The American Nurses Association (ANA)
The American Nurses Association (ANA) stipulate authoritative statements concerning practices and duties of all registered nurses regarding specialty, role, population and expected performance. ANA states that the standards can change or evolve depending on clinical circumstances which may have an impact on the application of the standards. WOC (Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society) is endorsed by ANA as a specialty of practice. The legal obligation of nursing has an impact on how matters of healthcare are delivered to the patients (Grace et al 21). The legal obligations shape the environment in which the nurses practice their expertise and how documents are shared or kept.
Written Guidelines and Standards of Care for Nurses
The written guidelines and standards of care are implemented in determining how to deliver nursing practice and quality care. Legal interpretation of standards of care for nurses is not a set of guidelines or standard of care for a set by a person or individual. The interpretation is the embodiment of cumulative knowledge which is mandatory and provides minimum precedent for proficiency. The standard of care in nursing is important as they perceive the role of trust that the nurse portrays. The standards must be formulated with the guidance of the state and federal rules, laws, and regulations governing nursing practice. Hospitals and healthcare facilities need not describe the standards of care for the nurse as it might be described in a legal environment. Nurses are often mistaken to possess general knowledge and not the specialist aspect of their practice. Nursing malpractice is as a result of misconduct, negligence, breach of professional rules and regulations of the nursing practice. The malpractice may be as a result of failure to: follow standards of care, communicate, assessment and monitoring of patients, document results and medical information of the patients, and use of equipment in a responsible manner among others.
Assisted Suicide
Assisted suicide is a practice that is illegal in most of the world's laws pertaining to medical and healthcare rules (Dyer et al 23). Nurses may be caught up in the means of administering patients with life-ending drugs due to the health conditions they are facing of a request by the patient or the family. Oregon State is implementing the legality of patient's suicide under their laws. Oregon's Death with Dignity Act is undergoing the judicial scrutiny of providing lethal dose drugs that will end a terminally ill patient. Apparently, the act provided civil, criminal and professional immunity to health care provider participating in the procedure. The nursing laws do not recommend actions of termination of human life which is unethical to the standards of nursing. Nurses are responsible for ensuring that the health condition of a patient is protected through the provision of medical care and assistance.
Ethical Considerations
The aspect of human life is the basic value towards medical practice and violating the standards is unethical. Unethical practices are punishable by medical rules and can have consequences. Neglecting patient care and administering of medication is malpractice that is common resulting in the death of patients. This can also be termed as suicidal since proper medical attention may result in better healthcare of a patient. Misconduct of nurses or any healthcare practitioner may lead to the revocation of their medical license or even imprisonment. Universal health laws require patients care to be prioritized in ensuring that they recover from the illness that serves as a purpose of health care services. Under no circumstances should a medical practitioner facilitate life-ending medication any reasons available.
Role of Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) supervises the quality of healthcare delivered towards the patients in the medical facilities. Nursing roles are diverse as they are the main assistants of the medical specialists in performing duties and tasks. Their duties involve long working hours but caring for the patients is the ultimate reward for their mode of operations. Some of their duties include feeding, bathing, and dressing of patients (Grace et al 7). The exercise requires attention especially victims of illnesses such as stroke, accident-related and the elderly patients. Taking patient vital signs helps in knowing the steps to initiate towards their medical progress, giving the doctors a comprehensive on the patient's recovery progress. Serving meals, cleaning, and the making of the patient's beds is another role the nurse play to ensure that the medical environment is clean, free of possible germs and infectious bacteria.
Other Responsibilities of Nurses
Nurses are responsible for setting up equipment's and assist in medical procedures of the patients. The setting up helps to ensure that medical procedures run smoothly in both the operating rooms and recovery areas. Nurses are also responsible for answering to calls for help and observation of patient's change of condition and behaviors. The observation process saves a lot of lives since nurses are the regular medical practitioners that have a routine check of patient's medication and alert the doctors on any signs of change and condition of the patient. The change can be detected by taking samples of blood test, blood pressure, and visible changes of patient's response in taking of food or medication.
Conclusion
Medical laws secure the patient's illegal loss of life or health damage due to negligence and misconducts that may be performed in the medical facilities.
Work cited
Dyer, Owen, Caroline White, and Aser García Rada. "Assisted dying: law and practice around the world." Bmj 351 (2015): h4481.
Grace, Pamela J., and Ph DRN, eds. Nursing ethics and professional responsibility in advanced practice. Jones " Bartlett Learning, 2017.
