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.

Discussion Question:

What are the potential ethical and legal implications for each of the following practice members?:

Medical assistants

Nurse Practitioner

Medical Director

Practice

What strategies would you implement to prevent further episodes of potentially dangerous patient outcomes?

What leadership qualities would you apply to effect a positive change in the practice? Be thinking about the culture of the practice.

Provide rationales and evidence to support your decisions

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