...Accountability of Nursing Professional GCU Accountability of Nursing Professional NRS-430 April 07, 2011 Accountability of Nursing Professional Every health care member is accountable to their Profession ,Public ,Self,Clients,and health care agency.Accountability means they are able to explain the reasons behind their actions. Accountability facilitates self assessment and assume ownership of job role. Porter-O’Grady & Malloch(2007) replaced respnsibility with accountability. The word ‘ Responsible ‘ means,it ,make the workers feel like they need to complete a job within certain time.Accountability make the workers programe their job and take ownership of it. They can eventually feel proud about their performance.American nurses association stated that the nurse will be accountable for their actions and their judgment.(ANA2001P1).Accountability is a legal obligation.It applies to every one involved in the health care.According to the health portability and accountability act, the nurse should not ignore the patients wishes.Nursing shortage will impact the future of health care.This make the health care institution uses the non-licensed individuals to be patient care givers.This inturn will place more ethical and legal responsibility on RNs .RN position will be as a leader or supervisor in the health care industry. Nurses are accountable to the clients. Nurses allow clients to participate in nursing care activities and planning.Nurses...
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...perform at an acceptable level, the level that the person has been educated (Kelly-Heidenthal, 2003, p. 268). Accountability is defined as, "being responsible and liable for actions or failure of actions of oneself or others in the context of delegation" (NCSBN, 2009). This is in reference to the nurse's legal liability for the actions taken and patient outcomes. Accountability and responsibility are different, as responsibility belongs to the person doing the task and accountability belongs to the person who assigned the task. The nurse is both accountable for the task being completed and is also responsible for the patients in their care. (RCN, 2010) Accountability and responsibility are two essential parts of delegation. DeWits and O’Neill (2014) define delegation as "transferring the authority to perform a selected nursing task in a selected situation to a competent individual ". When delegating, the registered nurse (RN) allocates nursing tasks to health care assistants (HCAs) while still remaining accountable for the patient and the task that was assigned. Delegating is a management technique that is used to provide more efficient care to patients. (NCSBN, 2009) Permitting HCAs to take on nursing responsibilities allows the nurse to complete other tasks that need to be completed; however, delegation is done at the nurses' discretion and is a personal choice. Nurses need to make careful decisions regarding delegation, taking into account the skill and training of the HCA,...
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...Define accountability versus responsibility. Provide some general examples. In simple terms, accountability refers to being answerable to a higher authority and responsibility is having to do with a sense of duty. In nursing, responsibility is defined as the "reliability, dependability, and the obligation to accomplish work. Responsibility also includes each person's obligation to perform at an acceptable level, the level that the person has been educated." (Kelly-Heidenthal, 2003, p. 268) Accountability is the ability and willingness to assume responsibility for ones’ actions and accepting the consequences of one's behavior.” (Kozier, Erb, Blais, Wilkinson; AddisonWesley) Accountability is a legal obligation. In health care it is also an ethical and moral responsibility. Within the realm of professional accountability, there are many factors. Professional accountability applies to everyone involved in health care. You may transfer responsibility to another person but will continue to remain accountable for those tasks. This is called delegating. ANA defines nursing delegation as transferring the responsibility of performing a nursing activity to another person while retaining accountability for the outcome (ANA/NCSBN, 2006); A professional nurse has the responsibility to practice within his/her scope of care, calling upon his/her knowledge and skills to make decisions in the best interest of the patient. Assuming responsibility for one’s own nursing practice...
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...nature of the profession of nursing and provide a basis for nursing activities. It endorses ethical values we hold as basic and bases our beliefs in theory. Nursing philosophy is based on both professional organization and individual definitions. Many factors both intrinsically and extrinsically influence one’s personal perceptions of the great profession called nursing. Every nurse is accountable for maintaining her own knowledge and education after completion of a nursing program. With a focus on personal professional growth that intellectually stimulates and promotes individual autonomy with her given specialty of practice, a nurse can greatly improve her self-confidence and professional motivation, thus providing a firm foundation on which to base her nursing judgment. Nursing Philosophy One strategy nurses can use to affirm that their practice is in harmony with their value system is to write a personal philosophy statement. This might be general in nature, such as a philosophy that relates to life values; it could be a philosophy statement related to beliefs about the profession of nursing; or it might be a philosophy specific to school nursing. In each case, this activity will encourage nurses to clarify their values and then examine how their philosophy fits with their professional practice. Articulating a philosophy statement is an intellectual activity that requires careful thought, because values need to be identified, clarified, and prioritized. As the profession...
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...Accountability of Nursing Professionals Grand Canyon University: NRS ¬- 430V 07/08/2011 Accountability of Nursing Professionals Professional accountability means “ being answerable to someone for something done ” (ANA, 2002) Professional nurse is accountable to the profession, patient population, inter- disciplinary team, community, to the employer, and to self. The individual nurse retains accountability and responsibility for excellent care and conformity with evidence based practice. That includes bedside nursing, teaching, delegation, research and administration (ANA, code of ethics 2001). Advance in technology and evidence based practice brings perfection in nursing skills in order to provide competent and safe care to the patients. The level of responsibility and accountability varies as the professional role changes. The charge nurse has more responsibility than the registered nurse. Therefore their levels of professional judgment and practices are not same, but they assume same professional accountability. According to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Network web site expands upon the definition of prevention of harm: “ freedom from accidental or preventable injuries produced by medical care” (Mitchell, 2008). In 2001 (AHRQ) has given evidence based repot in different ways to improve patient...
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...Professional Accountability, Standards of Practice, Professional Development. Introduction Standards of practice and professional accountability are inextricably woven together. Standards describe the "what and how" of delivering nursing care. Professional accountability is creating the standards, meeting those standards, holding peers to the standards, and revising the standards when needed. As your e-text describes "Standards of practice are the "what" and describe a competent level of nursing care. Standards ofprofessional performance are the "how" of nursing (Cresaia & Friberg, 2010). The ANA's Scope and Standards of Clinical Nursing Practice (2004) describe both the "what" and "how" of professional nursing. This document outlines nine specific standards that describe the level of competence required in the role of the professional nurse (American Nurses Association, 2004). The model in your e-text that depicts professionalism provides a graphic display of all the essential elements which nurses need to include in their practice to support professional development. The ANA's Code of Ethics for Nurses (2001) makes it clear that nurses are accountable for their judgments and actions independent of hospitals, physicians, or other health care organizations. Nurses are accountable for themselves to the patient, the public, other health care team members, and members of the nursing profession. Standards of practice are developed and found in professional specialty nursing...
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...Running head: ACCOUNTABILITY OF NURSING PROFESSIONALS: WEANING Accountability of Nursing Professionals: Weaning from Mechanical Ventilation Samantha Madrid Grand Canyon University Abstract This paper will discuss the weaning of patients off of a mechanical ventilator. It will look at the problems associated with prolonged intubation vs. premature extubation, and what healthcare professionals can do to assess a patients readiness to begin the weaning process. A patient care scenario will be given and an explanation of how nursing practice can evolve with the knowledge from this study will be shown. The accountability of the nursing professional in regards to mechanical ventilation will be visited as well. Accountability of Nursing Professionals: Weaning from Mechanical Ventilation “Mechanical ventilation refers to the use of life-support technology to perform the work of breathing for patients who are unable to do so on their own.” This is the definition of mechanical ventilation according to Cook, Meade, and Guyatt (2000). They performed a study to determine the optimal time to wean a patient off of mechanical ventilation. When weaning a patient you have to find the right time to extubate. Prolonged mechanical ventilation can lead to nosocomial pneumonia, cardiac associated morbidity, and possible death. However, extubating a patient too soon may result in having to reintubate which can result in the same illnesses as prolonged intubation. “Research to date suggests...
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...WORD COUNT 1648 1 Law, Accountability and Ethics in prescribing During my supervised practice in an outpatient clinic the non-medical prescriber I was with was asked by a colleague to prescribe for a patient on her behalf. In my role as a vascular clinical nurse specialist, I run nurse led clinics working alongside other nonprescribing colleagues seeing patients with peripheral vascular disease, this can range from patients with leg ulcers or diabetic foot ulceration with wound infections to patients with intermittent claudication, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm or varicose veins, all of whom may or may not need medications or wound management treatments prescribed. It is very likely that during these clinics once I qualify as a non-medical prescriber I will be asked the same. In this essay I will explore the issues of law, accountability and ethics raised by prescribing on behalf of others. The legal system of England and Wales has two branches of law; criminal and civil Criminal Law: Statues are acts of parliament which are presented via the House of Commons moves to the House of Lords where amendments are made, returns to House of Commons, for final discussion when complete the Bill is given Royal Assent and passes into law. Criminal law involves offences against the state, it is usually the Crown that brings the action against the defendant (Gagan 2010 cited by Courtnay & Griffin). In terms of non-medical prescribing there are two important statues ...
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...paper explain the Accountability of a nursing professional based on an evidence report from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Assessment(AHRQ) , the report is " Closing the Quality Gap: A Critical Analysis of Quality Improvement Strategies (Vol. 6: Prevention of Healthcare–Associated Infections)" under the head Quality Improvement and Patient Safety What is Accountability? In Fundamentals of Nursing it says “The ability and willingness to assume responsibility for ones’ actions and accepting the consequences of one's behavior.” Accountability of nursing professional is a legal obligation; for a professional nurse it is relating to ethics and moral responsibility. Within the kingdom of professional accountability, there are many factors. The American Nursing Association (ANA) states in its code that the nurse will assume accountability for nursing judgment and actions. A professional nurse has the responsibility to take decisions and practice within the scope of care, calling upon his/her information and skills to make judgments in favor of the patient. A professional nurse is accountable to their profession, their patients, employer, and other health care team members and to themselves. Nurses are accountable to provide safest care for their patient based on evidence based practice and safe nursing interventions. Nursing profession as a whole is build up on accountability, unselfishness, integrity and social justice. A professional nurse who take decisions...
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...many legal concepts. It is important for nurses to know the legal aspect of Nursing; because nurses are accountable for their professional judgments and actions. Accountability is a crucial concept of professional nursing practice and the Knowledge of laws that legalize and affect nursing practice is needed for two reasons: first to ensure that nurses’ decisions and actionsLegal aspect of Nursing Nursing practice is ruled by many legal concepts. It is important for nurses to know the legal aspect of Nursing; because nurses are accountable for their professional judgments and actions. Accountability is a crucial concept of professional nursing practice and the Knowledge of laws that legalize and affect nursing practice is needed for two reasons: first to ensure that nurses’ decisions and actions are consistent with legal principles and second to protect nurses from legal responsibility. What are the functions of law in nursing? The law serves a number of functions in nursing: it helps structure nursing actions in the care of clients are legal. It helps establish the boundaries of independent nursing action. It assists in maintaining a standard of nursing practice by making nurses accountable under the law. There are three sources of laws that affecting nurses: Federal Regulation, Criminal and Civil law and State law. Federal Regulations have a great impact on nursing practice for example The Health insurance portability and accountability Act (HIPAA), The Americans with disabilities...
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...Professional Nursing Accountability: Our Ethical Responsibility Ralaya L. Allen R.N. Grand Canyon University: Professional Dynamics 08/27/11 Professional Nursing Accountability: Our Ethical Responsibility In healthcare, accountability can be regarded as a responsibility as well as a legal obligation. Patients have the right to be treated by well educated professional personnel such as doctors, nurses, and ancillary staff. Without accountability, there would not be consequences for unfavorable actions taken on the behalf of the patient. It is reverent in the physicians oath “do no harm"; this is a fundamental truth in all healthcare practices. Professional Nursing Nurses have both an ethical and moral responsibility to their patients. According the American Nurses Association, "Ethics is central to the way we care, and to the way we envision ourselves as professionals..."(2011, p.1). A nurse’s moral responsibility is based from their own personal conviction of doing what is right for the patient. Legal Obligation Today, healthcare regulations are governed by laws. All medical professionals are required to obtain and uphold adequate licensure and provide patient care per the current laws. The nursing licensure is dictated by the State Board of Nursing. In Nevada, completion certification must be presented to the State Board of Nursing from a state approved nursing program. The student must also pass a full background investigation, as well as also pass the...
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...Running head: Accountability of Nursing Professionals Accountability of Nursing Professionals for Patient Safety Practices Related to Informed Consent Lavonia Deanne Bishop Grand Canyon University NURS-430V Professional Dynamics 23-Aug-2010 (0106) September 19, 2010 Accountability of Nursing Professionals for Patient Safety Practices Related to Informed Consent Accountability in nursing can be defined as the state in which the nurse is responsible for upholding a professional agreement with the patient to provide services and be held answerable for the outcomes of behaviors related to these services (Hood, 2010). One of the main areas we are held accountable for as professional nurses is the safety of our patients. After an evidence-based review of patient safety practices, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has identified numerous opportunities for quality improvement. The practices identified were rated by strength of evidence, with the highest rated being listed first. This paper will examine practice number five, asking patients to recall and restate what they have been told during the informed consent and the responsibility of the professional nurse in this process. The Informed Consent Process According to Terry (2007) informed medical consent occurs when a patient autonomously and expressly permits a professional to perform a medical act on that patient or include the patient in a research project. Patients are now encouraged to be more informed...
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...The Legal and Professional Implications of an incident witnessed during clinical placement. This paper highlights an incident that occurred during a clinical placement. It will also address any legal or professional issues that surround it. Any details of the patient or institution have been withheld to maintain confidentiality. This is in line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards of Conduct Performance and Ethics for Nurses and Midwifes (2008). Mr John Jones had suffered a stroke and had severe difficulties with swallowing (Dysphagia). He was unable to take in any fluid or medicine orally. These had to be given via a Pecutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) tube into his stomach. Mr Jones was aware of his treatment. However, during a shift a newly qualified nurse (NQN) tried to administer John’s medicine orally despite John’s refusal to accept the treatment. John was extremely upset and distressed by the nurse’s actions and verbally refused to take the drug orally. The drug was also documented to be given via the PEG tube. The incident was then witnessed by a more senior nurse who then administered the medication correctly. This incident outlines several issues concerning legal and professional accountability. According to Dimond (2011) ‘Accountability’ is defined as how far a person can be held in law to account for their actions. This seems an appropriate definition to give because a person who has to answer to the law then has a vital...
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...when nurses are providing care. Collaboration between providers and staff members goes a long way in patient care because taking care of a patient can become a team effort. I run ideas past other nurses or providers to make sure I am giving the best care possible for that patient. To trust and respect other providers to be included in the care of your patient is beneficial to that patient. When I have a laboring patient that does not have great heart tones on their baby I make sure that I have a NICU nurse and a respiratory therapist there for delivery incase the baby needs assistance after delivery. I cannot stress enough how important using your resources is because in turn it will increase patient...
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...Being able to communicate effectively with the patient is an essential skill in the nursing profession. When a nurse becomes newly qualified she may come across many patients whom when coming into hospital will be feeling scared or stressed out. Coming into hospital for some patients can be a traumatic and demanding place. To be able to counsel and support your patient at this time can elevate their feeling. In fact providing the patient and their relatives support and comfort at this worrying time of need is a nurse’s duty. When counselling a patient you should actively listen to their needs, responding to what is the best interest of the patient whilst enabling the outcome the patient wants to be achieved (Freshwater, 2003). The RCN (2013) states that to counsel a patient enables them to overcome or elevate their emotional issues that they might find problematic. This can be done by confidential supporting them, listening to them and assisting them where ever they need it. As a newly qualified nurse actively listening to your patient and empathising with them allows them to feel supported. Timby (2009) says that allowing the patient to be able to talk over their problems with you or worries enables them to organise their own thoughts. As a result the patient can feel more at ease or even be able to overcome their emotional issues or worries. Supporting the patient at their more challenging time and promoting their rights allows them to make their own decision or choices about...
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