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Lena is a community health care nurse who works exclusively with HIV-positive and AIDS patients. As a part of her job, she evaluates new cases and reviews confidential information about these patients. In the course of one of these reviews, Lena learns that her sister’s boyfriend has tested HIV positive. Lena would like to protect her sister from harm and begins to consider how her sister can find out about her boyfriend’s health status. ================================================================================================================
Half of page per response with one reference, use first person, thank you. Discussion attached.
Respond in one or more of the following ways:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research using an in-text citation in APA format.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
Ethics and morals are a part of the foundation of nursing. Caring, compassion, and advocacy are some of the characteristics each nurse in the profession should evoke everyday in their personal clinical practice. As with any profession, nursing must operate too with ethical standards, professional guidelines, and perform clinical practice within the parameters of the law (American Nurses Association, 2010a).
The fine line distinguishing ethics and law can occasionally get muddled within the nursing profession as sometimes nurses cannot ethically agree with the law, but must follow procedure and protocol all the same. In this case scenario, Lena is facing a very difficult situation in ethics and the code she vowed she would honor. I personally would have a serious issue with breeching patient confidentiality and protecting patient privacy rights with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). My initial reaction would be to first request another nurse to take over the case, as I would have biased opinions in this circumstance.
If for some reason another nurse was unavailable to hand the case over to, I would educate the patient on Iowa Code 141A.5 Partner Notification Program in which a person who tests positive for HIV infection shall receive post-test counseling, during which time the person shall be encouraged to refer for counseling and HIV testing any person with who the person ahs had sexual relations or has shared drug injecting equipment (Partner Notification Program–HIV, 2007). Under this specific code, at least the health department is educating the patient to encourage letting partners know and in this case scenario that would be my sister.
The American Nurses Association also has provisions in the Code of Ethics by which nurses should competently handle themselves with regards to clinical practice. In this particular case study, regardless of the person(s) involved, I must execute my duties with the same expectations, ethical standards, and scope of practice that I would any other patient. Guidelines are established to govern behavior and how one should conduct their practice. Avoiding conflict of interest in most cases is an ideal situation, but sometimes simply cannot be diverted (American Nurses Association, 2010c).
Reference
Partner Notification Program–HIV, art. 141A.5 §§ 1-5 (2007).
American Nurses Association. (2010a). Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice: Scope of
nursing practice. Retrieved April 27, 2015, from
http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/sp-3.15.lb/ovidweb.cgi
American Nurses Association. (2010b). Guide to the Code of Ethics for Nurses: Interpretation
and Application: Introduction. Retrieved April 27, 2015, from
http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/sp-3.15.lb/ovidweb.cgi
American Nurses Association. (2010c). Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice: Standards of
Professional nursing practice. Retrieved April 27, 2015, from
http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/sp-3.15.lb/ovidweb.cgi