Posted: April 7th, 2015

Nursing: Law and Ethics

Nursing: Law and Ethics

Order Description

Objectives: Assignment one:
After successfully completing this assignment students will:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of law and ethics in 21st Century registered nursing practice in Australia 2. Apply published theory to case situations. 3. Synthesise published material with the student’s own analysis to demonstrate appropriate conclusions. 4. Demonstrate professional communication in the accepted form of an Academic Assignment.

Process
Due Date: April 15 2015 2. Word limit is 2000 words – 10% deviation allowed

NUR3020 Assignment 1: Application of Law and Ethics modules
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USQ NUR3020 s-1 2015 Assignment one (1)
APA6 referencing is required as per the USQ Library guide is expected.

Assignment Brief Conduct an analysis of the Case: Findings of the Inquest into the death of Christopher Hammett addressing the three sections as outlined.
Assignment Section One: Patient Safety In the report of the Findings of the Inquest into the death of Christopher Hammett the Coroner, Dr John Hutton, with expert testimony from an anaesthesiologist, Dr Keith Greenland concluded that the care of Mr Hamment included a series of human errors, that when lined up, combined and compounded to cause the death of Mr. Hamment.
A number of nurses, (Registered nurses and Enrolled nurses) were involved in Mr. Hamment’s care in the period of time from his transfer to the PACU, through time in recovery and then on the ward. In a chapter provided for you on DIRECT (see study desk for NUR3020), McDonald and Then discuss that while individuals can make errors, it also may be difficult to attribute to one person. (McDonald & Then, 2014, p. 134).
1. For section 1 – Conduct an analysis of the nursing care that is outlined by the coroner in the Findings of the Inquest in to the death of Christopher Hammett 1 in terms of the nurses involved.
a. Use reading and additional references to assist your critique – MINIMUM of three for passing mark – more are expected b. It is expected that you will substantiate your points with literature regarding best practice or literature related to Patient Safety. (Note: practice includes more than psychomotor skills, it is also knowledge, communication, monitoring, reporting, accountability, responsibility) c. Approx. 1100 words for this section (flexible – the overall assign is 2000 words)
1 http://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/169343/cif-hammett-c20121128.pdf
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USQ NUR3020 s-1 2015 Assignment one (1)
Assignment Section Two: The Tort of Negligence 2. For section 2: Explain how the tort of negligence would be applied to nurses involved in this case and outline the elements which would need to be proved in order to advance a successful claim for negligence
The Coroner has referred the Doctors and Nurses involved in the case to the regulating authority. There is also the potential that a civil case could be made against the parties involved. Conditions of negligence would need to be met for a court case to be successful. Using one or two of the nurses as an example, outline the elements that would need to be demonstrated in order to substantiate a claim of negligence.
a. Use reading and additional references to assist your critique (at least three) b. Approx. 500 words (flexible – the overall assign is 2000words)
Assignment Section Three: Ethical Issues
3. For Section 3: Ethical Analysis. In addition to the legal aspects of the case there are a number of ethical issues that could be discussed in relation to the nursing care and the nurses’ testimonies. Critique the actions of the nurses (approx. 2-4 issues) using principles of ethics and considering patient’s rights. Utilize published academic texts and literature to assist your critique.
a. Use reading and additional references to assist your critique b. Approx. 400 words (flexible – the overall assign is 2000words)

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USQ NUR3020 s-1 2015 Assignment one (1)
Guidelines 1. Use strong themes and support these well – write clearly to your audience (the reader).
2. APA6 is the appropriate form of referencing.
3. Achieving correct referencing formatting is just one aspect of referencing. More important is how you use someone else’s published material and correctly synthesise it into your own work – and correctly acknowledge that it is either theirs – or ascribed to someone else within their work (a secondary citation).
4. Each section of the assignment should read smoothly within itself and bring the reader in (introduce the topic) and out (conclude).
5. Three sources from texts or the literature is the MINIMUM expected in section one and two.
6. The use of ENDNOTE is encouraged
7. Academic staff assistance is provided to answer questions, look at themes or student outlines or assist with resources.
Reference
McDonald, F., & Then, S. (2014). Ethics, law and health care : a guide for nurses and