Knowledge, attitude and practice of nursing ethics and law among nurses at Federal Medical Centre, Bida (original) (raw)

It is universally acknowledged that nursing profession is guided by both ethic and legal principles as it is the tools for professional discipline which gives the nurse a broad idea of what is expected of her as she moves from the protective ambiance of school into the society. Social changes such as right to healthcare, increasing cost of healthcare and conflicting institutional policies create ethico-legal problems for the nurses. This study is a cross-sectional descriptive study designed to determine knowledge, attitude and practice of nursing ethics and law among nurses at Federal Medical Centre, Bida. A total of 149 questionnaires were administered using simple random sampling technique. The main findings of this study established that the participating nurses possess considerably good knowledge, attitude and practice of nursing ethics and law. Majority (82.6%) of the participants obtained knowledge about ethical dilemma mostly (36%) through seminar/workshops followed by those (31%) who knew about it right from their respective schools of training. Three factors of professional progression in this study; professional qualification (p=.015), years of experience (p=.000) and rank (p=.002) had noticeable effects on knowledge, attitude and practice of nursing ethics and law among the participants. Several options were identified by the participants as remedies to reduce the incidence of ethical and legal issues in their practice area. These include; periodic workshops, adherence to nursing code of ethics, utilization of hospital policy and personal development. Although participants differedon whether providers should adhere to patients' wish at all times,they possess good knowledge on nursing ethics and law. The overall results of the study suggested that there is need for nurses to understand the relationship and limitations between ethics, hospital policy and legal issues as they relate to nursing practice. Keywords: Beneficence, Confidentiality, Dilemma, Nursing Code of Ethics, Nurse’s Ordinance, Nursing Practice Act, Ethico-Legal Issues in Nursing, Patient Safety

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