Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing

The American Nurses Association’s (ANA) Code of Nursing Ethics, personal and societal values, and legal responsibilities all influence the way we care for our patients, treat our co-workers, and take care of ourselves. Never the less, nurses need to make a distinction between their individual values and their professional ethics when caring for their patients.
The American Nurses Association’s Code of Nursing Ethics is the cornerstone for nursing practice. Even though patients can still receive quality ethical care even if the code has never been read by the nurse, enhanced and complete nursing care is given when the nursing code of ethics is followed. The nursing code of ethics, according to Lachman, 2009, is the fundamental document for nurses and it provides a social contract with the patients we serve and acts as an ethical and legal framework for nurses, especially while the nurse is taking on more multifaceted roles and is involved in more complex ethical and legal situations.
In the case of 55 year old Henry, the ANA’s Code of Nursing Ethics would influence a final decision in the following ways. The final decision would not be based directly on the nurse caring for Henry, but based on a healthcare team approach. It is the nurse’s responsibility to make sure that Henry’s family is fully informed of all possible choices. First, according to Lachman, 2009, the patient is not the only one involved in the nurse’s care. The nurse must realize that they are also taking care of their patient’s family. In doing so, the nurse is expected to be kind, respectful and considerate, regardless of who is receiving care. “Patients have a moral and legal right to determine what will be done with their own person; to be given accurate, complete, and understandable information in a manner that facilitates an informed judgment; to be