Ethical issue and its relationship to the ethical and legal aspects of Article

Ethical issue and its relationship to the ethical and legal aspects of nursing or other health care professions - Article Example The practitioners are required to identify the legal, ethical and professional values and determine how they can be applied to enhance quality practice in the health care profession (Gillogly & Molly, 2004). According to the nursing ethics, the practitioners in the health care sector are required to demonstrate expertise however they may not be certain about their responsibilities and accountabilities in relation to the legal and ethical issues (Debra , 2009). The main responsibilities entailed in the nursing profession include autonomy, decision making, accountability and great leadership. Ion The decision making process mostly involves the qualified practitioners as they are called upon to apply their expertise skills in developing the guidelines, policies and procedures governing the practice (Tingle & Cribb, 2002). Similarly, the qualified practitioners are involved in research and learning so as to apply their expertise, ethical aspects and the policies to give advice on the rel ated area. Therefore, the nurses and all the practitioners in the healthcare profession are required to be aware of all the guidelines and policies related to the practice as well as understand the requirements of ethical decision making (Heaton, 2008). Nurses and other practitioners in the healthcare sector face various ethical and legal issues in their career as they should combine both the legal and ethical aspects of health care to enhance professionalism in the practice. It is very important for the nurses to understand the difference between ethics and law. The laws are the rules and regulations governing the practice while ethics are meant to ensure appropriate values as well as monitor the actions of the peoples. One of the issues the nurses may face in their profession is where they are faced in acts that are ethical according to the practice but are not legal according to the laws (Tingle & Cribb, 2002). For example the nurses are required to allow cancer patients to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes which are an appropriate measure according to the nursing practice ethical but illegal according to the governing laws. The nursing ethics could also allow the nurse to conduct an aborting in extreme cases so as to save the life of the mother whereas abortion is illegal according to the governing legal structure. Similarly the nurses and other practitioners could also be faced by situations where the practice is neither legal nor ethical but it has to be carried out (Tingle & Cribb, 2002). The issues faced by nurses in their practice are rapidly increasing and the resolution of the issues need careful research and assessment of all the causes and facts related to the cases. To resolve the issue faced in the nursing practice, most institutions implement ethics committees made of professional from all the related areas such as the healthcare professionals, lawyers, ethicists and the clergy among others (Sandra, 2008). This committees are assigned the task of assisting in the decision making process where they resolve the ethical issues faced by the practitioners using the developed guidelines and policies. The nurses are also required cooperate with the other professional in the healthcare sector to educate the public on the on the importance and ways to meet the health requirements so as to enhance ethical practices in the profession