Ethical Communication
Ethical issues and concerns have been a constant topic in all of your nursing courses. When applying these problems to health assessment, a nurse is faced with the problems of reporting many types of abuse. Think about your role as a nurse to report abuse as well as the HIPAA regulations to protect a patient’s privacy. Then, read the following scenario:
You are taking a health history from a young woman who is admitted for an ovarian cyst removal later the same day. During the history, she reveals that she has recently been diagnosed as HIV-positive but has not yet disclosed this to her new boyfriend, who is in the waiting room.
Based on this scenario, respond to the following:
· From an ethical perspective, what is the nurse’s obligation?
Reference:
· Course Text:Jarvis, C. (2016). Physical examination & health assessment (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
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o Review Chapter 3, “The Interview“
Go back and review the process and techniques of communication.
o Chapter 27, “The Complete Health Assessment: Adult”
Conducting a complete health history and physical exam can be complicated. In this chapter, the suggested examination sequence is provided along with guidelines to instruct the patient.
o Chapter 28, ” Bedside Assessment and Electronic Health Recording”
In many clinical or hospital stays, a patient does not need to have a complete health history or physical assessment conducted. During these cases, a basic assessment can be completed. Chapter 28 details the procedure for completing a bedside assessment of a hospitalized patient.