POLICIES AND PROCEDURE FOR RESOLVING ETHICAL ISSUES ARISING FROM PATIENT CARE OR REPORTS OR RECORDS OR RESOLUTION OF ETHICAL

DELIMA ARISING IN THE COURSE OF PROVIDING CARE POLICY DESCRIPTION: Ethical dilemma occurs when there are conflicting moral claims. A situation that requires an individual to make a choice between two equally unfavorable alternatives. The decision made often has often to be defended against those who disagree with it. Documentation help in resolving ethical issues thereby meeting the professional & legal standards. Documentation provides a clear picture of the status of the client, the actions of the nurse, and the clients outcomes. Nursing documentation clearly describes an assessment of the clients health status, nursing interventions on clients outcomes, a care plan or health plan reflecting the needs and goals of the client; needed changes to the care plan,information reported to a physician and advocacy undertaken by the nurse on behalf of the client.

Within the nurse-client relationship, the nurse must apply nursing knowledge, skills and judgment according to professional standards. The nurse documentation may be used as evidence in legal proceedings such as law suits, coroners, inquests, and disciplinary hearings trough professional regulatory bodies. In court law, the clients health record serves as legal record of the case or service provider. Nursing care and the documentation of that care willbe measured according to the standard of a reasonable and prudent nurse with similar education and experience in a similar situation. The chief nurse may investigate or collect data from the chart and to the concerned staff. The chief nurse may also ask questions from clients satisfaction of care provided by the concerned staff to resolved the issues. PROCEDURE: 1. There shall be a written complaint. 2. The complaint must be noted by the head nurse and supervisor of the area. 3. The head nurse will issue memo within 24hrs. 4. Incident report by the person concern to be submitted to the department head. DR. RUBEN HENSON, JR.
MEDICAL DIRECTOR January 15, 2011