Week 1 Flashcards
why do we study law & ethics?
- help us identify what we ought to do
- just because we can, doesnt mean we should
- to understand the expectations & limits of nursing practise
- to navigate and resolve competing interests & values
define ethics
- what we ought to do in a particular situation
- answer reflects values & beliefs
define laws
- established rules for behavior
- rules that govern actions & decisions
- encompasses rights, privileges, and obligations (things people must do or are expected to do in order to maintain a lvl of order in society)
what are some examples of actions & decisions governed by laws (4)
- nurses’ duty to pts, family, and community
- provides framework for resolving conflicts between people
- specifies how harms or injuries committed by one person against another should be remedied
- consequences for breaching law
describe the relationship between ethics and laws
- what is legal is not always ethical
what are 3 sources of law
- statutory law
- common law
- civil law
what is statutory law (aka acts) (3)
- public law (applies to every member of society)
- federal, provincial, or city laws
- formal written set or rules passed by a parliament or other legislative body to regulate a particular area
who makes statutes
- parliament & provincial legislatures
what is a federal example of statute law? provincial?
- federal: Canada Health Act (describes the responsibilities of the provinces in the delivery of health care)
- provincial: Personal Health Info Act, Protections for Persons in Care Act, Regulated Health Professions Act, Mental Health Act
what is a regulation (3)
- laws (details) that are passed to update or amend existing statutes (it is very complicated to change a law, so this is an easier process to clarify or update laws)
- delegated (they delegate the power or authority to set and enforce laws)or subordinate legislation
- legally binding –> subordinate to statutes but are as enforceable
who makes regulations
- persons to whom Parliament/Legislature has delegated the authority
ex. medical officer of health
describe regulation that affects nurses
- Regulated Health Professions Act Registered Nurse Regulation
- specifies how registered nursing practice is governed, and delegates the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba the power to set requirements for registration, and the specific actions that nurses are able to perform in the course of their work
describe how public health orders are an example of a regulation
- they delegate authority under the Public Health Act to a Medical Officer of Health who can use the power of the Public Health Act to establish restrictions during a pandemic or require reporting of certain communiable diseases
what is common law
- court interpretation of a statute
- body of unwritten laws based on legal precedents established by the courts
- aka case law
how is common law established
- thru prosecutions of people found to be in violation of an Act, and thru civil lawsuits that adjudicate disputes & harms that have been committed by one individual against another
what is a precedent
- the first case that is brought where a judge makes a determination of how a particular law or conflict should be interpreted
- that precedent (judge’s previous decision) then serves as a guide or model for deciding future similar cases should be treated
what is an example of common law
Nancy B case:
- pt was dependent on a ventilator & requested the ventilator be removed and she be allowed to die
- court decided that the pt had the right to decline medical treatment if she was fully informed about the implications of the decision, even if it meant she would die
- this is an important precedent to informed consent –> means we need to have consent to provide treatments, and that the pt has the right to withdraw consent at any time
what is civil law
- aka tort law
- system of law concerned with private relations between members of a community rather than criminal, military, or religious affairs
- relates a wrong committed by one person against another
- a body of rules & legal principles that govern relations, respective rights, and obligations among individuals, corporations, or other institutions
- also part of common law
who are civil laws established by
- courts –> seperate from governments
what is an example of civil law
ex. negligence
- if a pt is harmed because a nurse failed to fulfill a duty of care, the pt or their family can sue the nurse & the nurse may be found liable for the tort of negligence
what is the hierarchy of law in Canada
from most to least powerful:
- acts/statutory law
- regulations
- court decisions (including common law interpretations of statutes & decisions in civil cases)
- administrative tribunals (regulatory)