Peer 2

Helena Jacobson

Outline the Concept of Professional Accountability as it Pertains to Nursing.

The approach of answerability is the integral constituent of a nurse’s work. The nurse needs to act under the code of nursing ethics and develop the moral principle that goes beyond the usual perception of duties. This is linked to the established values of the nurse. Giving account for one’s decisions and being answerable to oneself and the people involved for all actions, e.g., patients and work colleagues. Nurses use their professional knowledge, judgment, and skills to make decisions based on evidence for best practice and the patient’s best interest and must be able to justify the decision (Panda, 2018). Professional responsibility is a consequence of autonomy, which is the independent judgment to affect a desirable outcome. There are four “pillars” of being accountable, 1- professional accountability nurses have formal obligations placed on them by the nursing regulatory board and are responsible for their actions and the result. RN continuously improves quality care and nursing service, maintaining the scope of practice. 2- Legally, nurses should be aware of their legal responsibility in the role of patient care. 3- Ethically, nurses should provide safe care and maintain the patient’s best interest as a priority, performing a high standard of care or challenging others who may not have the same value base. This may involve the nurse needing to draw attention to poor practice or standards even or lead to the need for whistle-blowing for the safety of the patient. 4- Employment nurses are accountable to their employers; if employer and employee objectives differ, nurses must choose how to respond to employers and should not require them to conduct themself in a way that is against legal or ethical guidelines for nursing practice (Business, 2020).

How a Nurse Demonstrates Professional Accountability in clinical Expertise, the Nursing Process, and evidence-based practice.

Utilization of the 5 “Rs” of medication safety has shown to reduce or eliminate medication administration errors by the nurse at the bedside; using the nursing process in patient care is an essential tool to perform a nursing assessment logically, gather relevant data, draw a plan implementing such plan and evaluate a nursing intervention to determine patient outcome. According to Felkner (2018). Most facilities base patient care on protocols on Evidence-based practice to render quality patient care outcomes. EBP is an excellent way to demonstrate accountability. To apply it effectively, RN must identify knowledge gaps, research relevant books, continue education, and participate in their patient’s clinical decision-making.

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