...issues are frequently encountered in the health care setting and present unique challenges to health care professionals. Practicing nurses need to be knowledgeable with these concepts to ensure patient’s rights. In this paper, the author will describe the relationships between legal and ethical issues. In addition, the author will identify personal values and professional ethics and examine ethical theories and principles. Examples of applications of legal and ethical issues to current practice will also be provided. Relationships Between Legal and Ethical Issues “Ethics is the branch of philosophy concerned with evaluating human action” (Guido, 2010, p. 3). It is based on the principles of right and wrong and provides structure to behaviors and actions. Ethics are closely intertwined with morals and values. Morals are “personal principles that are acquired from life experiences, family and peer relationships, religion, culture, and the law” (Guido, 2010, p. 3). Values are “personal beliefs about the truths and worth of thoughts, objects, or behavior” (Guido, 2010, p. 3). Therefore, ethics are subject to an individual’s personal interpretation. In contrast, laws are rules and regulations established by some authority and enforced by judicial decision (Dictionary.com, 2011). The legal system governs actions and behaviors without regard to personal values, beliefs, and views. Laws are constantly evolving to promote the greater good of society, rather than the individual within...
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...oxygen levels, and generalized distress throughout the body as cells do not receive the oxygen that they need to survive” Without sufficient surfactant, the lungs collapse and the infant has to work harder to breathe. The infant may not be able to breathe in enough oxygen to support the body's organs. This lack of oxygen circulating throughout the infant’s body can damage the baby's brain and various other organs if appropriate treatment is not delivered. Neonatal RDS can also be the result of genetic problems with lung development during the prenatal phase of the pregnancy. The earlier a baby is born, the less developed the lungs are and the higher the chance of neonatal RDS. Additional risk factors for RDS for the infant might include: • “A brother or sister who had RDS. • Diabetes in the mother. • Cesarean delivery. • Delivery complications that reduce blood flow to the baby. • Multiple pregnancy (twins or more). • Rapid labor” (Medline Plus: Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome, 2012). “The risk of neonatal RDS may be decreased if the pregnant mother has chronic,...
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...Abstract Understanding Nursing History, Nursing Theories, and Nursing concepts are beneficial to the baccalaureate graduate nurse because it helps develop their own personal beliefs and strengths about their own practice and how it has and will be shaped throughout their profession. One of the purposes of this paper is to explain differences between nursing regulatory agencies and professional nursing organizations. Next, we will take a look at the American Nurses Association, (ANA) Code of Ethics, investigating the provisions and professional traits and how they are placed into practice. Also, to describe a nursing theory that fits into my own practice, including how the contributions of one historical figure has impacted my nursing practice. And lastly, I will discuss a scenario where I, as the nurse, safeguarded two principles for the patient. Functional Differences Between a Regulatory Agency and a Professional Nursing Organization as it Pertains to my Nursing Practice Neonatal Nursing has been part of my life for over the last 10 years. My nursing license is very important to me. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to earn. As a nurse, I have nursing regulatory agencies and professional nursing organizations in place for my benefit as well as for the benefit of the public. However, both have some very different functions. When becoming a nurse, the Board of Nursing, (BRN), is the regulatory agency that issues and regulates licenses. It is a government agency with...
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...The Level of Education Directly Affects the Knowledge and Competency of the Clinical Nurse Abstract The level of education and the resulting competency levels have been an area of debate throughout the history of formalized nursing education. This is evident in the increased patient acuity and call for shorter hospitalizations. Many hospitals have taken this need a step further and are presently encouraging staff to further their education to the baccalaureate level. Clinical situations have demonstrated the use of critical thinking and increased competency utilized in everyday patient care. Higher levels of communication and problem solving skills are key competencies that contribute to the positive outcomes and increased patient safety. With the increasing needs for baccalaureate prepared staff, many hospitals are taking steps to ensure educational opportunities for advancement are available and attainable. Nursing and the method of education has been a source of controversy since the development of ADN and the BSN prepared programs. In March 2007, the American Association of Colleges of Nurses released an updated statement supporting the belief that the level of education directly affects the knowledge and competency of the clinical nurse. AACN professes that nurses with Bachelor of Science in nursing degrees are well-prepared to meet the demands placed on today’s nurse. The skills of critical thinking, leadership, case management, and health promotion are...
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...According to Sundean and McGrath, ethical concerns of care became first prior to interventions while no constant practice on ethics decision-making take place in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Usually, ethical struggles in the NICU are related to implementation and withdrawal of treatment. As a result, differences in ethical decision making involve the interdisciplinary team (IDT) and parents, whether individually or in joining. Nevertheless who will make the decisions, ethical considerations in NICU affect greatly the IDT, families and the society. Thus, contexts for ethical decision making is based on four ethical principles, autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice (2013). Autonomy Sundean and McGrath noted that the ethical principle of autonomy includes the right to self-determination, truth telling, informed consent, privacy and commitment. The application of this principle can be difficult In the NICU for parents are the ones who act on behalf of their babies. Also, the different point of views on how to present medical aspects to the families. Sundean and McGrath emphasized that professionals came to an understanding that communicating evidence-based facts and considering family values are the reasonable approach reflecting on the autonomy principle. Furthermore, the authors stated the importance on clinicians providing parents the best evidence-based practice for their child clinical situations supposing that parents will act in the best interest of...
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...while there is no constant practice on ethics decision-making occurs in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Ethical struggles in the NICU are usually related to implementation and withdrawal of treatment. As a results, differences on ethical decision making involves the interdisciplinary team (IDT) and parents, whether individually or in joining. Nevertheless who will make the decisions, ethical considerations in NICU effect greatly the IDT, families and the society. Thus, contexts for ethical decision making must be based on four ethical principles that are autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice (2013). Autonomy Sundean and McGrath noted that the ethical principal of autonomy includes the right for self-determination, truth telling,...
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...Literature Review: Our thesis aims to evaluate work based learning approaches in developing acute skills for nurses in critical care wards. In this section of the literature review, we will discuss policies in the nursing profession, case studies and various approaches to work based acute skills learning programmes. For our purposes we conducted a literature search using popular medical databases and terms such as ‘acute skills’ ‘learning programmes’ and ‘critical care learning’. Our review highlights on the several important approaches to work based learning ranging from reflective practice to experiential learning and work based formal practical training to enhance professional skills. A learning programme for acute ward nurses responsible for caring of critically ill patients has been the central focus of nursing practice development. According to Coad et al (2002), a work-based learning approach has been found to empower ward staff with the necessary skills of nursing and the authors studied the efficacy of a five-day competency based high dependency skills course in enhancing professionalism and quality of care in nursing. The aims of comprehensive critical care are developing leadership potential and enhancing networking opportunities for nurses within critical care and acute ward areas. Critical care is the most challenging aspect of nursing care and acute skills in nursing are enhanced not just by work-based learning programs but also from first hand nursing and...
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...KING’S THEORY OF GOAL ATTAINMENT EXEMPLIFIED FROM THE INTRAPARTUM NURSE’S PERSPECTIVE By Jacqueline L. Karlin The model of nurse-patient transaction from King’s Theory of Goal Attainment was employed to explore the impact of the nurse-patient transaction as it relates to primiparous patient satisfaction with the childbirth process. In this descriptive study, intrapartum nurses were interviewed regarding their perception of primiparous patient’s childbirth experience. The interviews were reflected upon to develop a better understanding of the impact of the nurse-patient transaction on achieving patient satisfaction with coping strategies. The findings revealed that although only one-half of the patients had participated in formal childbirth classes, effective nurse-patient transactions were successful in goal attainment of satisfaction with coping strategies in labor and delivery. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... iii CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 – THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW ..........3 Personal System ..............................................................................................................3 Interpersonal System .......................................................................................................5 Social System...
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...Medically Elective Caesarean Deliveries; Risks vs. Benefits Jason LeBeaú College of Du Page County Complex Medical Surgical/Leadership Nursing NUR206 17 October 2012 Medically Elective Caesarean Deliveries; Risks vs. Benefits Introduction Women have been giving birth for millions of years. Before the advent of technology, women just instinctively knew when it was time to give birth and their bodies did the rest. They trusted that their bodies were meant for this purpose. Midwives and village elders would come to be with the laboring mother and to help her through the process. Vaginal birth was not only considered the normal way of birth, it was also the only way of birth. Vaginal birth is no longer the only choice when it comes to delivering a baby. Cesarean deliveries (CDs) are now a lifesaving strategy. CD is a surgical procedure in which a doctor in an operating room makes an incision through the mother’s abdomen and down to the uterus. The baby is removed from the uterus and the uterus and abdomen are then closed with sutures. This takes place while the mother is awake and made numb from the waist down by either a spinal or epidural anesthetic. In emergency situations, a general anesthetic is used and the mother is put to sleep and is unconscious for the procedure. CDs were originally used to save the life of the mother, save the life of the baby or when a vaginal delivery wasn’t possible. Since the birth of CDs, they are now performed for...
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...Patient and Family Centered Care Kimberley Masterson WGU0713 Stacy Stratton-Mentor Practice Setting Wellington Regional Medical Center is located in Wellington, Florida. It is a 233-bed, acute-care hospital, owned by a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc., a highly respected, healthcare management organization. Wellington Regional Medical Center is owned and operated by a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc.(UHS), a King of Prussia, PA-based company, that is one of the largest healthcare management companies in the nation. Wellington Regional is proud to have provided high-quality healthcare("About Wellington Regional Medical Center - Palm Beach, FL | Wellington Regional Medical Center," n.d.) services to the residents of Palm Beach County since 1986.The Village of Wellington has an approximate census of 60,000 in 2013. (Census.gov). Wellington is located in western Palm Beach County and borders the Florida Everglades. Initially, the land area known today as Wellington, Fl. was developed in 1953 to provide drainage and flood control suitable for agriculture. The area was once the world’s largest strawberry patch. Nevertheless, over time the land has been purchased and sold until 1985 when Lennar homes built on 500 lots. Today, Wellington is an affluent and thriving community that is willing to stake its future on being different.(“Wellington/History of Wellington”.nd) Wellington is recognized as the winter equestrian capital of the world. Wellington...
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...Organizational Leadership and Inter-professional Team Development The Patient and Family Care Organizational Self-Assessment Tool (PFCC) for current practice setting will be completed as well as the organization in its entirety. The results will be analyzed based on a one to five scoring system with one being the lowest. The areas where the organization could improve its PFCC care will be discussed. The analysis of how business practices and regulatory requirements impact patient family centered care. A strategy will be created that includes goals and an operational plan to increase PFCC of the organization by improving one of the gaps that’s identified. I will discuss financial implications that this strategy may have on the organization. I will identify potential members for the multidisciplinary team who could assist in improving the identified gap. I will discuss the purpose and scope of the team to include the member’s roles, and importance of diversity within the team. The team will focus in a meaningful way using self-assessment, and awareness of self-reflective techniques. I will use PDAC to monitor whether the strategy was effective in increasing patient and family centered care. Self-Assessment Tool The PFCC tool was used to evaluate Medical Center Health System (MCHS) see attached. Setting Description Medical Center Hospital System (MCHS) is an acute care, not for profit regional 402 bed Level II Trauma Center, located in West Texas of the...
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...Infants with Intrauterine Drug Exposure Between 400,000 and 440,000. That is the number of estimated infants affected by prenatal alcohol or illicit drug exposure each year according to the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare. That is between ten and eleven percent of all births and frankly that number is way too high. Major maternal substances of abuse that affect newborns are amphetamines, opiates, cocaine, tobacco and alcohol. These substances can have severe adverse neonatal and long term effects. What is to blame for this extremely elevated statistic? Well, illicit drug use by a mother-to-be or even the use of legal substances such as alcohol or tobacco coincides with several other influences that can also impact a child’s life. Examples include lack of prenatal care, socioeconomic status, role of the father, support systems, and the caregiving ability of the mother, all of which play enormous roles in child development and maternal drug use. Almost all drugs of abuse follow a similar mechanism of action in the adult brain; this mechanism alters the pathways for reward by flooding the circuits with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that exists in areas of the brain that power movement, motivation, emotion, and feelings of pleasure. The overstimulation of this system produces euphoric effects in response to the drugs. This reaction initiates the cycle that tells people to keep abusing drugs. As a person...
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...transmission of healthcare-related infections. Although it is hard to link hand hygiene and the improvement of healthcare-related infections, organizations such as the Joint Commission, World Health Organization among others, acknowledge the essence of hand hygiene as a universal guideline to reduce healthcare-acquired infections. As such, this proposal focuses on interventions to improve compliance with hand hygiene as a pathway to reduce healthcare-associated infections, rather than the efficacy of hand hygiene to reduce healthcare-associated infections. 1.1 Statement of Purpose Compliance with hand hygiene practices among healthcare workers, nurses, physicians and patients has been low, averaging at approximately 39%. A study conducted in the year 2001 that was aimed at improving hand hygiene compliance and interventions found that there was poor compliance across hospital unit types and other settings. In particular, workers, nurses, physicians and patients underestimate the essence of compliance and frequently overestimate their compliance with hand hygiene measures. The purpose of this research study is to assess the impact of interventions on hand hygiene compliance for all stakeholders within the hospital setting. In other words, the study will highlight explicit guidelines on how to improve clinical practice and patient...
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...Burns: Understanding Nursing Research, 4th Edition Critiquing Exercise Knott, A. & Kee, C. C. (2005). Nurses’ beliefs about family presence during resuscitation. Applied Nursing Research, 18(4), 192-198. |STANDARDS/EVALUATION CRITERIA 50|KEY CONCEPTS IN CRITIQUE | |points | | |Descriptive Vividness 5 pts | | |Was the significance of the study adequately described? |1. The significance of the study was adequately described. | | |Family presence (FP) during resuscitation is a matter that | |Was the purpose of the study clearly described? |warrants more investigation as to whether or not it should, or | | |should not be allowed. Furthermore, the study proposes the | |Were the interpretations presented in a descriptive way that |necessity of protocols in place in institutions to guide | |illuminated more than the quotes did? |decisions on this matter. | | | ...
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...the care of mother and baby, adhering to hospital policy and maintaining an awareness of issues such as health and safety, other duties include: * Diagnosing, monitoring and examining women throughout their pregnancy. * Developing, assessing and evaluating individual programmes of care. * Providing full antenatal care, including screening tests in hospital, community and the home. * Identifying high risk pregnancies and making referrals to doctors and other medical specialists. * Arranging and providing parenting and health education. * Providing counselling and advice before and after screening and tests. * Offering support and advice following events such as miscarriage, termination, stillbirth, neonatal abnormality and neonatal death. * Supervising and assisting mothers in labour, monitoring the condition of the foetus and using knowledge of drugs and pain management. * Giving support and advice on the daily care of the baby, including breastfeeding, bathing and making up feeds. * Liaising with agencies and other health and social are professionals to ensure continuity of care. *...
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