JONA'S healthcare law, ethics and regulation
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JONAS Healthc Law Ethics Regul · Oct 2012
Professional accountability: implications for primary healthcare nursing practice.
The hallmark of professionalism is accountability, and this is necessary to consolidate the professional status of nursing. This article presents a review of the concept of professional accountability within the theoretical orientation of the role theory. ⋯ It discusses the various areas of professional accountability with particular reference to primary healthcare nursing practice. It concludes that primary healthcare nurses are involved directly with the public on a daily basis, hence the need to be cognizant of their public position, level of responsibility, and professional accountability.
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Workplace violence is becoming an issue that all organizations must be aware of. In healthcare organizations, these behaviors, especially that of bullying, are detrimental and affect staff, patients, and outcomes. ⋯ This article examines bullying, the most common type of workplace violence, and nursing, the profession where bullying most often occurs. Theories about why it exists and suggestions on how to prevent it and maintain a healthy workplace will be discussed.
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JONAS Healthc Law Ethics Regul · Jul 2009
Identifying ethical issues from the perspective of the registered nurse.
A review of the formal ethics consultations performed at a rural academic medical center during 2006 revealed that only 5 of 72 consultations were initiated by nurses. A descriptive exploratory convenience study used a 3-item survey to collect information from registered nurses who provide direct patient care at the rural academic medical center. The purpose of this study was to (1) identify and describe the ethical issues perceived by registered nurses employed at a rural academic medical center and (2) analyze the variables influencing the registered nurses' ethical decision making and the process used by these registered nurses when resolving ethical issues. ⋯ The nurses did not feel that the ethical situation was resolved satisfactorily when not handled from the patient's perspective; the patient suffered; there was a lack of teamwork, agreement, and/or support; and the process took too long. The nurses' recommendations for resources needed to assist with the resolution of ethical issues included accessible ethics mechanisms, education, improved interprofessional relationships and collaboration, and unbiased support for patient and family decision making. Implications for nurse managers are discussed and future research questions are identified.
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JONAS Healthc Law Ethics Regul · Oct 2008
ReviewHealthcare provider moral distress as a leadership challenge.
Healthcare leaders are responsible for using strategies to promote an organizational ethical climate. However, these strategies are limited in that they do not directly address healthcare provider moral distress. Since healthcare provider moral distress and the establishment of a positive ethical climate are both linked to an organization's ability to retain healthcare professionals and increase their level of job satisfaction, leaders have a corollary responsibility to address moral distress. We recommend that leaders should provide access to ethics education and resources, offer interventions such as ethics debriefings, establish ethics committees, and/or hire a bioethicist to develop ethics capacity and to assist with addressing healthcare provider moral distress.
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JONAS Healthc Law Ethics Regul · Jan 2008
To hold her hand: family presence during patient resuscitation.
Family presence at the bedside during resuscitation is an important component of the patient's care. Many families report feeling that their presence at such a time is helpful to both them and the patient. ⋯ However, many facilities are reluctant to allow family presence during resuscitation typically because of the belief that family presence will somehow disrupt the providers' ability to conduct the resuscitation. This article explores the background behind this issue and the studies done to date on family presence and makes suggestions for adopting policies allowing family presence during resuscitation.