Literature Search: Health, Medicine, Nursing Essay

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Question 1
Individual states should not place reasonable restrictions or waiting periods for abortions. The premise behind waiting periods for abortions is that it provides the individual with time to think through their decision so they can reduce the chances of regret after the act (Rowlands & Thomas, 2020). Abortion is not a light decision to make because of its permanency and some states require women to receive preabortion counseling before they can receive the service. However, the waiting period is unnecessary and causes delays in obtaining abortion services. According to Rowlands and Thomas (2020), very few women are uncertain about their decision to abort when they come to the healthcare provider. These are the women that would benefit most from pre-abortion counseling and waiting periods.
The majority of the women seeking an abortion, however, are usually certain about this decision and the waiting period only causes unnecessary delays. In some cases, waiting periods can cause women to go past the second trimester or the legal gestation limits. When the time for safe abortion has passed, it puts women at increased risk of mortality (Rowlands & Thomas, 2020). Also, women are forced to pursue other approaches such as seeking abortion in other jurisdictions with longer gestation limits, which is an inconvenience. Sometimes, waiting periods require women to make more than one trip to the healthcare provider, which increases costs for accommodation when people live far from the provider, transport costs as well as lost wages for those who take days off work (Llamas, Borkowski, & Wood, 2018).
References
Llamas, A., Borkowski, L., & Wood, S. (2018, April). Piblic Health Impacrs of State-Level Abortion Restrictions: Overview of Research and Policy in the United States. Retrieved November 6, 2020, from The George Washington University: https://publichealth.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/downloads/projects/JIWH/Impacts_of_State_Abortion_Restrictions.pdf
Rowlands, S., & Thomas, K. (2020). Mandatory Waiting Periods Before Abortion and Sterilization: Theory and Practice. International Journal of Women's Health, 12, 577-586. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S257178
Question 2
The most common classification of law that is applied to professional nursing is statutory law originating from state legislatures. States provide nurses with laws that allow them to practice in a specific state. According to Russell (2017), states are responsible for providing nurses with licenses which then allow them to practice nursing. They are also responsible for enacting the nurse practice acts (NPA). The NPA, although different from one state to another, determines the scope of nursing practice, license requirements, and grounds for disciplinary action for nurses within each state, among others (Russell, 2017). This provides a guideline for nursing practice. Also, state legislatures give different regulatory agencies the mandate and authority to regulate the nursing profession. For instance, the state boards of nursing are given the authority to administer the NPA by the state legislature (Russell, 2017). As such, even other classifications of laws, such as regulatory and administrative laws, are only applicable because of the state statutory laws. The state statutory laws ensure that patients are protected from harm and that the nursing profession is made of competent individuals.
Every year, states enact new laws that affect the nursing profession. An article published by the Minority Nurse Magazine (2020) indicates that in 2020, the state of Illinois enacted 255 new laws, 35 of which impact nurses. One of the new laws in Illinois requires nurses to attend a one hour course on sexual harassment before they can renew their license (Minority Nurse, 2020). This depicts how state statutory laws are the most applicable laws in nursing.
References
Minority Nurse. (2020, April 25). Local Legislation Impacts Nursing and those we Serve. Retrieved November 6, 2020, from Minority Nurse: https://minoritynurse.com/local-legislation-impacts-nursing-and-those-we-serve/
Russell, K. (2017). Nurse Practice Acts Guide and Govern: Update 2017. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 8(3), 18-25. doi: 10.1016/S2155-8256(17)30156-4
Question 3
Staff members need to ensure confidentiality in the clinical setting. This can be done by ensuring that they log-off a computer to prevent unauthorized access to medical records. In the case of paper records, staff members can ensure that these records are kept under lock and key at all times. Further, staff members can ensure that they secure their passwords or keycards, which are measures used to safeguard confidentiality (Shenoy & Appel, 2017). If passwords and keycards are not secured by the holder, they can be used by unauthorized people to access patients’ confidential information.
Nurse leaders or educators can promote confidentiality by training nurses on how to effectively handle patient information. In nursing education, students are informed of the importance of protecting patient confidentiality (Cannon & Caldwell, 2016). Thus, nurse educators can help students become more aware of tactics to employ in protecting confidentiality, especially in the ever-changing nature of nursing and technology. Further, nursing requires continuous education opportunities and nurse leaders can provide such opportunities where nurses receive training on new approaches to protecting patient confidentiality. Also, nurse leaders can ensure that the organization has effective measures and policies to safeguard patient confidentiality.
One of the key safeguards that can be put in place to promote confidentiality when sending medical data by e-mail or fax is encrypting the information. Encryption ensures that the information is not read by a third party (Craig, 2017). Another strategy is to have an effective verification strategy to ensure that such information is not sent to the wrong recipient. This is especially important when information is being sent to multiple recipients (Craig, 2017).
References
Cannon, A., & Caldwell, H. (2016). HIPAA Violations among Nursing Students: Teachable Moment or Terminal Mistake- A Case Study. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 6(12), 4...