Ethical Conflicts and Legal Liability in Professional Nursing
Editor
James E. Szalados
Department
Nursing
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Title
The Medical-Legal Aspects of Acute Care Medicine
Abstract
When one thinks of the nursing profession, many images often come to mind: the reservoir of knowledge, the supportive listener, the thoughtful caretaker, or the quick-thinking multitasker, to name a few. With a continually increasing acuity seen in the patient population, combined with a widening gap in the nursing shortage, nurses are having to face new challenges and adapt to new roles. With a rapidly evolving profession come newfound responsibilities; and an ever-increasing number of nurses are faced with ethical and legal conflicts throughout employment. Specifically, as a critical care nurse, it is not uncommon to encounter multiple ethical or legal debacles within one 12-hour shift (Gutierrez KM, Dimens Crit Care Nurs. 24:229–241, 2005). In the coming pages, we will explore examples of ethical dilemmas among critical care nurses and how ethics and legal liability are beginning to shape the field of nursing.
First Page
393
Last Page
415
DOI
10.1007/978-3-030-68570-6_18
Publication Date
4-3-2021
Publisher
Springer, Cham
Recommended Citation
Hughes, T. (2021). Ethical Conflicts and Legal Liability in Professional Nursing. The Medical-Legal Aspects of Acute Care Medicine, 393-415. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68570-6_18