Ethical and Legal Implications Involved in Nursing
Variations in the responsibilities and challenges experienced by the health care practitioners are a fundamental issue that contributes to the alterations in nurses’ preparation for specialized practice. The role of nurses is to provide protection to the clients concerning disrespect to their independence and to offer superior care to the patient (Luz, Vargas, Schmidtt, Barlem, Tomaschewski-Barlem & Rosa, 2015). Conflicts between the health professionals are deemed to have a significant impact on the patient since they can lead to an adverse patient outcome. As such, the use of an ethical leadership style that involves collaborative decision-making can be used to prevent a confrontation between the medical stakeholders.
Potential Ethical and Legal Implication for the Practitioners
Medical Assistant
The medical assistant violates the non-maleficence code of ethics which states that the medics need to report any form of danger exposed to the patient (Kadivar, Manookian, Asghari, Niknafs, Okazi & Zarvani, 2017). Furthermore, the industrial safety and health act (ISHA) requires nurses to report any form of danger exposed to the patient which was not followed by the medical assistant.
Nurse Practitioner
The nurse practitioner fails to determine and address the conflicts arising between his/her colleagues thereby, exposing patients to various danger. As such, he/she violates the ANA codes of ethics which promote teamwork within the nursing profession.
Medical Director
The medical director practice violates the International Council of Nurses (ICN) code of ethics which requires cooperative relations with the other staff (Kangasniemi, Pakkanen & Korhonen, 2015). ICN needs practitioners to take suitable actions to protect people and communities when another team threatens their health.
Strategies to Prevent Dangerous Patient Outcome
Integrating a policy of speaking up which entails raising concerns by the care providers for the value of patient care. The technique involves determining the risky actions of co-workers such as failure to adhere to the standardized protocols primarily to help avert medical errors (Okuyama, Wagner & Bijnen, 2014). Furthermore, implementing occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) guideline will help in preventing violence in the workplace which might lead to a positive patient outcome.
Leadership Quality to Effect a Positive Change in the Practice
Leadership plays an essential role in reducing instances of violence and creating motivation among practitioners thereby, enhancing the provision of quality care. As such, ethics is a significant segment in the leadership quality as it aids in developing an ethical working condition (Barkhordari-Sharifabad, Ashktorab & Atashzadeh-Shoorideh, 2017). The noble form of leadership entails building a proper normal behavior based on personal deeds and interpersonal relations which facilitates effective decision-making. Equally, the technique improves job satisfaction by averting moral anguish and constructing an ethical environment.
Conclusion
Conflict in health care institutions has been reportedly on the rise with most of the incidences being perpetrated by physicians, nurses, and patients. The role of nurses is to give protection to the clients concerning disrespect to their independence and to offer superior care to the patient. When the practitioners are involved in fights, they tend to violate the ICN code of ethics which requires cooperative relations among the workers. As such, implementing the speaking-up technique which involves raising concerns by the care providers for the value of patient care. Furthermore, enacting OSHA guidelines helps in preventing violence in the workplace which eventually leads to a positive patient care outcome. Therefore, applying an ethical form of leadership is significant in promoting ethical behaviors among the health care providers, improving the quality of services, and averting violence.
References
Barkhordari-Sharifabad, M., Ashktorab, T., & Atashzadeh-Shoorideh, F. (2017). Obstacles and problems of ethical leadership from the perspective of nursing leaders: A qualitative content analysis. Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, 10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5432950/
Kadivar, M., Manookian, A., Asghari, F., Niknafs, N., Okazi, A., & Zarvani, A. (2017). Ethical and legal aspects of patient’s safety: a clinical case report. Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, 10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6150915/
Kangasniemi, M., Pakkanen, P., & Korhonen, A. (2015). Professional ethics in nursing: An integrative review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 71(8), 1744-1757. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271139792_Professional_ethics_in_nursing_An_integrative_review
Luz, K. R. D., Vargas, M. A. D. O., Schmidtt, P. H., Barlem, E. L. D., Tomaschewski-Barlem, J. G., & Rosa, L. M. D. (2015). Ethical problems experienced by oncology nurses. Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, 23(6), 1187-1194. doi: 10.1590/0104-1169.0098.2665
Okuyama, A., Wagner, C., & Bijnen, B. (2014). Speaking up for patient safety by hospital-based health care professionals: A literature review. BMC health services research, 14(1), 61. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-14-61