The origins of nursing ethics date back to the late 1800s – a very different time when nurses were not considered valued members of a health care team than they are today. What about concepts such as justice in care? Well, let`s just say it wasn`t a thing at the time. There is a difference between morality, ethical principles and a code of ethics. Morality refers to the “personal values, character, or behavior of individuals within communities and societies.” [11] An ethical principle is a general guide, fundamental truth, or hypothesis that can be used with clinical judgment to determine a course of action. Four common ethical principles are charity (doing good), non-malevolence (doing no harm), autonomy (individual control) and justice (equity). A code of ethics is established for a profession and explains its main commitments, values and ideals. The legal impact of nursing practice is maintained at a high professional level through licensure, legislation, policies, scope of practice and nursing practice expectations. The nurse`s level of knowledge, skills, licensure and standard of care provide the framework for the nurse to practice as intended (Epstein & Turner, 2015). If a nurse does not practice as a standard of care and expected competence, she is subject to legal action. In this case, the nurse touched the patient even after she refused to let her be touched. According to the law, this act is considered an offence or a criminal offence of bodily injury.
However, informed consent must be given if the patient is cognitively capable of making a decision. Ensuring patient safety is the responsibility of the nurse, who is bound by the law and the law. From a legal perspective, any harm or injury suffered by the patient during care is illegal or contrary to law (Doody & Noonam, 2016). The nurse left Mrs. Mavis alone for a while. In this state, the act of nurses is called negligence. Not only did RN fail to meet the standard of care, but it also violated due diligence, legislation and laws. Negligence and malpractice or intentional or unintentional acts result in injury or damage to the patient.
The prosecution could take disciplinary action, cancel or postpone registration, pay supervisory fines, or restrict practice in any of the above measures (National Commission on Correctional Health Care, 2019). In nursing ethics, charity simply means taking action that benefits patients. There are various nursing measures that can be taken according to this principle. Providing benefits to patients means facilitating their well-being, providing safe, high-quality care (Ellis, 2017). By thinking about the scenario, Ms. Mavis could have provided care based on patients` priorities. Because her behaviour was unusual and seemed aggressive, she could have lifted the side rail of the patient`s bed and let her relax until she settled in. It is important to maintain personal hygiene, but with a patient with such a nurse, care should be prioritized. She bled from her IV cannula and her bandage was removed. Management and support should have been done accordingly. George asks Jamal for his professional opinion on the positive and negative aspects of the decision to travel to another country to sell a kidney. Jamal uses his training in ethical considerations to help George.
Nurses should be aware of their profession`s code of ethics and know and recognize their integrity and morals. Nurses should have a clear, basic understanding of key ethical principles. The nursing profession must remain faithful to patient care while defending the right of patients to self-identify their needs and cultural norms. Although ethical considerations in nursing are difficult, they represent a true integration of the art of patient care. Misconduct is an act of omission or commission that does not meet established standards of due diligence and causes injury. Nurses must therefore provide all aspects of care in accordance with established standards of care in a safe and competent manner, as well as in a complete, appropriate and timely manner. Doing the “right thing” implies that each individual has the ability to make an informed decision (autonomy). However, this concept of autonomy is flawed when considering the decision-making capacity of certain subpopulations, such as infants and patients, who are considered legally incapable.