Nursing Practice Breakdowns - Assignment Example

The increase of the patient’s blood pressure to 40 mm Hg within just an hour is a pertinent issue, that the nurse should have reported to the physician immediately. Nurses are also mandated to speak to physicians about changes in patient conditions, rather than leaving messages (Wolf, 2012). Therefore if the nurse in this scenario claims that she left a message for the physician about the rapid increase in the patient’s blood pressure before going for lunch, she would have violated the legal obligation of nursing practice.

The professional code of conduct as presented within the Nursing Practice Act provides that nurses must go further up in the chain of command in an event when they are not able to get a physician (Mikos, 2011). Therefore inability to get the physician would not be an excuse for the nurse’s behavior in this scenario. The nurse violated the procedures and policies of nursing practice and is therefore liable for the violations and penalties of the Nursing Practice Act. Nurses are responsible for knowing and adhering to the procedures of care, such as reporting patient conditions. It is through education and training that nurses are made aware of nursing policies and procedures. Despite the knowledge of the nurse of the procedures of reporting the conditions of the patient, she ignored implementing them. Negligence is a legal issue in health care processes, which described the inability of practitioners to demonstrate due care (Mikos, 2011). In this scenario, the nurse was negligent because she did not show due care in reporting the high and increasing blood pressure of the patient, and instead went for lunch.  When a health provider fails to do what should be prudently and reasonably done, then negligence is reported. A breach of duty is also categorized under negligence (Wolf, 2012). The nurse breached her duty of reporting the change in the patient’s condition. The critical nature of the patient’s blood pressure makes the breach of duty by the nurse a serious legal issue.

The nurse’s behavior in this case is malpractice. This is when a healthcare professional fails or neglects to follow the required standards of care, which predisposes patients to harm. The increasing blood pressure of the patient in this scenario would cause harm, such as heart attack, because of the nurse's malpractice. It is evident from this case that the nurse betrayed the confidence of the patient in her care processes. Liability describes the debt or obligation of a health provider to the law, due to the violation of its provisions (Mikos, 2011). The nurse is therefore liable to the provisions of the Nursing Practice Act, for her failure to report, negligence, malpractice, and breach of duty. The outcome of this violation would make the nurse legally liable. The patient would sue the nurse under the provisions of the Nursing Practice Act if the failure to report changes in blood pressure causes health implications or complications.