Out of the nine provisions explained in the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics, the following two seem to be the most crucial: provision 1 and 2. Provision 1 states that nurses should practice “with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person” (American Nurses Association, 2015, p. 1). Provision 2 declares that nurses’ main commitment is to their patients, be it “an individual, family, group, community, or population” (American Nurses Association, 2015, p. 1). These two provisions impact my professional practice most of all.
In my clinical practice, I once made a nursing error by not preventing a patient fall. I missed the moment when an elderly man got out of bed. I was right behind his ward’s door, and he knew about it. However, forgot to tell him to call me when he wanted to stand up, and he was ashamed to distract me from my other duties. As a result, he had to spend several more days at the hospital.
Using ANA provisions could have helped in that case. Taking into consideration the aspect of “the nurse’s primary commitment” from provision 2 and “compassion and respect for the inherent dignity” from provision 1, I would have avoided the nursing error (American Nurses Association, 2015, p. 1). If I had taken time to remind the patient that his needs were my responsibility, he would not have felt embarrassed to ask for my help.
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