Tonia Dandry Aiken. Philadelphia, Pa: F.A. Davis; 2004. 458 pages.
Legal, Ethical, and Political Issues in Nursing consists of 18 chapters that are divided into 5 parts. Part 1, Nursing Practice, addresses the legal rights and responsibility of individuals who practice nursing. Licensure and credentialing processes have been developed to ensure public safety. Mechanisms such as nurse practice act, standards of care, codes of ethics, and state boards of nursing were developed to provide safe nursing practice. In addition, this section addresses disciplinary proceedings.
Part 2, Nursing and the Law, defines the principles of healthcare law, which are based on the political processes that influence the development or changing of laws. This chapter includes sources for standards of care, and legal implications when deviations from the standards of care have been established. This section also reviews the role of expert testimony.
Part 3, Nursing Ethics, defines the principles that influence...