Essentials of Nursing Law and Ethics

Book excerpt: An Updated and Authoritative Resource on Nursing Law and Ethics The Essentials of Nursing Law and Ethics, Second Edition focuses on the legal aspect of Nursing as it relates to patient safety and quality, environmental health and safety, error reduction and ethical boundaries of practice. Other timely topics include the appropriate use of social media by nursing staff. The text is written by a nurse attorney who presents complex topics in an understandable manner while providing accurate and well researched content relevant to the practice. Extensive legal research by the author incorporates the most current relevant professional and legal references including case law. The text is uniquely organized into five major sections including: the law and nursing practice; liability in patient care; documentation issues; employment and the workplace; and ethics. New to this Edition: • Professional boundaries and use of social media • Quality and safety initiatives in nursing practice, including Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) concepts and content, Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations • Environmental health and safety, including equipment safety • Staffing issues and implications for patient safety and liability • Workplace issues including factors to consider when accepting assignments, horizontal violence • Additional coverage on medication error reduction and safety initiatives • Updated content on electronic documentation, communication, and recordkeeping • Regulatory processes including state board use of off duty conduct in disciplinary proceedings, and data bank reporting, and remediation as an alternative to discipline • Expansion of content on ethical considerations in areas such as assisted suicide, patients’ rights, and applying the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses • Moral distress and moral courage in ethical decision making • Update on the processes for basic legal research Key Features: Test bank featuring NCLEX type questions and rationale A glossary of legal terminology found within the text A Table of Cases for easier access to case law Expanded online resources and scholarly references included at the end of each chapter