Licenced Practical Nurses - Essay Example

The health care industry bears a huge responsibility on its shoulders for taking care of human lives. This industry cannot function without proper federal and government laws to ensure that patients do not face any issues regarding their safety and confidentiality.  There are many legal issues that the health care industry faces pertaining to nursing. Nurses bear equal responsibility for the health care of their patients as surgeons or doctors.

There are many issues that arise due to the negligence of nurses and may lead them legally responsible for them. Nurses must distinguish between their personal values and professional values. In health care, nurses face complex situations where they cannot take decisions with their personal bias and preference. They have to abide by some standard practices and for that, the American Nurses Association has created a code of conduct that nurses have to follow. (LearningExpress, LLC, 2009) One of the greatest legal issues that nurses may have is to perform a procedure without the written consent of patients.

When a doctor orders a certain procedure, it is a nurse’s duty to take legal informed consent from the patient that ensures that the patient is aware of the procedure, its alternatives, its health benefits, and risks involved. If the nurse does not take written consent, s/he can be held responsible for any damage and can thus be sued. There are only a few exceptions where informed consent is not necessary. These include a) when the patient’s life is in danger or s/he waives the right to informed consent b) a patient under medication whose cognitive abilities do not let him comprehend c) mentally or emotionally incompetent patient d) An unconscious patient.

A patient must be mentally and emotionally sound to sign the consent form. It is a nurse’s responsibility to document everything that is done during or before the treatment (i.e. Vital signs, specimen collection, medication instrument, etc). If the nurse fails to document it properly with the necessary details (patient name, time, date, particular details) of the actions taken, s/he may be held liable for any negative outcomes of the treatment