Please note! This essay has been submitted by a student.
Based on our knowledge, we know that nurse is a person whose job is to care for people who are ill or injured, especially in a hospital. But in the actual meaning of registered Nurse of Malaysia, the nurse is a person who has undergone a formal course of nursing education and registered with the Malaysian Nursing Board. The practice of nursing requires specialized knowledge, skill, and independent decision-making. Based on the Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses Registered with The Nursing Board Malaysia, every registered nurse has a moral obligation to adhere to the profession’s code of conduct. It offers guidelines for professional behavior and practice and can be used as a standard against which complaints of professional misconduct are considered.
One of the provisions of the nurse’s code of ethics is patient dignity. The nurses are required to maintain patient dignity throughout all interactions and courses of treatment. The nurse must treat the patient with care and passionate transcending all individual differences and treat all patients equally regardless of their illness or condition. The second provision of the nurse’s code of ethics is the primacy of patient interests. The meaning of primacy of patient interests is that patient is the nurse’s primary concern and she must work directly to the patient’s best interests in every situation. Provision two further requires nurses to work positively and pessimistically with other members of the patient’s healthcare team by participating in healthcare decisions and evaluations.
Next, the nurse assumes responsibility and accountability for her own nursing judgments and actions. Thus, the third provision of the nurse’s code of ethics is accountability and responsibility. Under this provision, the nurse is answerable for all judgment calls, including direct care, delegation, teaching, research, and administration. The nurse is required to remain accountable for the outcome of the decisions made.
Furthermore, the fourth provision is about the promotion of patient safety. Under this provision, the nurse must not share the information from which she obtained confidence or about a patient unless it is to other professionals concerned directly with the patient’s care. If a patient is to participate in medical research, the nurses have the responsibility to ensure that the patient is fully informed of this matter and the patient is aware that he or she is being studied.
Last but not least, a nurse must also always prepared with a global perspective. Under this provision, a nurse must engage in corroboration with health professionals in the public sector to maintain and always follow up the awareness of local, national, and global healthcare issues.