Legal aspect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Legal aspect - Essay Example They include autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, veracity, confidentiality, justice, and fidelity. Based on the case before us, the nurses had the ethical responsibility of providing safe, compassionate, and competent care to the patient (Storch, Rodney, and Starzomski, 2004). In this regard, it was the responsibility of nurses to ensure that the patient is provided with the necessary treatments and care to ensure his well-being. In fact, the patient also has the right to receive treatment from nurses regardless of their status or situation. Therefore, it was the obligation of the nursing staff to ensure that the right of the patient is protected. The nurses were also under the ethical responsibility to preserve the dignity of the patient. This included the duty of providing the necessary support to ensure the patient’s dignity and integrity is maintained, according to Storch, Rodney, and Starzomski (2004). In the case before us, the patient had the right to be provided wit h the necessary care such as ensuring his cleanliness and well-being is assured. This includes being cleaned and turned on bed periodically to ensure his dignity is not compromised. The nurses were also under an ethical obligation to promote justice of the patient (American Nurses Association, 2006). ... Further, the nurses had the ethical responsibility of ensuring that the privacy and confidential information pertaining to the patient are maintained, according to the American Nurses Association (2006). In this regard, the nurses were expected to ensure that any confidential information pertaining to the patient is only used for the purpose for which it is meant. Therefore, they should ensure that private and confidential information is not divulged to the public without the consent of the patient. 2. Was there a deviation from the standards of care in this instance? Explain. The case before us showed a deviation from a number of standards of care expected of the nurses in discharge of their duties. Firstly, the case manifests a deviation from the nurses’ ethical duty to provide safe, compassionate, and competent care. This is evident from the fact that the nurses at the hospital failed to ensure that the patient received the quality care. According to Mrs. O’Hara†™s family, their patient died because of the nurses failed to administer the care and treatment expected. The fact that the 86-year old man laid on the bed without assistance from nurses is a clear proof of the deviation of this standard of care. The case also shows a deviation from the ethical responsibility of protecting the dignity of the patient. Every patient has a right to receive the necessary support from the health care providers such as being given the opportunity to bath and the turned on the bed in case the patient is too weak to do so by himself or herself (Burkhardt and Nathaniel, 2002). The case before us, however, shows clearly that the nurse charged with the responsibility of providing such a support failed to do so. As claimed by Mrs. O’Hara’s family, the 86-year old patient