Legal definitions of responsibility, accountability and liability

The purpose of this article is to legally define the terms responsibility, accountability and liability. The connection between these terms for registered children's nurses, students and healthcare support workers are discussed, along with the implications for professional practice.     

Responsibility and accountability in intensive care nursing

This article concentrates on the concepts of responsibility and accountability in intensive care nursing. The purpose is to pay attention to the two-dimensionality of the concepts: human-responsibility and task-responsibility. The character of intensive care nursing makes it necessary to consider these concepts and try to find ways to give the patients more responsibility for their own care.     

Accreditation of nursing programs--issues raised by formalising accountability in nursing education

As nurses professionalise, the drive to be seen as accountable intensifies. Formalising accountability has certain dangers which are examined in this paper. The claims for accountability through accreditation processes in three areas--hospital administration, general post secondary institutions and nursing--are considered and questions raised in each. The fact that the move is not unique to nursing, nor is it new, allows for an indepth analysis of the thinking surrounding formalised accountability and for exploration of the issues nurses can debate when initiating such procedures.     

The law and accountability in district nursing practice

The Welsh health minister Dr Brian Gibbons commented earlier this year that, 'Of all the professions who work in the community, nurses are the most respected and valued' (Western Mail, 25th January 2005). The minister's words reflect numerous opinion polls in recent years where nursing tops the list of most respected professions (Moore, 2004). Vital to this public trust and confidence is the concept of accountability. In this article, the authors encourage you to reflect on your accountability and evaluate how the law imposes standards of practice and behaviour to protect the public and the patients in your care.     

Ask AONE's experts.... about increased nursing accountability

Changes in both the business and technology of health care place increasing accountability on nurses.     

Issues in liability insurance and the nursing consultant

Since the number of lawsuits involving consultants has increased in recent years, it is important for clinical nurse specialists to be aware of the causes for these lawsuits and to protect themselves from the possibility of litigation. Maintaining open communication with clients, using an evaluation tool as a means for ensuring quality, drawing up a legal contract, and carrying adequate liability insurance are four important ways to protect oneself from the possibility of legal action.     

Infusion nursing: aspects of practice liability.

As the healthcare arena continues to evolve with the advent of novel clinical practices and technologies, the practice of infusion nursing is no exception to this phenomenon. Given this situation, it is imperative that nurses practicing infusion therapy be aware of the Infusion Nursing Standards of Practice to optimize patient care and safety and avoid potential litigious situations. Aspects of practice liability specific to the delivery of nursing care, product liability concepts, and a case study including the role of the nurse expert witness provide a basis for ascertaining the importance of adherence to these standards.     

护理记录涉及的法律责任探讨

目的分析了目前护理记录依然存在的种种缺陷及一些潜在的法律责任问题,以便更好地避免和减少医患纠纷。方法对护理记录涉及的法律责任及其抑制方法,进行全面的探索和总结。结果了解护理记录中涉及的法律责任问题,有利于为护理工作提供进一步的理论概括和提升,完善相关的护理立法,促进护理人员工作态度、技术水平乃至护理质量的提高。结论应重视护理记录涉及的法律责任问题,促进护理工作不断改进。     

Blueprint for nursing leadership: creating a culture of accountability

Our "Blueprint for Nursing Leadership" emerged from dialogue with our nurse leaders on the daily challenges that managers encounter with competing and compelling priorities in the increasingly complex health care environment. Recognizing this as a transformational opportunity, the reorganized nurse executive council members were invited to a leadership retreat to further explore this topic. From this dialogue, 3 key components, distributed responsibility, nonstop skill development, and accountability became the framework on which the "Blueprint for Nursing Leadership" was created. The blueprint is to empower, engage, and sustain a culture of accountability.