Topic 1: Application of Standards of Care and the Nurse Practice Act to Advance Practice Nurses Invo
Your instructor has placed you in groups and assigned a case study for the Unit 7 group Project.
Look at the legal malpractice case study that has been assigned to your group. Describe the case and discuss the standard of care that the parties will be held to in this case. How will the standards of care and the Nurse Practice Act be applied in a court of law if the case is sued?
Include 3 references.
Attached find the case study
mn506_case_study_1.docx
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Introduction:
Legal issues and malpractices are common in medical practices, and medical professionals have to abide by various standards and laws to avoid such situations. As a medical professor, it is essential to educate students on the application of Standards of Care and the Nurse Practice Act to Advance Practice Nurses. This article aims to discuss a legal malpractice case study and the application of standards of care and the Nurse Practice Act in a court of law.
Answer:
The legal malpractice case study assigned to the Unit 7 group project involves a patient who underwent surgery for a herniated disc. During the surgery, the surgeon noted that the patient had spinal cord compression, which required immediate treatment. However, the surgeon failed to communicate the urgency of the situation to the anesthesiologist and delayed the treatment, leading to serious consequences for the patient.
In this case, both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist will be held to the standard of care, which involves providing the highest level of care possible to the patient. The standards of care require medical professionals to act with diligence and skill, based on the current medical knowledge and practices.
Moreover, the Nurse Practice Act will also apply in this case, as it outlines the legal scope of nursing practice. The Nurse Practice Act mandates that nurses should provide safe and competent care to patients within their legal scope of practice. Therefore, if the case is sued, the court of law will assess the parties involved against these standards of care and the Nurse Practice Act to determine if they have acted negligently.
To conclude, it is crucial for medical students to understand the application of standards of care and the Nurse Practice Act to avoid legal malpractices. By staying up to date with the current medical practices and adhering to these standards, medical professionals can avoid legal issues and provide competent care to their patients.
References:
1. American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice. Silver Spring, MD: Nursebooks.org.
2. California Board of Registered Nursing (CBRN). (2017). Nurse practice act. Retrieved from https://www.rn.ca.gov/regulations/npr.shtml
3. Lawrence, D. W., & Sproat, T. C. (2018). Legal aspects of nursing (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.
