respond to discussion

respond to discussion

After studying the ethical and legal issues related to advanced physical assessments, there are several insights I have gained to advance my clinical reasoning. When performing a physical assessment, the main priority is patient safety. To be precise, patient safety requires using and implementing a professional code of ethics. During the physical assessment, the goal is to treat all patients with dignity and respect and protect them from harm. A thorough office visit with complete patient chart documentation can maintain ethical and legal compliance. Important aspects that need to be documented are the patient’s vital signs, level of consciousness, personal reporting of how they feel, and document that informed consent was obtained to carry out the visit (Kadivar et al., 2017).

There are several actions that I can take as an advanced healthcare professional to adhere to best practices. The first action is always to ask the patient to confirm their identity to ensure that the information is not being shared with the incorrect individual. Additionally, the patient needs to be asked for their consent before any part of the assessment commences. They also need to be asked if information can be shared with specific individuals and if they are okay with undergoing the physical assessment if there is another person in the room. The goal is to adhere to the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPPA), reducing the misuse of protected patient information while ensuring its security, protection, and privacy (Tariq & Hackert, 2021).

The knowledge expressed above was reaffirmed when I worked in the medical-surgical unit of my previous hospital. On the unit, we would care for many Baker Act patients. I had a baker act patient who was around 19 years old and was on our unit due to suicidal ideations. The patient asked that no one knows she was admitted to our unit and that to explain to anyone who called the unit that she was not a patient. It was essential to follow the patient’s requests, and I made sure to have them documented in her chart as a Timed Event note. Additionally, I had to ensure that the legal aspects of the Baker Act were upheld while she was under my care. These included ensuring that the sitter was providing 1:1 care, the door and window blinds were open, and that no objects she could harm herself with, like a knife and razor, were in her vicinity. While she was under my care, the overall goal was to ensure her safety while attempting to follow through with her requests.

References

Kadivar, M., Manookian, A., Asghari, F., Niknafs, N., Okazi, A., & Zarvani, A. (2017). Ethical and legal aspects of patient’s safety: a clinical case report. Journal of medical ethics and history of medicine, 10, 15.

Tariq, R. A., & Hackert, P. B. (2021). Patient Confidentiality. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519540/