NR 506 Week 5 Discussion: Ethical And Legal
Implications
You Are A Family Nurse Practitioner Working In An Outpatient Primary Care
Office Of A Large Hospital System. The Practice Has Been Operating For Over
15 Years, And Many Of The Administrative And Clinical Staff Were Hired
When The Practice Opened. You Have Been In The Practice For Less Than 3
Months. In That Short Amount Of Time, You Have Witnessed Several Of The
Clinical Staff Engaging In Heated Arguments With Each Other, Sometimes In
Patient Areas. You Overhear An Argument Occurring Today Between Two
Staff. You Pick Up A Patient's Chart And Notice A Very Low Blood Pressure
That The Medical Assistant Failed To Notify You About. When You Confront
The MA, She States That She Was Going To Report The Vital Signs To You
When She Became Engaged In The Heated Argument You Overheard And
Forgot To Notify You.
Unfortunately, This Pattern Of Behavior Is Not Unusual In This Practice.
Working With Staff Who Cannot Cooperate Effectively Can Negatively Influence
Your Ability To Spend Time With Patients, Can Impede The Flow Of Patients
Through The Office, And Could Impact Patient Safety.
Case Study Responses:
1. Analyze The Case Study For Potential Issues For Members Of The
Healthcare Team From Office Conflict. Contrast The Potential Effects
For Each Member Of The Healthcare Team Based Upon The Required
Readings From The Week. Discuss The Potential Ethical And Legal
Implications For Each Of The Following Practice Members:
o Medical Assistant
o Nurse Practitioner
o Medical Director
o Practice
2. What Strategies Would You Implement To Prevent Further Episodes
Of Potentially Dangerous Patient Outcomes? CULTURE OF SAFETY,
Quality Improvement
3. What Leadership Qualities Would You Apply To Effect Positive
, Change In The Practice? Focus On The Culture Of The Practice.
4. A Scholarly Resource Must Be Used For EACH Discussion Question Each
Week.
Hello Professor And Class,
Unfortunately, Improper Behaviors In The Workplace Occur Frequently
And It Negatively Affects The Workplace, Staff, Patients, And Your Job. Having
Heated Arguments Can Cause A Toxic Workplace That Is Not Pleasant For
Anyone, It Can Also Cause A Decrease In Quality Of Care, Decrease In
Motivation, Decrease Productivity, As Well As An Increase In Stress (Graf Et
Al., 2017). In This Scenario The Medical Assistant Was Too Distracted By The
Argument To Notify The Nurse Practitioner (NP) Of The Very Low Blood
Pressure Of A Patient.
The Medical Assistant (MA) Took A Patient’s Blood Pressure And Should
Have Notified The Nurse Practitioner (NP) Right Away With The Results. First,
The MA Was Taking A Part Of Disruptive Behavior. Disruptive Behavior Could
Be Anything From Yelling, Fighting Physically, Throwing Different Objects, Or
Any Type Of Aggression (White-Williams Et Al., 2016). By Not Telling The NP
That The Patient Had A Very Low Blood Pressure The MA Was Acting
Negligent. Negligence Is The Failure To Properly Take Care Of A Patient
(Buppert, 2012). By Not Acting On The Blood Pressure And Reporting It To
The NP Right Away, The MA Was Being Negligent Because She Was Not Taking
Care Of Her Patient And Engaging In Disruptive Behavior Instead. By Not
Informing The NP Of The Low Blood Pressure The MA Could Be Potentially
Putting The Patient At Harm. We Do Not Know Anything About The Patient,
How Low The Blood Pressure Is, Or Causes Of A Low Blood Pressure. But
Because The Patient Is Experiencing A Low Blood Pressure, That Puts The
Patient At Risk For Fainting, A Fall, Confusion, Could Be A Sign Of An Infection,
Or Something Serious That Needs To Be Taken Care Of Right Away. Depending
How Low The Blood Pressure Is And How The Patient Is Doing Will Decide
The Next Course Of Action If The Patient Is Ok To Stay At The Clinic Or Needs
To Be Sent To The Hospital.
Delaying The Results Of The Blood Pressure To The NP Will Cause A Delay In
Treatment.
The Nurse Practitioner (NP) Is Not Directly Involved In The Argument
But Is Involved Indirectly. Due To The Heated Argument The MA Was
Distracted And Did Not Report The Findings To The NP In A Timely Manner.
Implications
You Are A Family Nurse Practitioner Working In An Outpatient Primary Care
Office Of A Large Hospital System. The Practice Has Been Operating For Over
15 Years, And Many Of The Administrative And Clinical Staff Were Hired
When The Practice Opened. You Have Been In The Practice For Less Than 3
Months. In That Short Amount Of Time, You Have Witnessed Several Of The
Clinical Staff Engaging In Heated Arguments With Each Other, Sometimes In
Patient Areas. You Overhear An Argument Occurring Today Between Two
Staff. You Pick Up A Patient's Chart And Notice A Very Low Blood Pressure
That The Medical Assistant Failed To Notify You About. When You Confront
The MA, She States That She Was Going To Report The Vital Signs To You
When She Became Engaged In The Heated Argument You Overheard And
Forgot To Notify You.
Unfortunately, This Pattern Of Behavior Is Not Unusual In This Practice.
Working With Staff Who Cannot Cooperate Effectively Can Negatively Influence
Your Ability To Spend Time With Patients, Can Impede The Flow Of Patients
Through The Office, And Could Impact Patient Safety.
Case Study Responses:
1. Analyze The Case Study For Potential Issues For Members Of The
Healthcare Team From Office Conflict. Contrast The Potential Effects
For Each Member Of The Healthcare Team Based Upon The Required
Readings From The Week. Discuss The Potential Ethical And Legal
Implications For Each Of The Following Practice Members:
o Medical Assistant
o Nurse Practitioner
o Medical Director
o Practice
2. What Strategies Would You Implement To Prevent Further Episodes
Of Potentially Dangerous Patient Outcomes? CULTURE OF SAFETY,
Quality Improvement
3. What Leadership Qualities Would You Apply To Effect Positive
, Change In The Practice? Focus On The Culture Of The Practice.
4. A Scholarly Resource Must Be Used For EACH Discussion Question Each
Week.
Hello Professor And Class,
Unfortunately, Improper Behaviors In The Workplace Occur Frequently
And It Negatively Affects The Workplace, Staff, Patients, And Your Job. Having
Heated Arguments Can Cause A Toxic Workplace That Is Not Pleasant For
Anyone, It Can Also Cause A Decrease In Quality Of Care, Decrease In
Motivation, Decrease Productivity, As Well As An Increase In Stress (Graf Et
Al., 2017). In This Scenario The Medical Assistant Was Too Distracted By The
Argument To Notify The Nurse Practitioner (NP) Of The Very Low Blood
Pressure Of A Patient.
The Medical Assistant (MA) Took A Patient’s Blood Pressure And Should
Have Notified The Nurse Practitioner (NP) Right Away With The Results. First,
The MA Was Taking A Part Of Disruptive Behavior. Disruptive Behavior Could
Be Anything From Yelling, Fighting Physically, Throwing Different Objects, Or
Any Type Of Aggression (White-Williams Et Al., 2016). By Not Telling The NP
That The Patient Had A Very Low Blood Pressure The MA Was Acting
Negligent. Negligence Is The Failure To Properly Take Care Of A Patient
(Buppert, 2012). By Not Acting On The Blood Pressure And Reporting It To
The NP Right Away, The MA Was Being Negligent Because She Was Not Taking
Care Of Her Patient And Engaging In Disruptive Behavior Instead. By Not
Informing The NP Of The Low Blood Pressure The MA Could Be Potentially
Putting The Patient At Harm. We Do Not Know Anything About The Patient,
How Low The Blood Pressure Is, Or Causes Of A Low Blood Pressure. But
Because The Patient Is Experiencing A Low Blood Pressure, That Puts The
Patient At Risk For Fainting, A Fall, Confusion, Could Be A Sign Of An Infection,
Or Something Serious That Needs To Be Taken Care Of Right Away. Depending
How Low The Blood Pressure Is And How The Patient Is Doing Will Decide
The Next Course Of Action If The Patient Is Ok To Stay At The Clinic Or Needs
To Be Sent To The Hospital.
Delaying The Results Of The Blood Pressure To The NP Will Cause A Delay In
Treatment.
The Nurse Practitioner (NP) Is Not Directly Involved In The Argument
But Is Involved Indirectly. Due To The Heated Argument The MA Was
Distracted And Did Not Report The Findings To The NP In A Timely Manner.
