CEBU INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY
N. Bacalso Ave., Cebu City Philippines

COLLEGE OF NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

DRUG STUDY

SUBMITTED BY:

CARAMIHAN,SHEILA MAE P.

BSN 4-N1

SUBMITTED TO

JUDITH ISMAEL RN, MAN DODT

FACULTY
Law here in the Philippines is important as we as citizens of the Republic of the Philippines, are
responsible for every action we make. This concept of responsibility for all actions we undertake
is central to the legal principles of nursing. In our country, our society is governed by many
different laws. Similarly, our medical system including our nursing system is governed by many
laws so that we as nurses know our responsibilities as we execute our duties. Nurses are deemed
to be competent practitioners so all of their actions must be appropriate and in line with the
actions of a competent person. Fundamentally, nurses should acknowledge that the laws are
designed to protect them and if followed they are unlikely to face litigation. As a student nurse,
my actions and duty of care is also governed by these nursing laws. This means I am not free
from being charged with criminal negligence, should I not complete my duties in a responsible
manner, especially in hospital settings. When nurses begin their professional duties and
obligations, their responsibilities begin as well. In every practice or action, they undertake, they
are always held accountable and responsible for their performance in giving quality care to the
client.

Many errors occur in hospitals around the world. The incidence rate of errors in my view is
unacceptable and needs to be addressed through quality assurance processes so that the same
error is not repeated again and again. One of the error types is negligence. When negligence
occurs litigation, almost always follows as the client wants compensation for the impact the error
has had on their lives. The law in relation to negligence considers the act of commission ( doing
something) or omission ( failing to do something) that you would expect a reasonably prudent
nurse to do in a specific situation. Consequently, negligence is punishable by law. Secondly is the
legal principle of Res Ipsa Loquitor the incidence of some type of accident which is sufficient to
imply negligences. In other words, any nurses following a reasonable duty of care should have
seen an injury exists or is likely to occur and is therefore classified as.

Malpractice occurs when a nurse undertakes procedures which are beyond the scope of practice
or duties of a nurse which result in injury or damage to the patient. This is an error in practice
that we as nurses may observe from time to time. Importantly, if we do observe it, we must
report it to our line managers for further consideration. This act is grounds for suspension and
revocation of our nursing license; therefore, we must take care to follow nursing law at all times
so that our license we have worked hard for in bachelor’s degree is not revoked and lost.

Atty. Ismael said, “Learning is a continuous process, enroll and complete special training to
enhancing your knowledge in intravenous therapy and suturing perineum”. With each new skill
comes a set of new laws and practices I must understand and follow. Providing I stay with the law
governing pursing practices then I should not face litigation

In summary, laws are the total sum of rules and regulations by which society is governed. We
have different laws that must be adhered to if the Board of Nursing, Qualifying Dean, Faculty,
Chief Nurse, Board of Examiners use to deem us fit to be qualified as a nurse. These laws are
also relevant for improving the health care system here in the Philippines. There are also
government Acts that are designed to benefit all members of our society such as R.A 996, which
is Act that governs the compulsory Immunization of children below one year of age. A child is fully
vaccinated if they have had all of their vaccinations before one year of age. For the benefit of
mothers and the baby, especially for bonding during postpartum breast feeding, R.A7600 was
implemented to establish rooming. Through the devolution of power from national to local
government units the quality of nursing care is provided to all mothers. These are just a few of
the laws that help people to also protect their rights.

In conclusion, as a student nurse, this law and legal aspects of nursing help me to determine my
rights and responsibilities as well as the rights and responsibilities of the clients. I have a better
understanding of my accountability as a student nurse especially if my actions are not the actions
of a prudent student nurse.