Reference no: EM13334419

CASE STUDY RESPONSES:

You are working as an EEN at Sunnyside Day Respite Centre on a morning shift.

You have had six clients come in for care today one of whom is Mrs Jocelyn Davis. She is a regular client at the Respite Centre and has been diagnosed with moderate dementia.

At 1030 hours Mrs Davis becomes agitated and begins to wander around the Respite Centre. The Registered Nurse in charge of the shift, RN Jolie, tells you to restrain Mrs Davis in her chair with a lap restraint. You are not certain that Mrs Davis needs to be restrained and you question RN Jolie's order. RN Jolie becomes annoyed at your question and tries to restrain Mrs Davis herself.

Mrs Davis verbally objects to being restrained and attempts to undo the restraint. In the process her chair tips over, she hits her head on the floor and loses consciousness. While RN Jolie attends to Mrs Davis you call the ambulance.

After Mrs Davis is taken to hospital RN Jolie takes you aside and tells you that if anyone asks you about what happened to Mrs. Davies you are to say that Mrs Davis was found after she had fallen and hit her head. RN Jolie also tells you not to say anything about restraining Mrs Davis as you will both get into trouble. You know that this isn't true but she is your Registered Nurse and you reluctantly agree to do this.

Mrs Davis dies in hospital two days later. The Coroner has been notified by the hospital and her death is to be investigated by the Coroner's Court.

When you hear about what is to happen following Mrs Davis' death you are unsure and become worried about what you should do now.

TASK: THIS ASSESSMENT CONSISTS OF TWO PARTS.

TASK 1. ASKS YOU TO GIVE A LEGAL DEFINITION FOR EACH TERM AND

DISCUSS HOW EACH TERM APPLIES TO THE CASE STUDY.

Use a heading for each term (eg. CONSENT)

• Consent - outline all 3 elements.
• Restraint - discuss legalities within Australia include illegal restraint
• Assault and battery
• Duty of care
• Negligence - outline elements
• Vicarious liability
• Scope of practice& Ethic principles (the legal and professional boundaries imposed upon you as a nurse) You will find information regarding this on the AHPRA site.
• Advocacy (the nurse's role as an advocate for the client)
• Documentation - state what documents should be completed and how. Include information regarding what constitutes legal documentation.
• Open disclosure
• The Coroner

YOUR RESPONSE TO EACH OF THE ABOVE HEADINGS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE CASE STUDY SHOULD BE NO LESS THEN 100 TO 150 WORDS FOR EACH OF THEM.

PART 2. ASKS YOU TO DISCUSS THE EITHICAL ISSUES IN THE CASE STUDY USING A DECISION MAKING FRAMEWORK.

Using a moral and ethical decision making MODEL (for example - DECIDE (acronym) - you can find this model in your my.TAFE readings) discuss the FOLLOWING ETHICAL issues raised in this Case Study:

• How would you respond to RN Jolie when she tells you to lie about what happened to Mrs Davis?
• What are your responsibilities in this situation and what should you do to stay within the boundaries of professional nursing practice?

HINT: If using DECIDE as your decision making model you would start with the first letter eg. D= Define the Problem:

• Your responses to both part 1 and 2 of this assessment are not to be based on unsupported personal opinion.
• Your responses should be written in an essay format with the above legal and ethical issues discussed under headings.
• This assessment should be at least 1,200 words and up to a maximum of 1,500 words. You need to support your work with references from appropriate sources including your text books, journal articles and appropriate websites. Please reference your essay using the APA (American Psychological Association) system of referencing for both 'in text' references and as a reference list.
• HINT: There are a number of journals articles located in "additional resources" to assist you with this essay