Introduction

There can noted to be various legal as well as ethical issues that is found to be abundant across the overall nursing practices. In general, nurses shall have the responsibility of taking care of patients /clients by way of offering them best form of quality care, ensuring the personal data shared by the clients are maintained confidentially, adhering with planned as well as legal approach for decision making, and also work towards best levels of interest with respect to the patients. In this context, ethical issues shall in addition arise from concepts pertaining to justice and equity along with time / costs pertaining to care. It shall be the duty of the nurses for making ethically aligned decisions in terms of their actions and in addition for ensuring that they shall support patients with best for of efforts for making sure that they shall have the ability for making the decisions in an appropriate manner. Nurses need to follow codes of the practices and also legal principles for the purposes of ensuring that they shall address these issues in an adequate manner as well as have the ability for providing quality care towards the patients.

Analysis of Professional & Ethical Issues

As part of assessing the professional as well as ethical issues pertaining to nursing domain, let us consider a scenario where a patient who is 56-year old and suffers from a terminal illness with heavy dosage of medicines prescribed. The addition dosage for pain reliving has also been prescribed to the patient and the patient does not prefer the same. The patient rather wishes doctors for stopping such dosages with the patient thinking the same to be a pointless task.

Legal & Ethical Issue

The key issue which a nurse shall face with respect to the stated case shall be in determining that the treatment of this nature need to be provided for their patient and at times against the will of patients. Some key regulatory guides issues by nursing boards of Singapore as well as Australia encompass concepts like autonomy of the decisions, obligations and essentially working towards patient’s best interest (Griffith & Tengnah, 2020).

Autonomy of the Decisions

The notions concerning independence shall be addressed by way of principles concerning autonomy. The application of principles concerning autonomy with respect to the stated case could be suitably determined in that the independence concerning decision making shall need to be offered with the patient aligned to the patient’s wish (Griffith & Tengnah, 2020). In accordance to ethical codes for nursing practice, concerned patients need to be comprehensively provided with required information that shall aid the patient in determining the health condition as well as in a suitable manner make decision that shall addresses specific problem (Griffith & Tengnah, 2020). In case this autonomy principle, however, shall be applied for the stated case, then the patient shall deny the pain medication and shall be vulnerable for suffering from pain as well as distress.

Beneficence

As per ethical principles, that is, beneficence, it shall be duty of the practitioners of health care for building good and effective relationship with their patients such that the patients can develop trust as well as bestow the faith of patient on their service providers (Park et al., 2014). In case beneficence principle, however, shall be applied to the stated case, it can be noted that practitioner will be required in making a compromise with respect to the obligation principles as well as act towards the patient’s best interest.

Obligations

As per principles concerning obligation as well as best interest actions, it shall be the duty concerning the nurses for making sure best form of quality treatment shall be offered to patient by way of making sure that the patient shall receive treatment that shall be necessary to the patient (Park et al., 2014). In the stated case, doctor shall consider that it shall be necessary for continuous levels of additional dosage in medications as the same may cause pain as well as distress for the patient otherwise. In the stated case, however, the application of this principle shall actually defeat principles concerning independence as well as beneficence.

Relevance of Issues

The contradictory issues that are faced by nurses over course of the duties delivered by them shall represent one amongst the highly critical issues that shall arise from professional practices. Further, nurses shall face dilemma with respect to understanding concerning what shall be right approach with respect to addressing of relevant problems (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). In the stated case, reason that is provided by patient’s doctor with respect to the continuation of medication can never be judged for being a decision that is right or else wrong. The same needs to be suitably analysed, however, in that the extent of strength shall be reasoning with respect to the decision of this nature. The patient shall be aware of being suffering from terminal illness as well as any treatment for the patient is solely a relief of temporary nature.

Negligence

Nursing malpractice as well as nursing negligence represents a situation while harm shall be sustained by concerned patient due to failure at the level of nurse for complying with the duty (Preshaw et al., 2016). To make it simpler, negligence in nursing service shall take place while there has been breach in duty that is owed by nurses with respect to the patients as well as the harm so caused to patients shall be foreseeable. With respect to nursing negligence in the context of Singapore as well as Australia shall be much more as compared to that of errors or mistakes. The nursing boards offer code for conduct applicable to nurses that are to be followed focussed on quality from of care offered by them for the patients. The standards for professional conduct shall in addition be provided by Australian Nursing & Midwifery Board (Preshaw et al., 2016).

Conclusion

In conclusion, based on the analysis presented, it is noted that there shall be varied issues that professionals in health care shall be subjected to. Further, issues shall arise from both nurse and patient relationships as well as intra-personal relationships in-between nurses. In addition, most critical issue that the medical practitioners shall face in terms of the practice shall be in undertaking decisions with respect to patients shall not be mentally capable for undertaking decisions with respect to specific situations. It shall be duty of the health practitioners for maintaining balance principles concerning autonomy as well as the principles concerning obligations and best interest of patients. Nurses in accordance to the professional codes for conduct must in addition report any of the actions that they shall consider to be questionable or else shall hamper image concerning nursing with respect to general public. In addition, medical practitioners possess duty for care focussed on the patients as well as the duty of this nature need to be effectively complied in having utmost significance. In addition, the nurses need to accept accountability focussed on the actions and they shall be responsible with respect to negligent acts that are committed and could lead to harms for the patients or else nursing profession at an overall level.

References

Blais, K., Hayes, J. S., Kozier, B., & Erb, G. L. (2016). Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives (p. 528). Pearson.

Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2016). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Griffith, R., & Tengnah, C. (2020). Law and professional issues in nursing. Sage.

Park, M., Jeon, S. H., Hong, H. J., & Cho, S. H. (2014). A comparison of ethical issues in nursing practice across nursing units. Nursing ethics, 21(5), 594-607.

Preshaw, D. H., Brazil, K., McLaughlin, D., & Frolic, A. (2016). Ethical issues experienced by healthcare workers in nursing homes: literature review. Nursing ethics, 23(5), 490-506.