Application Of Standards Of Care Discuss The Standards Of Ca

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Discuss the standard(s) of care to which the parties will be held in this case scenario. How will the standards of care and your state's Nurse Practice Act be applied in the courts if the case is sued? Case Scenario SK, age 61, went to the hospital with a bad cold, diagnosed with pneumonia. Despite increasing fever and shortness of breath, her family’s calls for help went unanswered, and she eventually stopped breathing. She was resuscitated but sustained brain damage due to oxygen deprivation, leaving her unable to walk, talk, or care for herself. The nurse’s failure to monitor her oxygen levels, attributed to understaffing, contributed to her deterioration. The hospital’s staffing levels fell below its own standards on numerous days, indicating systemic issues with care quality.

In this scenario, the primary standard of care breached appears to be the expected level of nursing vigilance and timely intervention, particularly regarding continuous monitoring of oxygen levels and responsiveness to patient deterioration. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics emphasizes providing competent, safe, and compassionate care, which was clearly compromised here (ANA, 2015). Similarly, the state's Nurse Practice Act (NPA) delineates the scope of nursing responsibilities and sets standards for safe practice. Under the NPA, nurses are expected to perform assessments, recognize changes in patient condition, and intervene appropriately—standards that were not met, as evidenced by the infrequent monitoring and delayed response to SK’s emergency.

Additionally, legal standards such as the duty of care, breach of duty, causation, and damages are applicable in this case. The nurses had a duty to monitor SK appropriately; their failure to do so constitutes breach. This breach directly caused her oxygen deprivation and subsequent brain injury, fulfilling causality. Courts would analyze whether the nurse’s actions aligned with the standards set both by the hospital, the state nurse practice act, and nationally recognized guidelines like those from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) (AACN, 2016).

The hospital’s failure to adhere to its staffing standards further underscores systemic negligence, which may be considered in establishing liability. The fact that staffing standards were frequently unmet indicates that the care environment was compromised, and the hospital may be held liable for failure to provide a safe setting (Chiarella & Straut, 2018). Under the Nurse Practice Act, nurses are expected to advocate for appropriate staffing and utilize their judgment to escalate concerns when staffing shortages endanger patient safety (ANA, 2015). This aspect could play a role in legal proceedings if it can be shown that nurses’ inability to meet care standards was due to systemic staffing issues rather than individual negligence.

In conclusion, the standards of care in this case center on thorough assessment, timely recognition of patient deterioration, and prompt intervention. The courts would evaluate whether the nurses and hospital adhered to recognized nursing standards, including those outlined in the state Nurse Practice Act, to determine liability. The systemic understaffing and failure to monitor SK adequately likely contributed significantly to her adverse outcome, highlighting the importance of enforcing staffing standards and adherence to care protocols to prevent similar incidents.

Paper For Above instruction

In the case of SK, a 61-year-old woman who suffered brain damage due to oxygen deprivation following inadequate nursing care, several standards of care are implicated. Understanding these standards is essential in determining legal liability and ensuring accountability. The core standards of nursing care involve proper assessment, timely recognition of patient deterioration, effective communication, and prompt intervention, all of which are supported by national, state, and institutional policies.

According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), the ethical and professional standard of nursing involves ensuring patient safety through competent care and vigilance (ANA, 2015). In this case, the failure to monitor SK’s oxygen saturation levels regularly and respond to her declining condition represents a breach of this duty. Nurses are ethically obligated to perform ongoing assessments and respond appropriately to changes, especially in vulnerable hospitalized patients with conditions like pneumonia, which can quickly deteriorate (Dickson & McAndrew, 2018).

The state Nurse Practice Act (NPA) further delineates the legal boundaries within which nurses operate. It mandates that nurses assess patient status and notify healthcare providers of abnormal findings (State Board of Nursing, 2020). The failure to do so in SK’s case demonstrates non-compliance with legal standards and professional responsibilities. The NPA also emphasizes that nurses must advocate for patient safety, including addressing staffing inadequacies that impair their ability to deliver standard care (Chiarella & Straut, 2018).

Legal concepts like duty, breach, causation, and damages are central to potential litigation. Nurses in this scenario had a duty to monitor SK closely, especially given her pneumonia diagnosis and increasing symptoms. The breach occurred when she was not adequately monitored, and her condition was not escalated in a timely manner, leading to oxygen deprivation and brain injury. Courts would examine whether the breach of nursing standards directly caused her injury, considering whether the hospital’s staffing levels contributed to this failure (Gates et al., 2019).

Hospital staffing standards also play a critical role in this context. The hospital's own policies called for five RNs and two LPNs, yet staffing was often below this standard. Under staffing can lead to oversight, fatigue, and delayed responses, all of which compromise patient safety. Courts may hold hospitals liable for systemic negligence if documented staffing deficiencies are linked to patient harm (Chiarella & Straut, 2018). The legal duty of the hospital is to ensure adequate staffing, which directly impacts the standards of care provided.

Applying the NPA and institutional policies, nurses are expected to advocate for appropriate staffing and escalate concerns when staffing shortages jeopardize patient outcomes (ANA, 2015). Failure to do so could result in liability, especially if nurses are found to be complicit or negligent in reporting or responding to systemic issues. In SK’s case, her deterioration could have been prevented if monitoring had been consistent and staffing adequate. Such systemic failures may be considered primary factors in legal reviews, emphasizing the importance of adherence to staffing standards.

In conclusion, the standards of care in this scenario revolve around vigilant assessment, early recognition of deterioration, and prompt intervention—standard practices reinforced by national guidelines and the state Nurse Practice Act. When these standards are not met due to systemic staffing issues, both individual nurses and healthcare institutions can be held liable. Ensuring compliance with these standards is vital not only for legal protection but, more importantly, for safeguarding patient safety and quality of care.

References

• American Nurses Association (ANA). (2015). Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. ANA.
• American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). (2016). Standards for Acute and Critical Care Nursing Practice. AACN.
• Chiarella, D., & Straut, P. (2018). Legal and ethical issues in nursing practice. Elsevier.
• Dickson, G., & McAndrew, N. (2018). Critical care nursing: A holistic approach. Elsevier.
• Gates, S., Birks, Y., & Hurst, A. (2019). Nurse staffing and patient safety: What can we learn from legal cases? Nursing Times.
• State Board of Nursing. (2020). Nurse Practice Act of [State], Regulations and Standards. [State Government Publishing Office].