Handbook of medical law and ethics for nurses

Introduction to law and ethics -- The structure and function of the courts -- The professional nurse and the law -- An ethical framework for nursing -- The tort of negligence – Confidentiality -- Defensible documentation -- Consent and mental capacity -- The law and children’s welfare -- End of life care - legal aspects -- Contraception, abortion and sterilisation -- Mental ill-health: legal aspects.

In an increasingly legalised healthcare environment, this new handbook provides an essential guide to nursing professionalism in the context of the law.

With a professional career undertaking various healthcare-related roles, the author is both a mental health and general nurse who takes the reader through the workings of the legal system and how nurses can apply the law in an ethical and principled way. The handbook helps the reader to consider complex issues such as biomedical ethics, human rights, negligence and the importance of confidentiality, and provides guidance on decision making when faced with legal or ethical dilemmas.

Easy to understand and peppered with numerous practical examples throughout, the Handbook of Medical Law and Ethics for Nurses will support development of the essential legal awareness needed by undergraduate and post-graduate nurses alike.