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5.1: Introduction

  • Page ID
    65549
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    Learning Objectives

    • Explore the nurse’s role and legal and ethical responsibilities when providing care to clients with mental health disorders
    • Describe standards of care for nurses
    • Discuss the elements of a malpractice lawsuit
    • Explain patient rights based on the Patient Self-Determination Act

    The Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements states, “The nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient.”[1] This chapter describes nurses’ legal and ethical responsibilities while protecting the safety and rights of clients receiving mental health care.


    1. American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. American Nurses Association. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/code-of-ethics-for-nurses/coe-view-only/

    This page titled 5.1: Introduction is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Ernstmeyer & Christman (Eds.) (OpenRN) .

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