TNA District 9 supports ANA’s Code of Ethics and is sharing the “Word of the Month” to reflect on an ethical principle, one of the 8 Codes that relates to the principles, and how nursing practice reflects the Code and principle.
The Word of the Month is “nonmaleficence” which means “do no harm.” Code 3 is based on this principle– “The nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient.”
According to the Texas Nursing Practice Act (Texas Administrative code 217.11), nurses are required to assess the patient and prevent complications. An example of upholding ethical and legal practice is nurses assessing heart and lung sounds as well as potential bleeding sites when a patient is recovering from a cardiac catheterization. Violation of the ethical principle and code as well as the NPA would be not assessing the patient’s heart and lung sounds and having the patient expire from cardiac tamponade following recovery and transfer to a regular cardiac unit.
Restoration of ethical and legal practice in such a situation would include;
· Nurses reporting the error of failing to properly assess the patient;
· The team reviewing the case and examining the system’s policies and procedures and making recommendations for improvement;
· Initiating standard of care following cardiac catheterization which includes assessing heart and lung sounds;
· Setting expectations that all nurses in the post-catheterization recovery unit possess stethoscopes; and
· Educating all nurses on changes in heart and lung sounds that are symptoms of complications from the procedures.
The Nurses’ duty to protect the patient from harm, includes promoting a culture of safety based on trust in each other and in the system.
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