Legal and Ethical Issues in Columbus Hospital Corporation - Essay Example

Legal and Ethical Issues in Columbus Hospital Corporation1. Busta v Columbus Hospital Corporation, 1996This case was heard in the Montana Supreme Court. The main contention was that while at Columbus Hospital, Busta fell from a window on the third floor while trying to climb down on an improvised rope. He died from the injuries. The nurse into whose care he had been placed testified that he had experienced tachyrdia and hypertension. There were other symptoms and change in behavior. The nurse ignored them.

The hospital and the nurse were both found negligent. This case highlighted the need for documentation and vigilance, constant evaluation of the patient, diagnosis e.t.c (Guido, 2001).2. Federal laws to protect job seekersThere are several federal laws that protect the rights of individuals who are interviewing for a job. Being federal, of course means that they apply across all the states. The first law to be discussed is the Civil Rights act 1991 and the Age Discrimination in Employment act of 1967.

Both of these are crucial to the secure the individual rights of the interviewees.The Civil Rights act, 1991 prohibits employment discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex or nationality. The United States is a melting pot and so this law is crucial. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act on the other hand seeks to protect individuals who are 40 years old and above. Employers must give them an equal opportunity just like their younger colleagues.3. Practices to help the nurse avoid malpractice lawsuitsPassing the NCLEX exams is the launching pad to a successful career career as a registered nurse or RN.

The most important practices that lead to malpractice lawsuits are not strictly adhering to standards of care and failure to communicate (Guido, 2001).Failure to follow standards of care ranges from routine tasks like wearing antithrombotic stockings to more serious ones like using medical equipment for a purpose other than that it is intended for. Either way, if misuse or negligence harms the patient, the nurse is in legal jeopardy.Failure to communicate or poor communication is also important.

This might be between a nurse and a physician, a nurse and other care givers to whom she has delegated responsibilities e.t.c This can be difficult to trace in the case of injury and so it should be followed to the letter (Guido, 2001).4. Ethical Principle and its application to NursingSeveral ethical principles are key in nursing. However, non-maleficence is top of this pile. It states that nurses take a medical oath. The import of that oath is that they do everything in the best interests of the patient (Guido, 2001).5. Lessons learnt from the courseMany important lessons have been acquired that shall be an influence on me as a PN.

The biggest lesson I have learnt from this course has to do with the centrality of the law in nursing. On one hand, nurses face legal consequences if the results of their efforts are seen as more harmful than good. On the other hand however, the law protects the nurse too (Guido, 2001).Another lesson not to be forgotten is how important this profession is to many people. Patients come in distress and the mere sight of a nurse fills them with hope. We must always strive to keep that hope alive or even rekindle it where it is fading.

ReferencesGuido, G. (2001).Legal and ethical Issues in Nursing, Boston: Pearson