The purpose of this threaded discussion assignment is to help you identify some

The purpose of this threaded discussion assignment is to help you identify some of the ethical issues nurses face in their professional practice, as well as legal implications that may impact on ethical issues of patient care. Select one of the case studies below for your threaded discussion and discuss the ethical and/or legal considerations, as well as, the professional guidelines related to the case. The references listed are meant as a possible starting point. Students are encouraged to utilized resources included on Blackboard, the course textbook, and those provided by NU library services. Part 1 : Discussion post:
The post will be scholarly writing with a minimum of 200 words. It is your responsibility to formulate your own ideas in a meaningful way that advances your professional knowledge while stimulating the thinking of your peers. Your comments should demonstrate in-depth analysis, critical thinking, and practical application of theory, while being written in APA manner with in-text citations and reference list. Scholarly references (minimum of 2) must be within the past 5 years and from American sources (i.e. peer-reviewed journals, texts, videos, etc. https://library.sdsu.edu/reference/news/what-does-peer-review-mean). These can be from the course textbook, course additional readings, or from resources you have identified through a search of the literature. Your threaded discussion and responses do not need a cover page or abstract; they are formatted similar to a blog entry. It recommended that you write your content in a Word docx or pdf saved to your computer and then post the link in the Blackboard Dropbox for the assignment. This will preserve your formatting.
Part 2 : Responses:
Each student will then respond to two different students’ initial posts. The responses must be substantial- a minimum of 100 words – a scholarly APA response with in-text citations and a reference list included. Each response to a separate classmates’ initial post must include at least 2 references that are different from the references you used in your initial post or the other response. The references for your post and each response should all be different. Do NOT repeat your comments from one response to another. Finally, when you write a response, please acknowledge the person by name whose post you’re are responding to. For example, “Hi Jeff, I enjoyed reading your post and your comments about ……”
Case 1:
David is a registered nurse named in a lawsuit as having failed to properly evaluate patient status and provide appropriate nursing care. A patient was admitted to the hospital for emergency surgery after experiencing a ruptured appendix and resulting peritonitis. During surgery, the patient experienced an unexpected severe loss of blood. After surgery, the nurses were focused on monitoring the patient for hypovolemic shock, administering blood transfusions, and assessing for signs of expanding infection. The patient was slightly confused and complained of aching legs and stomach. The nurses, including David, were so focused on the blood loss, infection, and surgical site that they more or less dismissed the patient’s complaints of leg pain. Within 24 hours, the patient was found to have thrombophlebitis that began in the aching legs. Ultimately, the thrombus caused a fatal stroke. The patient’s family sued citing that David and his colleagues had failed to adequately assess and evaluate the patient’s condition according to the nursing process. Did David follow the Standards of Professional Nursing Practice? References: • American Nurses Association (ANA). (2015a). Nursing scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.). Sile Spring, MD: American Nurses Association. • American Nurse Association (ANA). (2015b). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association. Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org
Case 2: Charlotte is a newly licensed RN. One of the LPNs under her supervision has many years of nursing experience and is quite resentful: “I have to take orders from this new kid. I’ve been a nurse longer than she’s been alive!” Charlotte does her best not only to be friendly but also to adhere to the scope and standards of practice for both RNs and LPNs. On one particularly busy day, the LPN insists that she can handle the arrival of a postoperative patient without any help. The patient is young and healthy and underwent surgical intervention for a compound fracture of the left femur. Charlotte knows that it is her responsibility to conduct assessments, but she is especially busy with several patients whose conditions are deteriorating. At the end of their shift, the LPN remarks, “That guy with the compound fracture sure is a whiner. He’s complaining about a cough and chest pain. He had a bad cold before surgery, so what does he expect!” Alarmed, Charlotte and the charge nurse for the oncoming shift rush to check on the patient, who is found to be cyanotic and unresponsive. He is rushed to the critical care unit with a diagnosis of fat embolism. Who is accountable for this lack of proper patient care? How could this have been avoided? Which of the “rights” of delegation were violated? Which of the rights of delegation did Charlotte violate? References: • Mathes, M., & Reifsnyder, J. (2014). Nurse’s Law: Legal questions & answers for the practicing nurse. Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International. • Texas Board of Nursing. (n.d.). Delegation principles. Retrieved from https://www.bon.texas.gov/pdfs/delegation_pdfs/Del…
Case 3:
Janice and Bob have been friends and colleagues for years. Both are RNs, and they graduated from the same university 10 years ago. Bob works on a medical/surgical unit. Janice is an emergency department nurse. They are discussing the advisability of purchasing their own malpractice insurance. Bob thinks that only nurses who work in so-called high-risk specialties such as the emergency department need to carry their own insurance. Janice disagrees. She tells Bob that no nurse is completely protected from being sued. It can happen to anyone. What information should be considered in making an informed decision about the purchase of professional malpractice insurance? References: • Andrews & Berger. (2018). Preparing for a medical malpractice deposition: What you need to know. Retrieved from https://www.andrewsberger.com/blog/medical-malprac… • Fuchsberg, J. (2018). What are the elements of a nursing malpractice claim? Retrieved from https://www.fuchsberg.com/blog/4-elememts-nursing-… • Mathes, M., & Reifsnyder, J. (2014). Nurse’s Law: Legal questions & answers for the practicing nurse. Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International. • Pohlman, K. (2015). Why you need your own malpractice insurance. Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.com/need-malpractic…
Case 4:
An allergy and asthma office practice is having an especially busy day. The waiting room is crowded, and numerous people are waiting for allergy immunizations. Still, others have appointments with the physician or nurse practitioner. A 10-year-old patient has a slight reaction to her immunization injection. The child and her mother are sitting in the waiting room. The nurse approaches them and asks if the child has been taking her prescribed allergy and asthma medication. The mother responds, “I don’t know. That’s her responsibility. I don’t have time to worry about a 10-year-old when I have three more kids at home all younger than she is.” The nurse proceeds to give detailed educational information to both the mother and the child about the importance of taking the medication as prescribed and strategies to help remember to adhere to medication regimens. This is all done in the crowded waiting room. The nurse practitioner happens to pass through the waiting room and asks the RN, the mother, and the child to come with her to an office area where they can speak privately. Later, the nurse practitioner tells the RN that she has violated the privacy rule. The RN says she has not because she never called the patient by name and the instructions were general in nature. Was the privacy rule violated? References: • Mathes, M., & Reifsnyder, J. (2014). Nurse’s Law: Legal questions & answers for the practicing nurse. Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International. • New York State Office of Mental Health. (n.d.). HIPAA privacy rules for the protection of health and mental health information, Retrieved from https://www.omh.ny.gov/omhweb/hipaa/phi_protection…
Case 5:
Sharon is a home health nurse. She is visiting one of her patients, an 80-year-old woman recovering from a hip fracture. Sharon notices several bruises on the woman’s back and upper arms. She asks the patient what caused the bruising. The patient becomes nervous and says she just bumped into some furniture. She asks Sharon not to say anything about it. “My husband doesn’t like anyone to know our business,” she says. “He doesn’t even like it that you are coming here.” Sharon is concerned about the patient’s safety. She suspects abuse, but the patient clearly does not want any further investigation to take place. Is Sharon obligated to report her suspicions? If she does, is she violating the privacy rule? References: • Mathes, M., & Reifsnyder, J. (2014). Nurse’s Law: Legal questions & answers for the practicing nurse. Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International. • New York State Office of Mental Health. (n.d.). HIPAA privacy rules for the protection of health and mental health information, Retrieved from https://www.omh.ny.gov/omhweb/hipaa/phi_protection…
Case 6:
Mrs. Jamison is scheduled to undergo a partial mastectomy for Stage I breast cancer. She has given informed consent. All criteria for such consent were met. The RN has been very supportive, as has the entire health care team. Mrs. Jamison arrives at the outpatient surgery center. An intravenous line is inserted, and preoperative medications are about to be administered. Mrs. Jamison suddenly becomes agitated and begins to cry, “No, no stop! I’m not going to have this done. I don’t want any of my breasts to be cut off!” What should the RN do? References: • Bonsall, L. (2015). Informed consent: An ethical way of nursing. Retrieved from https://www.nursingcenter.com/ncblog/may-2015-(1)/… • Stout, K. (Clinical Ed.). (2019). Nursing documentation made incredibly easy! Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
Case 7 :
A junior nursing student provided nursing care to a three-year-old leukemia patient as part of her pediatric clinical rotation. When the child’s mother was out of the room, the nursing student took his picture with her cell phone and posted the photo on her Facebook page, commenting about the bravery of the child and how proud she was to be a nurse. The patient’s room number was clearly visible in the photo. A nurse from the hospital was browsing Facebook and found the photo. The nurse reported it to the hospital authorities. Was patient confidentiality violated? References: National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). (2011). White paper; A nurse’s guide