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Ms B and legal competence: examining the role of nurses in difficult ethico‐legal decision‐making
Author(s) -
Goodman Benny
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
nursing in critical care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.689
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1478-5153
pISSN - 1362-1017
DOI - 10.1046/j.1478-5153.2003.00012.x
Subject(s) - competence (human resources) , nursing , legal profession , psychology , medicine , political science , law , social psychology
Summary• The case of Ms B throws up some interesting issues regarding the role of the nurse in assisting patients in making and implementing their decisions • The High Court transcript makes it clear who the voices with influence in legal matters were, and why the decisions they took were made • Absent from the myriad voices is that of the profession of nursing. Are nurses silenced by professional boundaries, the legal framework or lack of confidence? • The concept of nursing advocacy is once again thrown into relief and critical questions need asking about the limits of professional nursing practice