Law and ethics in nursing

The first 200 words of this essay...

This assignment is based on the ethical and legal issues that are significant to nursing practice. The specific areas that are going to be covered will be that of consent, accountability, duty of care, the Nursing and Midwifery council's code of professional conduct and the four fundamental principles used in ethical decision making, also known as principlism.

The following statement will also be discussed: "Ignorance of the law is no defence and the nurse should be aware of the limits which the law imposes on her, and also the power it gives her" (Dimond 2004). Nursing practice is affected by many pieces of legislation and law (Kozier) and so areas such as negligence and trespass will be discussed. A scenario taken from practice will then focus on some key legal and ethical issues that arise during practice, adhering to confidentiality at all times. The main issue from the scenario that will then be discussed is that of informed consent and also how a nurse may use her role to influence people and their decisions and what the implications this could cause. Throughout the assignment, personal reflective thoughts will be given to show learning and understanding. A conclusion of