Research article summary (published 30 Mar 2008):

Duty of care and political expectations. Part 3: law and the new code.

Full Abstract

Current expectations of nurses, in terms of professional standards, are high. These expectations are dictated from Government manifesto literature from 1997-2001, which reveals the stark political agenda and political promises given to the electorate. Traditionally, the 'standard' expected of a professional was defined according to law - to the precedents set down in common law. Case law reveals that the standards expected of professionals may be different to those expected of nurses, as written in political literature. This article explores the definitions as found in the legal and professional literature. The Nursing and Midwifery Council's Code of Professional Conduct will be reviewed, including the new Code (2008), in order to identify the basis for determining standards expected of, and by, nurses practicing in the clinical arena. The suggestion is that the current level of expectation of professional behaviour of nurses may relate more to the political agenda than the legal definition, and this has resulted in nurse confusion.

Learn Faster Today      Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Fullbrook, Suzanne (S);

Affiliation: Faculty of Health, London South Bank University.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: British journal of nursing (Mark Allen Publishing) (Br J Nurs), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2008 Apr 24-May 7; vol 17 (issue 8) : pp 538-9

Dates: Created 2008/06/19; Completed 2008/08/05;

PMID: 18563028, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Great Britain Nurses - legislation & jurisprudence

Nursing Care Politics

Related articles

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

• Duty of care and political expectations. Part 4: standards as a political promise. 29 Apr 2008
• Duty of care and political expectations. Part 2: Readers' concerns/experiences. 30 Mar 2008
• The duty of care and political expectations. Part 1: a literature review. 28 Feb 2008
• [Individual medical services with no entitlement to reimbursement: general conditions relating to german social legislation and liability law] 30 Dec 2005
• Common law and a duty of care: the application of principles. 30 Aug 2007
• The duty of States to assist other States in need: ethics, human rights, and international law. 30 Dec 2006
• Regulatory codes of conduct and the common law. Part 2: confidentiality. 30 Jul 2007
• Nurses' political involvement: responsibility versus privilege. 30 Dec 2004
• Resident-physicians' duty hours: perceptions and cultural expectations in medicine. 29 Jun 2005
• To assist or not to assist: the legal liability of midwives acting as good Samaritans. 3 Sep 2006

See 100+ related articles.

Related Article Map

Legend: - FREE Full text Article. - Abstract only. - Title only. More help.

See a large map of 100+ related articles.