A Variety of Ethical Considerations That Are Stipulated in the Nursing Profession - Essay Example

Disclosure of Health Information: Name: Institution Affiliation: In the nursing profession there are a variety of ethical considerations that are stipulated. The nurses are expected to conduct themselves professionally. Their competency is determined by a number of factors. Based on the scenario highlighted, it appears the nurse was demonstrating an unethical behavior in handling the patient’s case. Every patient has a right to privacy and confidentiality. The way the nurse relayed that kind of information to the patient’s girlfriend signifies great incompetence. It is a pertinent issue that emerges severally in the health sector. Patients are not treated professionally and such scenarios create complications in practice. It is pertinent that such issues are prevented from happening again. This issue can be explored in depth and solutions can be accorded as they fit (Health Privacy it’s my business, 2011). The nurse in this situation has tainted the image of nurses in a detrimental way. Nurses are the cornerstone of health practice. They are entrusted with a great responsibility of taking care of many patients with critical conditions. The nature of information that they get in their daily routine is categorized as critical and thus any form of information should be handled with great care. Patients are human beings and they should be treated with great care and respect. Any information regarding the management of the patient should be safeguarded at all times. Confidentiality is a pertinent feature that should be enhanced in the nursing care of patients. The nurse in this case, violated the patient’s right to confidentiality and this should be severely punished. It is a misconduct that should not be tolerated at any point in time (Health Privacy it’s my business, 2011). Based on the standards of practice that have been stipulated by nursing councils, it is pertinent that the patient be handled with great care. The requirement is that licensed practical nurses should ethically maintain confidentiality during practice. This is a vital requirement and it forms a great part of their responsibility. Nurses are governed by certain laws that ensure that health practices are within the recommended code of conduct for health practitioners. In terms of the standards that the nurse in question might have violated, there is the statement of confidentiality. It is an important entity in health practice. This forms a major pillar that defines health practice. Without this aspect of health practice, there will be inhumane practices in hospitals and health institutions. Confidentiality is defined as the process of keeping any form of information confidential. This is with regard to the social health of the patient, psychological and physical status. Every information that has been obtained from the patient whether personal or of any kind should be considered private and kept confidential at all times. Confidentiality covers a major ground when it comes to patient management. It is an important feature and any attempt to go against it creates turmoil in the nursing practice. The nurse in this case was expected to have respected the patient’s right of confidentiality. It is quite clear that the code of conduct was uncouth and deserves proper review in order to prevent any future misconduct (British Medical Association, 2009). There are guidelines regarding patients’ nursing care. This is where confidentiality comes in handy. It is recommended that the patient receiving nursing care has the right to any information regarding the treatment. It makes patients informed and thus enabling them to make informed decisions. It is of great significance in health practice as this enhances efficiency and coordination in the management of patients. In terms of information sharing, this can be done for the good of the patient. The information regarding the health of the patient can be shared among the health care providers but this should be under certain legislation. This should be aimed at enhancing proper management of the patient. The kind of information that is relayed should be treated delicately as there could be extreme consequences. The nurse in question must have caused a lot of damage with the misconduct that was displayed. Information is vital and should be handled with great care. Any information regarding the patient that is to be relayed to the relatives must have been evaluated and consent acquired at all times from the patient. It is important to note that confidentiality is a clause that covers every kind of information that the patient provides. This does not just apply to the health information but also the miscellaneous information that the patient relays to the nurse. Patients are human beings and any information relayed by them should be considered a simple feature of their lives. Any information conveyed carries a lot of weight (The College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta, 2015). Nurses are not supposed to make any comments regarding the patient’s health status. This applies to any scenario of any information that has leaked to the public. Speaking or even speculating on this information is forbidden. The rules and regulations that govern the nurses are quite clear in the code of conduct of the nurses. They are expected to show great competency in their handling of any patient. Nurses are subjected to training and this is expected to grant them competency. There are certain rules and regulations that they are expected to adhere to in their practice. In case there is violation of the rules, there are consequences. Competency means the ability to execute actions in a skillfully and proficient way according the required criteria. It encompasses a variety of things. There are a number of aspects that govern the competent level of a nurse. There is the aspect of attitudes and judgment that determine the nature of how services are delivered to the patient. Most patients expect great services from their health care providers. This has a great significance in influencing the recovery of the patient. The scenario depicted indicates an incompetent nurse. The method she used to handle the patient’s information showed lack of skillfulness and professionalism. This raises a lot of questions regarding the nature of her training. It is clear it was a poor way of handling the patient’s information (Marsch & Lord, 2014). In terms of industrial policy, it is evident that there a various proceedings that are in place when it comes to governing code of conduct of professionals. A set of rules and complex legal obligations are focused in the management of any misconduct. These entities govern how information of any kind is handled. This makes it an important feature in professionalism. There is the common law duty of confidentiality that has been highlighted in a number of scenarios. It explains the ways in which information if any form can be evaluated with great care to avoid any problems (Caulfield & Tigerstrom, 2012). The law basically refers to the aspect of acquiring consent before any information can be used in a particular situation. It is protective in nature as it ensures human rights are upheld. Referring to practice, the law indicates that all information concerning patients, regardless of what state they are in they should be handled with care (Emam, 2013). This covers all the information in computers, visual or audio recorded information should not be disclosed without the patient consent. There are exceptions that indicate information can be relayed. Some of them include; the presence of a court order, consent from the patient and when disclosure is overriding public interest. There are statutory basis that permit the disclosure of information and this are set under certain acts such as the Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001. These laws are distinct in determining the nature of conduct among health care professionals (College Of Nurses Of Ontario, 2014). Patients’ confidentiality is a key feature in ensuring proper health care provision. Anything that violates this status quo indicates lack of skillfulness and professionalism. There is clear need for all health care providers to show appropriateness when it comes to patients’ management. The kind of conduct that nurses exhibit is determined by the respect they have for the patient. Information can be damaging and may kill morale in a patient or the relative to the patient. Therefore it is vital that every nurse should handle this issue with strictness (Tranberg & Rashbass, 2014). The nurse in question violated a number of standards which include confidentiality in practice and competency. The nurse proved to be incompetent and this raises a lot of questions regarding the nature of training that the nurse went through in nursing school. It is a requirement that confidentiality is upheld in any practice. Lack of confidentiality is detrimental and cannot be tolerated. In case the situation is reported to relevant authorities there could be drastic consequences (Modschiedler & Bennett, 2014). The nurse in question could have the license to practice withdrawn and this could lead to lack of employment. Depending on the nature or the degree of misconduct, the nurse could be imprisoned. Failure to meet the standards of practice has been associated with severe repercussions. This has led to great distortion of professionalism and thus nurses are subjected to a series of vetting after such a situation. It is paramount that confidentiality of patients be considered in all health decisions. Any cases of misconduct should not be tolerated (Murphy & Waterfill, 2010). References British Medical Association (2009). Confidentiality and disclosure. British Medical Association. Caulfield, T. A., & Tigerstrom, B. V. (2012). Health Care Reform & the Law in Canada: Meeting the Challenge. University of Alberta. College Of Nurses Of Ontario (2014, June). Profsessional Conduct. The Standard of Care . Emam, K. E. ( 2013). Guide to the De-Identification of Personal Health Information. CRC Press. Health Privacy it’s my business. (2011, January). Retrieved from Use and Disclosure of Health Information: http://www.health.vic.gov.au/hsc Marsch, L. A., & Lord, S. E. (2014). Behavioral Healthcare and Technology: Using Science-Based Innovations to Transform Practice. Oxford University Press. Modschiedler, C., & Bennett, D. B. (2014). Guide to Reference in Medicine and Health. American Library Association,. Murphy, M., & Waterfill, M. ( 2010). The New Hipaa Guide for 2010: 2009 Arra ACT for Hipaa Security and Compliance Law & Hitech ACT Your Resource Guide to the New Security & Privacy Req. AuthorHouse. The College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta. (2015, February 11). Confidentiality. Practice Statement 9 . Tranberg, H., & Rashbass, J. (2014). Medical Records Use and Abuse. Radcliffe Publishing. Read More