Law and Ethics, Patients Rights in Practice Essay

In particular, those aspects observed by the disciple relating to forbearings hiding, confidentiality and both situations which warranted a limitation to tolerant privacy depart be described and discussed with reference to long-sufferings indemnifys. Situations in the hospital ringting where the student think of viewed salutaryness professionals communicate tolerants or so interposition options, encouraging perseverings to adjudge accomplishment in decisions about their wellness, and gaining aware, voluntary bear prior(prenominal) to occasions will be discussed.An explanation of reasons for selecting privacy and swallow as two essential c erstpts which wellness providers essentialiness generalise will be illustrated. The statutory and respectable righteousness of health trade providers in copulation to the said(prenominal) ingrained principles of achieving unhurried privacy and gaining informed voluntary consent will be examined with a clear em phasis on enduring of rights.While on clinical adjustment, the student nurse observed health professionals guarding affected role privacy to a high standard by consistently shutting curtains around patients beds, lowering their voices when hold outing with patients in rooms containing multiple beds, politely requesting visitors to leave the room when procedures of a sensitive nature were preformed and closing patients doors to limit unwanted interference from hallways.In order to plant patients respect, dignity and devotion, which are outlined as a fundamental patient right in the Queensland health globe Patients ingest (2002), patients were consistently examined in areas that were as private as was possible at the time. This attempt by health fear providers to maintain the physical privacy of all patients by consistently minimizing unwarranted outside attention is a clear demonstration of how health wangle providers maintained patient dignity, consideration and respec t. According to the Ramsay wellness dread/Cairns Private infirmary Patient demand (nd. , patients permit a right to be treated with courtesy passim their hospital experience. The make believeions of the health distribute aggroup correlate positively to this record as through the maintenance of patients physical privacy, health fearfulness providers are demonstrating consideration for their patients and respecting their rights set forth in two the Queensland health public patient charter and the Ramsay health tending charter. end-to-end the clinical placement of the student nurse, the health care readiness in question demonstrated exceptional inclination to national privacy principles 4. set forth in the privateness Amendment number (2000). Initiatives currently in place at Cairns Private Hospital find confidentiality of both patients medical records as well as patients individualised details by limiting outside access to confidential selective reading and prevent ing health care professionals from transmitting such schooling to the broader community. One such example observed by the student nurse involves the hospitals policy preventing nurses from sledding the hospital with materials used in treat handovers that contain education regarding patients condition and psycheal details.The destruction of such material prevents the contagious disease of private entropy to the wider community and demonstrates the parting of health care providers in maintaining patient privacy. According to the national privacy principle 4. 1 extracted from the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act (2000, p. 9), An organisation must take reasonable steps to encourage the personal information it holds from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Therefore, by ensuring patients information is protected from unauthorised access and disclosure, Cairns Private Hospital is fulfilling the legal obligations set forth for private o rganizations in the Privacy Amendment Act (2000) principle 4. 1. Patients right to start their personal information kept private and confidential, as outlined in the Queensland Health Public Patients deal (2002), was also exceptionally demonstrated by those nurses with whom the student nurse was in contact during clinical placement.Health care providers consistently maintained patient confidentiality by limiting discussion of patients condition to those situations where health care providers must bundle patient information to improve patient care. When the student nurse observed an throw of information between health care providers pertaining to patients condition, it occurred in a manner such that other patients or visitors were unable to severalize the content of discussion. This includes, that is not limited to, patient information connect in nursing handovers.By treating patients personal information obtained in a professional capacity as confidential, nurses are adhering to the judge national standards for Australian nurses as stated in ANC Code of victor Conduct for Nurses in Australia (nd. ). The importance of maintaining patient privacy is unquestionable. Patients belief that health care professionals will handle their personal information with respect, dignity and maintain their confidentiality not only illustrates the ethical and legal responsibilities of health care providers, still correlates positively with the formation of trust between patient and nurse.According to Stein-Parbury (2005 p. 42), without trust, on that point is minimal self-disclosure and little chance that patients will share their experiences with nurses or that nurses will come to understand patients experiences. Therefore, through the maintenance of patient privacy and confidentiality, the division of trust, which forms the basis of all nurse-patient relationships, is strengthened. Crisp and Taylor (2005), illustrated the importance of patient privacy and confiden tiality as without these two essential components patients would not feel able to tell health care professionals their most intimate and private details.This potential hesitation to share personal information with health providers can have a invalidating impact on the provision of care and can ultimately tame to treatment that does not take into consideration essential aspects of patients health. The maintenance of patients privacy is essential in both building trust between nurse and patient and providing holistic nursing care. As stated previously, the maintenance of patient privacy has implications in both legal and ethical spheres and is preponderant to the formation of the nurse-patient relationship.Student nurses must thitherfore gain an understanding of the importance of maintaining patient privacy to ensure that once qualified as a registered nurse, one will understand the reasons why legally and ethically we must adhere to the guidelines. In todays health care setting, the emphasis of patients rights and understanding these rights is paramount if one wishes to practice safe enchant care for all peoples. It is for these reasons that the cardinal issue of patient privacy was selected for consideration. Although the importance of maintaining patient privacy is unquestionable, there are ertain situations that warrant the sharing of patient information. As observed by the student nurse, health care professionals continuously share patient information between themselves in attempts to allow allied health professionals to provide appropriate holistic patient care. In todays hospitals, with shift run for and the increasing specialization of various allied health workers, it is essential that patient information is shared to improve patients care and outcome. In order to secure appropriate care for patients, this is a requirement and will not be considered as a breach of patient privacy.This team work approach to health care is viewed as of benefit to the patient and is dead essential is todays health care facilities where health care professionals are increasingly working in more specialized fields. passim the entire clinical placement, the student nurse consistently observed health providers informing patients of their various treatment options, encouraging patients to take an active role in decisions about their health, and ultimately gaining informed voluntary consent prior to both procedure.As outlined in the Queensland Health Public Patients ingest (2002), and the Ramsay Health Care/Cairns Private Hospital Patient Charter (nd. ), patients have a right to easy to understand information about their condition, treatment options, risks, and expected outcomes. The health providers viewed by the student nurse exemplified exceptional adherence to the patients right to accurate information as nurses were observed directly informing patients wherever possible about their treatment options, risks, and choices available to them.H ealth care providers not only adhered to their legal obligation of providing treatment information to patients, but did so in a way that reflected nurses ability to use repayable care in support of their ethical responsibilities. According to the Ramsay Health Care/Cairns Private Hospital Patient Charter (nd. ), patients have a right to anticipate questions and seek clarification in regards to matters that concern them. The actions of the health care team exemplified near(a) practice with reference to this patient right.Health care providers were willing at all times to respond to patients questions or concerns and face up each situation with enthusiasm and clear respect for patients right to ask questions and seek clarification. Patients right to take part in decisions about their health care as stated in the Queensland Public Health Charter ( 2002), was viewed by the student nurse to occur in conjunction with the aforementioned patient right to information about treatment.By p roviding patients with easy to understand information about their condition, it allowed patients to make informed choices regarding their treatment and overall health. Health professionals were observed to provide patients with the information they require such that patients could make their get decisions regarding their treatment options. By thoroughly providing patients with necessary information as well as encouraging patients to take an active role in decisions about their health, health providers were empowering patients and fostering patients autonomy.Autonomy, the freedom to decide and act (Stein-Parbury, 2005), can be enhanced when a patient is given information about their condition and encouraged to take an active role in making decisions about their health. Informing patients of various treatment options and encouraging patients to take an active role in decisions about their health are fundamental components of informed voluntary consent. Informed voluntary consent may b e implied, written or verbally given. The student nurse observed various nurses obtaining implied consent from patients when performing routine procedures such as taking a blood pressure reading.The student also viewed health providers obtaining verbal consent from patients when preforming procedures such as showering and mobilizing patients. The health providers adhered to the legal requirements which state that consent must be voluntarily given and informed (Forrester & Griffiths, 2005). The actions of the health care team correlate positively to the statements set forth in both the Queensland Health Public Patients Charter (2002) and the ANMC Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia (nd. ). The charter asserts that patients have the right to give their permission before they are treated.Whether consent was implied or verbal, the student nurse observed patients giving their permission prior to any procedure. According to Value Statement 2 in the Code of breast feeding Ethics (nd. ), nurses must accept the rights of individuals to make informed choices in relation to their care. By ensuring that patients right to make informed choices in relation to their care and obtaining informed voluntary consent, health providers are meeting their legal and ethical obligations surrounding patients consent.It is essential that student nurses have an understanding of their moral and legal requirements surrounding patients consent. If a health provider performs a procedure without acquiring consent, there is a possibility that their actions legally may amount to beleaguer or battery. According to Forrester and Griffiths (2005), battery involves the unlawful touching of a person without his or her consent. In charges of battery, there is no requirement that the patient sustains any injuries as a result of health professionals unlawful touching.Health providers must therefore have an understanding of the legal ramifications surrounding consent to ensure that they provide safe nursing care based on respecting patients legal rights. It is for this reason that the issue of patients consent was included for discussion in this paper. It is becoming increasingly important for health professionals to have an understanding of their legal and ethical responsibility for the maintenance of patient privacy and obtaining informed voluntary consent prior to preforming any procedure with patients.With the emphasis on patiens rights becoming more prevalent in the health care setting, it is essential that health care workers respect patients rights which include, but are not limited to, maintaining patient privacy and obtaining informed voluntary consent. The health providers present at the health care facility attended by the student nurse were observed to demonstrate good practice with respect to patients rights as set forth in the Queensland Health Public Patients Charter (2002).