Legal Case Study
Legal Case Study
Susan L Groover
Walden University
Legal Case Study Examine the implications of health law for nurses, ethical principles, and decision making when faced with the potential for medical error is part of the nurse’s daily activity when caring for patients. Each state has a Board of Nursing governing the practice of nurses. The board of nursing specifies through codes, titles, articles, and definitions how the licensed registered nurses can legally practice. The case study “Where Did This Patient’s Intravenous (IV) Therapy Go Awry?” is the study being addressed in the paper. Error The nurse in this case chose to perform a nursing procedure without a physician’s order. The nurse felt she had no other options and chose to place an IV in the right foot of a patient with poor access in the upper extermities. The nurse was unaware of the guidelines from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Infusion Nurses Society (INS). The INS states “Cannulation of the lower extremities in adults should be avoided because of the increased risk of phlebitis” (Intravenous Nursing Society,2000). The nurses admitted she was “vaguely aware of the hospital’s policy” (Rosenthall, et al). By performing a procedure without an physicians order, the nurse is acting outside her scope of practice. Additional errors followed involving other nurses. It is the nurse’s responsibility of report to the next shift the patient’s overall patient condition, including signs and symptoms, past history, and findings on assessments. The nurses caring for this patient failure to do a complete nursing assessment, report findings to the next shift nurse or the physician in charge is the patient’s care. Everyone caring for the patient is liable for the patient’s care. The ethical standards violated by this nurse involves 3.5 Acting of Questionable practice. The questionable practice involves the nurse placing an IV in the patient’s lower
Susan L Groover
Walden University
Legal Case Study Examine the implications of health law for nurses, ethical principles, and decision making when faced with the potential for medical error is part of the nurse’s daily activity when caring for patients. Each state has a Board of Nursing governing the practice of nurses. The board of nursing specifies through codes, titles, articles, and definitions how the licensed registered nurses can legally practice. The case study “Where Did This Patient’s Intravenous (IV) Therapy Go Awry?” is the study being addressed in the paper. Error The nurse in this case chose to perform a nursing procedure without a physician’s order. The nurse felt she had no other options and chose to place an IV in the right foot of a patient with poor access in the upper extermities. The nurse was unaware of the guidelines from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Infusion Nurses Society (INS). The INS states “Cannulation of the lower extremities in adults should be avoided because of the increased risk of phlebitis” (Intravenous Nursing Society,2000). The nurses admitted she was “vaguely aware of the hospital’s policy” (Rosenthall, et al). By performing a procedure without an physicians order, the nurse is acting outside her scope of practice. Additional errors followed involving other nurses. It is the nurse’s responsibility of report to the next shift the patient’s overall patient condition, including signs and symptoms, past history, and findings on assessments. The nurses caring for this patient failure to do a complete nursing assessment, report findings to the next shift nurse or the physician in charge is the patient’s care. Everyone caring for the patient is liable for the patient’s care. The ethical standards violated by this nurse involves 3.5 Acting of Questionable practice. The questionable practice involves the nurse placing an IV in the patient’s lower
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