The provision of quality and safe nursing practice is vital in the reduction and elimination of the lawsuits that arise in the health facilities. This entails the conforming to the standards and policies stipulated in the nursing profession which protects the patient and the healthcare provider. The healthcare providers are held accountable for all the services delivered that should be in line with the nursing regulations that can change with the demand in the healthcare systems. Legal suits against the nurse arise as a result of allegations of the breach in the delivery process that caused harm to the patient.
The article authored by Austin ( 2008) discusses seven tips that can be implemented to enhance the delivery of the quality nursing service. This includes; administering medication properly, monitor and report deterioration, communicate effectively, delegate responsibly, documenting in an accurate and timely manner, know and follow facility policies and procedures and finally the proper use of equipment (Austin, 2008) .
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Many incidents in hospitals arise from the corrupt administration of medication which is either; a patient being given a wrong dose that belongs to another patient: an overdose or underdose arising from shifts where there are repeated doses or skipped. Medication can also be administered through a wrong route such as an IV drug administered through an IM route that might arise from a prescription error. This can be addressed through clear communication or double check to ensure that documentation is in line with the prescription of the patient. Verification, consultation, and teamwork are vital.
The nurses are charged with the responsibility to monitor the progression of their patients once they are in the care plan. Failure to respond to treatment should be reported as well as the gravity of the indication of the observed signs. Failure to recognize the deterioration sign and recommendation for change in the treatment plan can lead to the death of the patient, and thus the nurse being implicated for failure to recognize and rescue the patient. Communication is vital and goes hand in hand with listening skills. The nurse should explain to the patient, family, and colleague on the progression of the patient. This entails adequate recording of the information of the observed changes as well as notifying those involved such as family so that they are not sued for negligence.
With the increase in the demand in healthcare, the shortage of nurses has led to the use of UAPs who might not be educated to execute all the responsibilities assigned. The delegation of responsibility should be done based on the five rights of the commission which are the right person, right task, proper supervision, right direction, and right circumstance. The implementation of this will lead to the elimination of errors that origination from inappropriate delegation (Austin, 2008) .
Health records are essential in the medication system because inadequacy might compromise the wellbeing of the patient. Records should be clear, precise and consistency during the entire time the patient is under care as they can be used as the reference in case they are required for legal suits. Failure to document accurately will result in being charged with negligence (Cronenwett et al., 2009) .
Different health facility has nursing policies that need to be followed and observed. Failure to adhere to the nursing policies such as checking patients as stipulated can result in lawsuits. A variety of medical types of equipment are designed for different purposes and thus the need to observe their application. Inappropriate use might harm the patient and therefore being sued by the patient or the family. Knowledge of use id key and essential in ensuring they are adequately used. Adherence to the discussed principles is necessary for the improvement of nursing care provided, the safety of the patients as well as avoidance of legal problems.
References
Austin, S. (2008). Safe Nursing Practice. Nursing , 34-39.
Cronenwett, L., Pohl, G. S., Barnsteiner, J., Moore, S., Sullivan, D. T., Ward, D., & Warren, J. (2009). Quality and safety education for advanced nursing practice. Nursing Outlook , 338-348.
