Registered Nurses are required to make sound judgements about legal and
ethical issues that impact effective and safe patient care. This assessment is designed to
assist students in the development of these skills through the identification, reflection on,
and application of frameworks relevant to legal and ethical issues in nursing practice.
Task: Students are required to analyse a problem within the given case study and
demonstrate their understanding of ethical and legal frameworks in order to provide
proficient care. Sound judgement is critical to this task and requires students to give time
and effort to reading and reflecting on the International Council of Nurses Code of Ethics
and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s Code of Conduct.
HELPFUL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
Atkins, K., Britton, B. & de Lacy, S. 2011, Chapter 2, 5 & 8: “Understanding Legal Rights and Obligations”, “Consent” and “Patient Information & Confidentiality” in Ethics and Law for Australian Nurses, 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press
Australian Law Reform Commission, Capacity and Health Information @
Gillick v Norfolk – Nature of consent which minor can give to medical treatment without obtaining parental consent
Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 No 71 @ Minors (Property and Contracts) Act 1970 @
New South Wales Government, 1998, Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 No 157
New South Wales Government, 2018, Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 No 71
New South Wales Ministry of Health, 2005, Consent to Medical Treatment – Patient Information, Policy Directive, Document Number: PD2005_40
Staunton & Chiarella 2017, Law for Nurses and Midwives, 8th edn (prescribed text)
Yeo, M., Moorhouse, A., Khan, P. & Rodney, P. (eds) 2010 Concepts and cases in nursing ethics