are made at this level of care it affects public trust and someone must take responsibility for mistakes and also life saving measures. This is one of the cornerstones of the medical profession as a whole. As we have taken an oath to do no harm. Responsibility equals accountability. Accountability shows in many ways, shapes and forms. This concept also shows up in more than just the medical field, and nursing. It appears in everything from architecture, government, and even our personal lives. All throughout history the concept of accountability has appeared on the canvas. For example, President Truman embraced the term “The buck stops here”. Basically saying that instead of passing the blame or the “buck”, the responsibility lies with him as our leader and president. (The Harry S. Truman Library, n.d.). What the Literature Says During a preliminary literature search, I found the accountability concept displayed in many different disciplines and categories. For example, I found accountability mentioned in the medical field, government, sociology, psychology, and even engineering / architecture. Going a little further in a literature search accountability was even found in education and in human resources management. So in a word, the concept of accountability is found everywhere we live, work, and even in our personal relationships now and forever. This is an everlasting concept. During the literature search, the concept of accountability seemed to always be teamed with the word “responsibility” I don’t think you can have one concept without the other.

Various Uses of Accountability As mentioned above, the concept of accountability has many uses, meanings and implications. Let’s start with the basic meaning of the concept of accountability as we know it: “the quality or state of being accountable: especially; an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions <public officials lacking accountability>” (I Word Dictionary, n.d.) . As far as accountability in healthcare, I found an interesting article on the Swedish Healthcare system. The Swedish Healthcare System is funded by public/government monies, and is overburdened by the people’s increasing need for healthcare services. (Jens Allwood, 2015) This speaks to the upmost need for accountability by all medical professionals involved due to the amount of people dependent upon this system. “Central to accountability are accounts. In this article, we will mainly focus on a type of social account, namely, the accounts people give every day to each other about their activities. The accounts given in situations where a person identifies him/herself or is identified by other people as accountable, however, are different from ordinary accounts, in that people may need to give accounts in delicate situations that are imprinted with doubt and ethical concerns.” (Jens Allwood, 2015)This speaks to how there can be no question who is responsible in every patient care situation, and must be honest about the details about pt. care encounters. Another use of the concept of accountability is in education. Educators think of themselves as responsible to and for their students. (Ohmann, 2014). For example if a student goes out into the workplace and makes a mistake, sometimes the educator can be held accountable. As in cases of medical malpractice.

Critical Attributes The critical attributes of the concept of accountability are many. The reason for this being that accountability equates with responsibility and hit on so many levels both professional and personal. Some people would say responsibility is an attribute of accountability. Conversationally responsibility can be measured with how much a person or persons are willing to accept.” There is no middle way, you cannot be ‘somewhat’ or ‘fairly’ accountable, and you cannot call someone a little bit to account” (Haylliar, 2000) . In other words you take responsibility there is no in between. Other critical attributes of accountability would be honesty, and personal responsibility. Sometimes you have to be willing to accept the risk and be held accountable for your actions especially if you’re in a leadership role. Also, as nurses we must also be accountable to keep current in our practice thru continuing education and doing no harm. (American Nurses association, 2015) Another part of accountability as it applies to nurses would be continuing education. Nurses in Washington D.C. must have 20 hours of continuing education each year for license renewal. (DC Dept. of Health, n.d.)

Conclusion In final, I would like to say that accountability has many different definitions to many different people. But I think everyone will agree that responsibility and accountability go hand in hand. “The Accountable person is the individual who is ultimately answerable for the activity or decision. This includes “yes” or “no” authority and veto power. Only one Accountable person can be assigned to an action.
The Responsible person is the individual(s) who actually complete the task. The Responsible person is responsible for action/implementation. Responsibility can be shared. The degree of responsibility is determined by the individual with the “Accountability”.
(Accountability versus Responsibility in Project management, n.d.)
So the above just proves every profession, even personal lives are affected by this concept.

Reference
Accountability versus Responsibility in Project management. (n.d.). Retrieved from Quantmleap: www.quantmleap.com
American Nurses association. (2015). Retrieved from American Nurses association: www.ana.org
DC Dept. of Health. (n.d.). Retrieved from DC Dept. of health: www.doh.dc.gov
Haylliar, M. (2000). The Importance and Attributes of Effective Accountability Relationships. Asian Review of Public Administration, 60-76.
I Word Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from I-Dictionary: www.i.word.com
Jens Allwood, I.-L. J.-E. (2015). On the Need for an Ethical Understanding of Health-Care Accountability. journal of organisational transformation & social change, 121-137.
Ohmann, R. (2014). Historical Reflections on Accountability . Radical Teacher, 105-111.
The Harry S. Truman Library. (n.d.). Retrieved from The Harry S. Truman Library: www.harrytrumanlibrary.org