Confidentiality And Ethical-Legal Controversies

Confidentiality and ethical-legal controversies

Ethical-legal controversies

In the nursing profession the staff faces many ethical-legal controversies in their careers. Nursing professionals must combine knowledge of ethical-legal aspects of health care and professional values in nursing practice. It is very essential to know what types of controversies the nursing staff can face during the profession and how they have been addressed in the past. Nursing professionals are subject to a large number of ethical, legal and professional duties that will be discussed in this essay. Depending on the scenario, these main ethical and legal duties will be respect for the patient’s autonomy and the duty to take care of all patients.

The hypothetical case to be presented, deals with a primary doctor who would proceed to interpret laboratory tests to determine the patient’s cholesterol levels. The controversy presented is that the laboratory tests are the doctor’s computer and this by mistake they sent them to a printer that is far from where it is located. Although he printed them again, in the right printer, the controversy is that some other person could have seen laboratory tests. It is a medical-patient relationship, which did not involve third parties at that time. It is not even mentioned, in the hypothetical case that there was any nursing staff.

This situation affects the primary doctor because he made an error that can bring him an ethical-legal controversy.

Sending laboratory tests to a printer that was far from your office. Information management as laboratory tests affects the patient if used in a malicious way. The one that someone misuses in the laboratory tests is to worry. This can lead to a lawsuit, against the doctor and the hospital for misunderstanding a patient’s information.

Nursing practice laws, training and work descriptions, as well as the safe delegation, serve to protect patients and damage residents. Protect them from damage also implies ethical-legal aspects in health care. These ethical-legal aspects related to the situation are: respecting each person as an individual, knowing the limits of their role and knowledge, performing tasks that are within the legal limits of their role, not performing any act that can damage the person. The person follows the rules and procedures of the institution, complete each task safely, always act as a responsible citizen and maintain the confidentiality of the person’s information (Sorrentino and Remert, 2020). Among the laws related to the management of health information that are being violated in this hypothetical situation is the Law on Portability and Responsibility of Health Insurance (HIPAA), which is the confidentiality and privacy of information and medical data ofPatients (Legal Services of Puerto Rico, 2019).

Finally, ethics refers to the standards of moral judgment and professional behavior. All this mentioned, it is very important to take it into account as nursing professionals since we are highly responsible to patients, the public, employers and the entire profession. The duties of nursing professionals are complemented by the principles of charity, which means promoting or doing good and acting in the best interest of patients. and not maleficence, which means avoiding damage. These are professional duties in nursing that become legal obligations if any legislation or political is violated during practice. As a nursing professional, I understand how important it is to maintain the confidentiality and privacy of patient information.

References

1. Legal Services of Puerto Rico. (2019). Hipaa Law and the confidentiality of medical information. Retrieved from: https: // helpalegalprr.Org/Resource/Law-Hipaa-and-la-Confidencial-of-Information-Made
2. Sorrentino, s.A. And Remert, L. (2020). Mosby Manual for Basic Nursing Care. (6th ed.). Spain: Elsevier Health Sciences.