10 Ways to Demonstrate Accountability in Nursing Practice

accountability nursing essay

Are you a nurse who desires to become the best you can be? Do you look for ways to improve patient outcomes and promote nursing as a profession? Being accountable is one way all nurses can have an impact on patients, their healthcare teams, and the nursing profession. Perhaps you are wondering, “How can nurses demonstrate accountability in nursing practice?” As you continue reading, you will learn what accountability in nursing means, find 10 ways to demonstrate accountability in nursing practice and discover the consequences a lack of accountability can bring.

What Does Accountability In Nursing Practice Exactly Mean?

Why accountability is important in nursing practice, 1. accountability in nursing helps foster trusting relationships between patients and nurses, which can positively influence patient outcomes., 2. nurses who hold themselves accountable set themselves up for success., 3. a culture of accountability in nursing reduces the misuse of valuable healthcare resources., 4. nurses who practice accountability can promote a positive reputation for the facilities where they are employed., what are the four core components of accountability in nursing practice, 1. professional accountability:, 2. legal accountability:, 3. ethical accountability:, 4. employment accountability:, how can nurses demonstrate accountability in nursing practice, 1. work within your scope of practice., 2. accept responsibility for yourself and your actions., 3. follow policies and procedures as established by your employer., 4. accept correction or instruction from supervisors when needed., 5. stay up to date with professional nursing standards., 6. use evidence-based practices when providing patient care., 7. implement accountability safeguards., 8. complete tasks assigned to you before leaving work., 9. set personal and professional goals., 10. provide safe, quality care to all patients., 4 consequences of lack of accountability in nursing practice, 1. increased risk to patient safety:, 2. increased healthcare costs:, 3. poor nurse-patient and interprofessional relationships:, 4. loss of job and/or nursing license:, useful resources to improve accountability in nursing practice, youtube videos, my final thoughts.

accountability nursing essay

accountability nursing essay

Promoting professional accountability and ownership

Nursing leaders set the tone for a culture of professional responsibility..

  • Professional accountability is a commitment that you make to yourself and your career when you become a nurse to advance, grow, improve, and adapt to your work.
  • Ownership comes from being fully engaged in your work and feeling a sense of pride in your profession.

Steve has been a nurse for 10 years, and she’s worked on her unit for 5 of them. She loves direct patient care and frequently receives positive feedback from patients, their families, and her manager. Recently, patients on Steve’s unit have been developing hospital-acquired pressure injuries. The unit-based practice council (UBPC) has been tasked to develop an evidence-based practice (EBP) project to reduce pressure injuries. Steve doesn’t believe this is an issue with her patients, and she doesn’t intend to change how she provides care.

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Unfortunately, Steve’s reaction to this evidence-based project isn’t unusual. Getting professionals to change their practice or accept responsibility for their contributions to overall clinical outcomes can be challenging. This may result from the structure of nursing care delivery models and 12-hour shifts that don’t always promote care assignment continuity or feelings of ownership for patient outcomes. However, the current value-based healthcare reimbursement system requires professional accountability for quality outcomes, and nurses like Steve are expected to work as members of a team to achieve collective results (such as reducing hospital-acquired pressure injuries). Not surprisingly, the issue of professional accountability in nursing has become a concern in many healthcare environments.

Defining accountability

We talk about nursing professional accountability as though all nurses share a common definition and understanding of what that means. For some nurses, accountability can provoke fear and mistrust because they think it will be used as a whipping stick to promote compliance. We also can’t assume that all professional nurses have a clear understanding of their role or what’s expected of them.

Steve might not realize that she’s not only accountable for the actions she’s currently taking in her practice but is also expected to use new evidence to guide her practice and comply with the policies and procedures implemented on her unit to improve care. To uphold her professional accountability commitment, she can’t opt out of implementing new guidelines for pressure injury care.

The professional accountability mindset

Professional accountability is an internally driven mindset. It’s a commitment that you make to yourself and your career when you become a nurse to advance, grow, improve, and adapt to your work. It’s also a pledge to apply your talents, energies, and gifts to improve patient outcomes. According to the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements , nurses are both “accountable and responsible for the quality of their practice.” This means that nurses must take ownership of their actions and hold themselves accountable not only individually but also as members of a collective team. Variations in practice patterns of individual nurses who view professional accountability differently can result in patient safety issues and medical errors. (See Accountability at a glance .)

Steve may see no problem with her decision to deviate from new evidence-based practice recommendations, but her failure to follow them could have serious ramifications for patients. If she doesn’t make changes in her practice, she’s failing to uphold a professional accountability mindset.

Within their professional roles, nurses are expected to implement accountability safeguards. These include evaluating patient care through peer review, quality improvement, and research, which promotes the mindset that our actions have consequences that directly impact the patients we care for. Steve’s ethical responsibility is to reflect on the difference between not taking action because she believes hospital-acquired pressure injuries aren’t an issue with her patients and what it means to truly provide quality evidence-based care.

Checking in vs. checking out

Nursing is a specialized profession that requires rigorous education, licensure, and regulation. It also relies on scientific evidence and a commitment to lifelong learning. These defining characteristics demand that nurses stay checked into their profession through critical thinking and collaborative care with other nurses and healthcare providers. The other option is to check out professionally and view nursing as a 12-hour shift composed of tasks to be completed.

Steve should remember that she’s not working in a solo practice. She functions as part of a healthcare team. She can’t make individual clinical decisions that conflict with the care given by other team members even when it’s based on her clinical experience or expertise, although she should certainly speak up if she feels a decision will be detrimental to the patient. If Steve believes that “this is not my problem,” she’s both checking out on her profession and failing to demonstrate good teamwork. Checking out is detrimental to the safety and health of the patients we serve.

The Code of Ethics reminds us that nurses are required to contribute to professional advancement by respecting the contributions of individuals who promote quality patient outcomes and evidence application. That means nurses must stay checked in and be actively present during professional activities such as educational sessions, patient care, patient safety discussions, and nurse-to-nurse hand-offs. For Sally, this also means being committed to engaging in the EBP her unit is rolling out because it aligns with her obligated ethical responsibility to take part in quality patient care rooted in evidence.

Building a culture of professional ownership

If Steve refuses to change her practice, her nurse manager will need to address this as a performance issue. Failing to assume professional accountability frequently occurs when leaders don’t hold nurses accountable for their decisions and actions. Leaders must be vigilant about unprofessional behaviors and practices and take steps to stop them before they become normalized on a unit. Interestingly, deviation from expected practices occurs more frequently with experienced nurses like Steve who believe the rules don’t apply to them. If Steve is allowed to opt out of evidence-based practices implemented on the unit, these deviations may become part of the culture. Nursing staff knows when “good enough” is the culture of an organization.

Joe Tye and Bob Dent, in their book, Building a Culture of Ownership in Healthcare , suggest that accountability isn’t enough. Accountability using traditional definitions means that nurses do expected behaviors because others expect it of them. Maintaining a culture of accountability can be exhausting for leaders, and such a culture will never take an organization from good to great. Tye and Dent recommend that the goal should be a culture of ownership where nurses do the right thing because they expect it of themselves. Ownership comes from being fully engaged in one’s work and feeling a sense of pride in one’s profession. This can be achieved only by connecting the nurse’s core values to the organization’s values.

Set the expectations

Professional nursing accountability and ownership is a mindset. In an ideal world, all nurses would take ownership of their practice and understand that quickly adopting EBPs designed to improve care is part of their professional responsibility. Unfortunately, not all nurses have this mindset. Some nurses like Steve may still choose to check out professionally and will need to be held accountable for their decisions. Strong leadership expectations and ongoing coaching about what it means to be a professional are critical to building a culture of professional ownership.

Rose O. Sherman is a professor of nursing and director of the Nursing Leadership Institute at Florida Atlantic University and author of the book The Nurse Leader Coach: Become the Boss No One Wants to Leave. You can read her blog at emergingrnleader. com. Tanya M. Cohn is a nurse scientist in nursing and health sciences research at West Kendall Baptist Hospital in Miami, Florida.

Selected references

American Nurses Association. Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements . American Nurses Association: Silver Springs, MD; 2015.

Porter-O’Grady T, Malloch K. Quantum Leadership: Creating Sustainable Value in Healthcare . 5th ed. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2018.

Rachel MM. Accountability: A concept worth revisiting. Am Nurse Today . 2012;7(3):36-40.

Tye J, Dent RL. Building a Culture of Ownership in Healthcare: The Invisible Architecture of Core Values, Attitude, and Self-Empowerment . Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau; 2017.

1 Comment .

I must take issue with the main focus in the article “Promoting Professional Accountability and Ownership”, Sherman and Cohn. I believe these authors have really missed the mark, if the goal is what their title implies. As one of those RNs who have been actively engaged and accountable, in my 35 plus year career, reading the studies, watching EBP guidelines being developed, watching the outcomes, as well as being a member of an IRB, I have come to a different conclusion.That conclusion is that all medical people need to start engaging their brain and asking questions of any “evidence”. Case in point, the approach to pain. How many people have died, though some of us knew this is where we would end up. Nurses that would not follow the pain policy actually did right by their patients, the EBP did not. Why… because we, the medical community, refused to use our head and some of us refused to question, to push back and to look for underlying motives in the “evidence” being reviewed. How many years did this take to even be recognized and nursing still is resistant to stop being part of the problem. Opiates are not the only example. We are in the midst of an Aderal epidemic, but yet we keep prescribing to many who should not have it because what they need is a lifestyle change, not a pill. I see very little written about this but wow, do we see the numbers of young people having mental breakdowns. Another example, the medical device approval processes through the FDA. See the Netflix documentary “Bleeding Edge”. There have been numerous other examples. This is not to say that all EBP is skewed. Much of it is good and has had positive outcomes but it is not a given that if it has come through EBP channels, that it is right for the patient/policy. If the goal is accountability and ownership, we have to inspire medical people to connect, by caring about their patients, human to human. Wanting the best for them. This takes time at the bedside. As for EBP, we have to challenge the “evidence”, before it becomes EBP but even afterward if it does not make sense. We have to inspire medical people how to be curious and teach them how to think. Studies can not be funded or performed by anyone who will profit from them, whether they reap the profit now or in ten years. This is the battle that should be fought. Follow the money or academic prestige that leads to money. Equating nurse accountability and ownership to number one, following EBP, seems like a bit of an agenda in itself. Perhaps the authors need to follow up with some of these older nurses and see #1, if they are resistant to all EBP or if they are resistant to following particular EBP guidelines and why. Then consider their points and perhaps help to make a change.

Lisa Eason, BSN, RN

Comments are closed.

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Nurse Leaders and Accountability in Nursing

June 3, 2020

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Accountability in nursing affects patient health outcomes and quality improvements at the institutional level.

Since 1999, nursing has outpaced 21 leading professions to be voted the  most honest and ethical occupation  in the United States. More than eight in 10 people surveyed in an annual Gallup poll described nurses’ ethics as high or very high, surpassing medical doctors, grade school teachers, and firefighters. The level of trust underscores the importance of peer accountability in nursing practice.

Accountability — or a willingness to accept responsibility for one’s actions — is a cornerstone of nursing. One of the keys to being an effective nurse manager is promoting peer accountability. In many medical facilities, registered nurses (RNs) who have earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree s are the impetus behind peer accountability because they are skilled and respected practitioners.

Accountability in nursing practice has been linked to better patient health outcomes and quality improvements at the institutional level. Accountability is vital to the future of healthcare, experts say.

“Nursing leaders are successful in meeting quality and financial goals of their departments when they hire motivated nurses who understand how they affect those goals and are empowered through shared decision-making,” said Cherry Shogren, director of professional development at UnityPoint Health in Des Moines, IA.

“Peer review promotes that understanding and empowerment by linking practice standards, outcomes and constructive peer feedback to enhance quality.”

As nurse leaders, RNs with DNPs are responsible for creating and maintaining a culture of accountability. Learning how to initiate such a culture is an essential element of being an effective nurse manager.

Accountability in Nursing in Action

In the 1980s, the ANA published its peer-review guidelines. Since then, the guidelines have been used across the United States to create a culture of accountability in healthcare. Hospitals hoping to attain and maintain the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet status must establish and continue a formal peer-review system.  The Magnet distinction  signifies the healthcare organization meets excellence standards for nursing and patient outcomes.

The ANA uses these six basic principles to ensure consistent application of the peer-review process:

  • A peer is a nurse colleague of the same rank:  Only nursing peer groups should provide feedback and constructive criticism to each other. The ANA describes peer groups as those of the same employment level such as direct-care nurse to a direct-care nurse or advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) to APRN.
  • Peer review is focused on practice alone:  The process is solely focused on patient outcomes and ensures nursing standards of care are being met. Effective peer review utilizes  evidence-based practices  and incorporates professional standards.
  • Feedback is timely, routine, and continually expected:  Peer reviews should happen in real-time, rather than during yearly evaluations. This process allows nurses to understand and correct policy failures immediately.
  • Peer reviews foster the continuous learning of patient safety and best practices:  Peer reviews are completed under the framework of learning and education and should never include blaming or shaming. The purpose is to gather information to determine how effective changes can be implemented
  •  Feedback is never anonymous:  Open collaboration fosters positive relationships between peers and prevents the appearance of backstabbing or tattling. Respectful, open communication fosters integrity, and safety.
  • Feedback takes into consideration the developmental stage of the nurse:  When experienced nurses act as  mentors to new nurses , they can provide supportive insights and constructive criticism that is not presented in a bullying manner.

Creating a Culture of Accountability in Nursing

Peer accountability enables nurses to speak out when a coworker is observed not meeting practice standards. The initial steps to creating peer accountability include developing a culture of accountability.

Workforce bullying expert Renee Thompson said to make accountability in nursing work, employees must be able to identify and address problems as they happen, thus creating a culture of accountability. Employees must understand the benefits of direct communication and have the skills to speak out in a professional manner.

“The good news is that establishing a culture where employees are willing to hold each other accountable instead of tattling to the boss is a skill that can be developed,” she said.

Indeed, Thompson and other workplace communications experts say building a culture of accountability depends on strong leadership and an overall willingness to change. Some of the steps to creating a culture of accountability include:

  • Building trust : The foundation for successful workplace accountability is trust. Employees who trust each other are more willing to accept and act on constructive criticism rather than assuming it is ill-willed.
  • Developing strong communication skills: Individuals who use an assertive communication style can express information in an honest, open, and direct manner. The assertive communication style is not aggressive in tone, but instead is respectful and avoids blame and criticism.
  • Developing clear expectations : The American Nurses Association (ANA) outlines the expectations and responsibilities for all nurses including the overall responsibility for their patients and practice. Nurse leaders should continually remind nurses of the expectations of practice.
  • Modeling accountability:  A workplace that has leaders who accept responsibility and hold themselves and others accountable creates a culture of accountability. DNP-educated RNs who are leading teams of nurses must be open to feedback and criticism.  Being an   effective nurse manager  begins  with learning DNP leadership skills.

Many nurses use online DNP programs to put learned leadership skills into immediate clinical practice.  Nurse leaders who have earned DNPs  are positioned to assist with peer accountability to uphold the behaviors and values of an organization.

Accountability in Nursing Practice

Part of being an effective nurse manager is to celebrate successes but also be forthcoming and honest regarding errors or near misses, RN Charlotte Davis said in “The importance of professional accountability.” When missteps do happen, nurses should embrace professional accountability rather than avoiding it, she said.

“Each year, we lose more of our experienced baby boomer nurses to retirement,” she said. “As new graduate nurses enter our clinical areas, we have the responsibility to model professional behaviors, with patient-centered care as our focus rather than a task-based environment.”

When DNP-educated nurses model professional accountability and engage in peer accountability, they are creating the new standard for success for the future of the nursing practice. Earning a DNP education, either in the classroom or through an online DNP program, allows RNs to develop successful peer accountability programs. Nurses who earn a DNP through  an  online DNP program  can put their knowledge into practice immediately because they can continue their careers while learning advanced DNP skills.

About Duquesne University’s Online DNP Program

Duquesne University, a leader in nursing education, offers three DNP tracks :

  • Clinical Leadership DNP
  • Post-Bachelor’s Executive Nurse Leadership DNP
  • Post-Master’s Executive Nurse Leadership DNP

Duquesne University’s online DNP program prepares RNs for clinical leadership positions to encourage positive changes and professional accountability in healthcare. The university’s curriculum builds on existing experiences and knowledge, allowing graduates to implement evidence-based practice in clinical settings.

Duquesne University’s online DNP program allows students to continue working and maintain family responsibilities while earning an advanced degree. Apply today!

Gallup, Nurses Keep Healthy Lead as Most Honest, Ethical Profession Part 1: OR Manager, Professional peer review compels staff to improve performance and quality Principles and practice, Nursing peer review Renee Thompson, How to Establish Peer-to-Peer Accountability Evidence-Based Care, Accountability in Nursing Practice Nursing Made Incredibly Easy, The importance of professional accountability  

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Professional role and practice ensuring accountability nursing essay – best student’s sample essay(2022), dr. wilson mn.

  • March 14, 2022

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Accountability is a key concern for nurses and midwives in the National Health Service (NHS) today. Accountability means assuming responsibility for one’s actions (Daniels 2004). The modern concept of professional accountability, applied to nursing, assumes that the nurse is a member of a profession.

It depends on individual nurses being aware of their membership of a profession and accepting that status, with the rights and responsibilities that go with it. With the passing of the Nurses Registration Act, in 1919, nurses in Britain achieved the status of an accountable profession, which meant that registered nurses were legally accountable for their work and can be struck off the register for unprofessional behaviour (Tilley and Watson 2004).

The drive to demonstrate professional accountability led to the creation of a body that was responsible for setting standards of conduct and practice for nurses. This is the regulatory body for nurses and midwives and is currently the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). One of the functions of the NMC is to create limits on professional accountability in nursing and midwifery practice (Caulfield 2005).

Accountability is integral to professional practice. Nurses make judgements in a wide variety of circumstances. Nurses use their professional knowledge, judgement and skills to make decisions based on evidence for best practice and the person’s best interests and they must be able to justify the decisions they make (NMC 2008a).

Accountability cannot be considered in isolation. Other terms such as ‘autonomy’, ‘responsibility’ and ‘authority’ need to be considered too (Dewar 1999). Walsh (1997) implies there should be a clear distinction between accountability and responsibility in nursing practice. He goes on to say that accountability involves explaining and justifying actions based on sound professional knowledge and transparent, logical and replicable decision-making.

Equally, he believes that responsibility, in the traditional sense, means performing tasks in an accurate and timely way through delegation. Registered Nurses are responsible for all the actions they perform, whether they are dependent, interdependent or independent (Rosdahl and Kowalski 2008).

Keenan (1999 p.561) suggests that accountability is a consequence of autonomy. He defines autonomy as ‘the exercise of considered, independent judgement to affect a desirable outcome’. Structural autonomy exists when professional people are expected to use their judgement to determine the provision of patient services in the context of their work. Attitudinal autonomy exists for people who believe themselves to be free to exercise judgement in decision-making (Savage and Moore 2004)). Batey and Lewis (1982 p.15) suggest there is a close relationship between autonomy and certain forms of authority, particularly positional authority and the authority associated with expert knowledge. They go on to say authority in nursing originates from a number of sources including the authority of the situation (as in emergency situations), of position (where authority is invested in a formal position rather than an individual) and of expert knowledge (as granted through professional registration).

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‘Responsibility’, ‘autonomy’ and ‘authority’ are important terms, not only in the way they overlap with the concept of or exist as preconditions for accountability. They are also relevant for understanding lines of accountability (Savage and Moore 2004).

There are four ‘pillars’ that make up a framework of professional accountability deriving from different types of authority in nursing practice these are professional, ethical, lawful and employment/contractual (Caulfield 2005).

Professional accountability and being responsible for your actions and for the outcomes of these actions is part of the framework for clinical governance (Tilley and Watson 2004). ‘Clinical governance is a system through which NHS organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will flourish’ (Scally and Donaldson 1998, p. 61).

Ethical values come from the individual practitioner and result from aspects such as religion, education and the values we grow up within our families and local communities. Being able to stand up for high standards of care, or challenging others who may not have the same value base, such as those who discriminate against other people or who are negligent in their practice, or even do harm to others deliberately. This may involve the nurse needing to draw attention to poor practice or standards or even lead to the need for ‘whistle-blowing’ (Jasper 2006).

There are two systems of law in the United Kingdom, these are civil and criminal law, which provide a framework of rules, regulations, and cases that determine how we live in society. Civil law would apply, in nursing in areas of negligence or lack of consent. Legal accountability for nurses has implications for the standards of record-keeping, as these will provide evidence of the actions and decisions made by them if needed (Jasper 2006).

A contract of employment sets out the relationship between the nurse and the employer in terms of the responsibilities and rights of each party. The contract is a legal contract, and therefore can be enforced in law, on both sides (Jasper 2006).

Registered Nurses can no longer expect to perform all patient care activities in this age of decentralisation, shared governance, and redefining of work duties to include nurse extenders such as health care assistants. Delegation is a much-needed skill for hospital nurses because it can free them to deal with professional activities of care (Adams 1995). The nature of the NHS and the various activities undertaken within it dictates that the workload is distributed among various members of the workforce (Wheeler 2001).

As a Registered Nurse, I am expected to delegate aspects of care such as asking a health care assistant to take a patient’s temperature every hour. Before delegating the task to the health care assistant I must be sure that he/she has the skills, competence, attitudes and experience to carry out the task involved and that it meets the requirements of the patient involved. Using Caulfield’s (2005) four ‘pillars’ as a framework I am accountable:

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Professionally – Professional Role And Practice Ensuring Accountability Nursing

Whilst delegating I will be accountable to the NMC in terms of standards of practice and patient care. The NMC Code (2008b) states that as a professional, I am personally accountable for actions and omissions in practice and I must always be able to justify my decisions and I must always act lawfully, whether those laws relate to my professional practise or personal life. Advice by the NMC (2008c) on delegation states that I must establish that anyone I delegate to is able to carry out my instructions, and I must confirm that the outcome of the delegated task meets the required standards and I must make sure that everyone I am responsible for is supervised and supported.

Ethically – Professional Role And Practice Ensuring Accountability Nursing

I must be aware of my own values. I am accountable if I do not stand up for high standards of care in relation to religion, education and peoples values (Jasper 2006). Lawfully

I have a legal responsibility to have determined the knowledge and skill level required to perform the delegated task such as taking a patients temperature. I am accountable to both the criminal and civil courts to ensure my activities conform to the legal requirements.

Employment/Contractual – Professional Role And Practice Ensuring Accountability Nursing

In the NHS, the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) represents the staff development element of Agenda for Change (AFC) (Department of Health 2004). It is concerned with identifying the relevant competency levels required for job roles with the NHS. This can provide me with evidence about the skills and knowledge of the health care assistant role. I must ensure the decision made to delegate was appropriate following guidelines and protocols of the workplace. I will be accountable for the decision to delegate and for its implementation on an organisational and professional level. I have the authority to delegate this task to distribute workload to achieve organisational effectiveness. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the health care assistant has sufficient education and training to competently undertake aspects of care that I am expected to delegate to them (NMC 2008c).

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Professional role and practice ensuring accountability nursing

Where a Registered Nurse has the authority to delegate tasks to another, they will retain responsibility and accountability for that delegation (NMC 2008c). As the Registered Nurse, I will remain accountable for the appropriateness of that delegation and for providing the appropriate level of supervision in order to ensure competence.

Another example of my accountability as a Registered Nurse can be related to carrying out doctors’ orders that are wrong. For example, I may give an incorrectly prescribed drug. Although the doctor is accountable for prescribing it wrongly, I will also be held accountable for administering it, as I must be sure of all drugs, dosages, actions, contraindications and side effects of the drugs that I give to patients. In the same way, if I perform incorrectly a procedure that a doctor has asked me to do, I will be accountable. This is because I must be aware of my limitations and not carry out any procedure unless I am appropriately trained to do so. Even if I have received the recommended training, I may not have performed the skill for a period and will not have practiced the task; therefore, I will not be competent in that task and will be held accountable if I perform the task incorrectly (Hole 2009).

This essay has discussed what ‘accountability’ means and the problem that the term ‘accountability’ conveys little meaning in itself. The essay considers terms, such as ‘autonomy’, ‘responsibility’ and ‘authority’ and how they are relevant for understanding the lines of accountability.

Registered Nurses are accountable for everything that they do within their role as they are members of a profession. The NMC code (2008b) states ‘that as a professional you are accountable for your actions and omissions in practice and you must always be able to justify your actions’.

This essay goes on to explain the different forms of accountability i.e. professionally, ethically, lawfully and contractually and has related these to practice using delegation as an example. Registered Nurses must be sure that they can justify their actions at all times and that they are accountable for the actions of others to whom they delegate.

Related FAQs

1. What is professional accountability in nursing?

The American Nursing Association’s Code of Ethics defines professional accountability as being “ answerable to oneself and others for one’s own actions .” Not only do we hold high clinical practice and ethical standards for ourselves, but we must also be willing to accept professional responsibility when or if deviations from care standards occur.

2.Why is professional accountability important in nursing?

Registered nurses have a duty of care and a legal liability to their patients. When delegating an activity, for example to an HCA or AP, they must ensure that it has been appropriately delegated. The NMC code says registrants must be accountable for their decisions to delegate tasks and duties to other people.

3. How do you show accountability in nursing?

Accountability can be seen throughout all aspects of nursing practice, such as:

  • Ensuring/providing safe, quality care.
  • Delegation.
  • Following (and questioning) policy and procedures.
  • Practicing within the guidelines of the Nurse Practice Act.
  • Maintaining confidentiality.
  • Questioning standard of care, provider’s orders.

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Professional Role And Practice Ensuring Accountability Nursing Essay

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Introduction.

Accountability is a key concern for nurses and midwives in the National Health Service (NHS) today. Accountability means assuming responsibility for ones actions (Daniels 2004). The modern concept of professional accountability, applied to nursing, assumes that the nurse is a member of a profession. It depends on individual nurses being aware of their membership of a profession and accepting that status, with the rights and responsibilities that go with it. With the passing of the Nurses Registration Act, in 1919, nurses in Britain achieved the status of an accountable profession, which meant that registered nurses were legally accountable for their work and can be struck off the register for unprofessional behaviour (Tilley and Watson 2004). The drive to demonstrate professional accountability led to the creation of a body that was responsible for setting standards of conduct and practice for nurses. This is the regulatory body for nurses and midwives and is currently the Nursing and midwifery Council (NMC). One of the functions of the NMC is to create the limits on professional accountability in nursing and midwifery practice (Caulfield 2005).

Accountability is integral to professional practice. Nurses make judgements in a wide variety of circumstances. Nurses use their professional knowledge, judgement and skills to make decision based on evidence for best practice and the person’s best interests and they must be able to justify the decisions they make (NMC 2008a).

Accountability cannot be considered in isolation. Other terms such as ‘autonomy’, ‘responsibility’ and ‘authority’ need to be considered too (Dewar 1999). Walsh (1997) implies there should be a clear distinction between accountability and responsibility in nursing practice. He goes on to say that accountability involves explaining and justifying actions based on sound professional knowledge and transparent, logical and replicable decision-making. Equally he believes that responsibility, in the traditional sense, means performing tasks in an accurate and timely way through delegation. Registered Nurses are responsible for all the actions they perform, whether they are dependent, interdependent or independent (Rosdahl and Kowalski 2008).

Keenan (1999 p.561) suggests that accountability is a consequence of autonomy. He defines autonomy as ‘the exercise of considered, independent judgement to affect a desirable outcome’. Structural autonomy exists when professional people are expected to use their judgement to determine the provision of patient services in the context of their work. Attitudinal autonomy exists for people who believe themselves to be free to exercise judgement in decision-making (Savage and Moore 2004)). Batey and Lewis (1982 p.15) suggests there is a close relationship between autonomy and certain forms of authority, particularly positional authority and the authority associated with expert knowledge. They go on to say authority in nursing originates from a number of sources including authority of the situation (as in emergency situations), of position (where authority is invested in a formal position rather than an individual) and of expert knowledge (as granted through professional registration).

‘Responsibility’, ‘autonomy’ and ‘authority’ are important terms, not only in the way they overlap with the concept of or exist as preconditions for accountability. They are also relevant for understanding lines of accountability (Savage and Moore 2004).

There are four ‘pillars’ that make up a framework of professional accountability deriving from different types of authority in nursing practice these are professional, ethical, lawful and employment/contractual (Caulfield 2005).

Professional accountability and being responsible for your actions and for the outcomes of these actions is part of the framework for clinical governance (Tilley and Watson 2004). ‘Clinical governance is a system through which NHS organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will flourish’ (Scally and Donaldson 1998, p. 61).

Ethical values come from the individual practitioner, and result from aspects such as religion, education and the values we grow up within our families and local communities. Being able to stand up for high standards of care, or challenging others who may not have the same value base, such as those who discriminate against other people or who are negligent in their practice, or even do harm to others deliberately. This may involve the nurse needing to draw attention to poor practice or standards or even lead to the need for ‘whistle-blowing’ (Jasper 2006).

There are two systems of law in the United Kingdom these are civil and criminal law, which provide a framework of rules, regulations, and cases that determine how we live in society. Civil law would apply, in nursing in areas of negligence or lack of consent. Legal accountability for nurses has implications for the standards of record keeping, as these will provide evidence of the actions and decisions made by them if needed (Jasper 2006).

A contract of employment sets out the relationship between the nurse and the employer in terms of the responsibilities and rights of each party. The contract is a legal contract, and therefore can be enforced in law, on both sides (Jasper 2006).

Registered Nurses can no longer expect to perform all patient care activities in this age of decentralisation, shared governance, and redefining of work duties to include nurse extenders such as health care assistants. Delegation is a much needed skill for hospital nurses, because it can free them to deal with professional activities of care (Adams 1995). The nature of the NHS and the various activities undertaken within it dictate that the workload is distributed among various members of the workforce (Wheeler 2001).

As a Registered Nurse, I am expected to delegate aspects of care such as asking a health care assistant to take a patients temperature every hour. Before delegating the task to the health care assistant I must be sure that he/she has the skills, competence, attitudes and experience to carry out the task involved and that it meets the requirements of the patient involved. Using Caulfield’s (2005) four ‘pillars’ as a framework I am accountable:

Professionally

Whilst delegating I will be accountable to the NMC in terms of standards of practice and patient care. The NMC Code (2008b) states that as a professional, I am personally accountable for actions and omissions in practice and I must always be able to justify my decisions and I must always act lawfully, whether those laws relate to my professional practice or personal life. Advice by the NMC (2008c) on delegation states that I must establish that anyone I delegate to is able to carry out my instructions, and I must confirm that the outcome of the delegated task meets the required standards and I must make sure that everyone I am responsible for is supervised and supported.

I must be aware of my own values. I am accountable if I do not stand up for high standards of care in relation to religion, education and peoples values (Jasper 2006). Lawfully

I have a legal responsibility to have determined the knowledge and skill level required to perform the delegated task such as taking a patients temperature. I am accountable to both the criminal and civil courts to ensure my activities conform to the legal requirements.

Employment/Contractual

In the NHS, the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) represents the staff development element of Agenda for Change (AFC) (Department of Health 2004). It is concerned with identifying the relevant competency levels required for job roles with the NHS. This can provide me with evidence about the skills and knowledge of the health care assistant role. I must ensure the decision made to delegate was appropriate following guidelines and protocols of the workplace. I will be accountable for the decision to delegate and for its implementation on an organisational and professional level. I have the authority to delegate this task to distribute workload to achieve organisational effectiveness. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the health care assistant has sufficient education and training to competently undertake aspects of care which I am expected to delegate to them (NMC 2008c).

Where a Registered Nurse has the authority to delegate tasks to another, they will retain responsibility and accountability for that delegation (NMC 2008c). As the Registered Nurse I will remain accountable for the appropriateness of that delegation and for providing the appropriate level of supervision in order to ensure competence.

Another example of my accountability as a Registered Nurse can be related to carrying out doctors’ orders that are wrong. For example, I may give an incorrectly prescribed drug. Although the doctor is accountable for prescribing it wrongly, I will also be held accountable for administering it, as I must be sure of all drugs, dosages, actions, contra-indications and side effects of the drugs that I give to patients. In the same way if I perform incorrectly a procedure that a doctor has asked me to do, I will be accountable. This is because I must be aware of my limitations and not carry out any procedure unless I am appropriately trained to do so. Even if I have received the recommended training, I may not have performed the skill for a period and will not have practiced the task; therefore, I will not be competent in that task and will be held accountable if I perform the task incorrectly (Hole 2009).

This essay has discussed what ‘accountability’ means and the problem that the term ‘accountability’ conveys little meaning in itself. The essay considers terms, such as ‘autonomy’, ‘responsibility’ and ‘authority’ and how they are relevant for understanding the lines of accountability.

Registered Nurses are accountable for everything that they do within their role as they are members of a profession. The NMC code (2008b) states ‘that as a professional you are accountable for your actions and omissions in practice and you must always be able to justify your actions’.

This essay goes on to explain the different forms of accountability i.e. professionally, ethically, lawfully and contractually and has related these to practice using delegation as an example. Registered Nurses must be sure that they can justify their actions at all times and that they are accountable for the actions of others to whom they delegate.

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Accountability In Nursing Essay Examples

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Topic: Family , Training , Parents , Patient , Exercise , Actions , Nursing , Medicine

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Published: 03/14/2020

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Introduction

Accountability is one of the key concepts that fortifies the professional practice nursing. Accountability is said to be at the heart of nursing and on an overall scale, it helps in the improvement of nursing practice. The term has often been defined differently in different medical circles but in its most basic definition, accountability is simply a special phenomenon in nursing practice whereby nurses working in any caregiving setting take the credit for, are entrusted with, are blamed for and are also be judged within moral and ethical boundaries (Rowe, 2000 p. 550). This means that the nurse is answerable for any actions taken in any particular nursing situation. The nurse holds some liability in responding to various issues experienced in the course of nursing practice and understands that he or she will be held liable for these actions Therefore, accountability should hold the basis of all the actions in every clinical setting. A nurse should not respond in a particular way or take actions that she knows she might not be accounted for favorably (Rowe, 2000 p. 551). Accountability leads to enhanced quality of care and improves overall health outcomes as it entails taking actions that are in the best interests of both the patient and the nurse. To explore more on this issue, this essay will Shalof T’s book “A nurse’s story: Life, death, and in-between in an intensive care unit” to identify examples where the concept of accountability has been exhibited. Using the identified examples, the aim of the essay will be to show that when accountability is applied as part of professional nursing practice, it leads to improved health outcomes and also enhances the process of delivering care. In the book, “A nurse’s story: Life, death, and in-between in an intensive care unit, Shalof provides the reader with a vivid description of the everyday life of ICU nurses. Shalof, who is an experienced Canadian writer and a nurse describes vividly some of the issues and situations that nurses at the ICU go through and gives the reader an inside look at some of these situations. It is in some of these situations that the concept of accountability can be identified. One of the examples where the concept of accountability is exhibited is where she is talking about a son who is unwilling to let his mother go even if the father is very aged and is experiencing multiple organ failure. The son is insistent that if need be, heroic measures be taken by the medical providers to cater for this mother (Shalof, 2004, chapter 3). This is in spite of the fact that these measures might just bring more suffering to the mother. Shalof exhibits great accountability on her part as she tries to explain to the son that at this point, medical interventions on his father would just bring him more suffering and it would be more advisable to let him go. Shalof is accountable because she knows that she will be judged on the actions she takes to ensure the well-being of the patient. In this case, ensuring the well-being of the patient means not allowing him to suffer anymore by stopping all medical interventions and letting him die peacefully. Therefore, this is one of the examples in Shalof’s book where the concept of accountability is vividly exhibited and described by Shalof herself in the course of her professional practice. The other example where the aspect of accountability is vivid is where Shalof (2004, chapter 8) is talking about a woman who is so desperate to take a sperm from her boyfriend who is brain dead so that she can get his child. This, in fact, seem to be a very bizarre situation, and any nurse would be overwhelmed on how to act. This situation however reveals the huge relationship that exists between accountability and ethics. Accountability goes hand in hand with ethics and part of being accountable in the course of nursing practice entails being ethical. In this situation, Shalof acts in both ways because she understands the implications that might be associated with this action or how she might be judged if she allows this unethical action to take place. She is liable for how she responds and therefore, guide by accountability, makes the woman understand the consequences that might accompany this act. This is a case of the nurse being accountable for the both deceased patient and her grief stricken girlfriend. The other situation where the concept of accountability is depicted is where the nurse is faced with a very difficult task of relieving painful constipation by a cancer patient (Shalof, 2004, chapter 13). This is in itself a very difficult task and some nurses would obviously not even contemplate engaging in such an activity or helping the patient in this manner. However, this is something that affects the overall heath outcome of the patient and as the nurse assigned to the patient, Shalof is accountable for all actions meant to ensure that the patient gets better. Therefore, she takes full accountability in assisting the patient and facilitating his recovery process. Ultimately, all the actions taken should be in the best interest of the patient. An accountable nurse will be favorably judged if the can she takes are in the best interests of the patient (Milton, 2008, p.303). However, these actions might not resonate well with others, For example, in the case of the son who was unwilling to let the father go, the actions could have led to the development of a bad relationship between the nurse and the family member. In fact, the son referred to Shalof as the “angel of death” (Shalof, 2004, p. 92). However, since the actions are in the best interests of the patient, a positive relationship usually ensures between the nurse and the client, for example the mutual respect that emanated afterwards between Shalof and the cancer patient. This learning will hugely influence my future development as a nurse. I have learnt that no matter the kind of situation that a nurse is going through; accountability should take precedence. I have learnt all the actions that a nurse takes should take into consideration that these actions will later be judged, and the nurse will be personally liable for them. Therefore, I plan to take these aspects into deep consideration even as I advance with my nursing career. Ultimately, I plan to ensure that all my actions are in the best interests of the patient.

In conclusion, it is clear to see that accountability is a fundamental concept in the professional practice of nursing. It refers to a special phenomenon in nursing practice whereby nurses working in any caregiving setting take the credit for, and entrusted with, are blamed for and are judged within moral and boundaries. Nurses are supposed to be accountable for every single action they take or in how they respond to various clinical situations that they encounter.

Shalof, T. (2004). A nurse’s story: Life, death, and in-between in an intensive care unit. Toronto, ON: McClelland and Stewart. Rowe, J. A. (2000). Accountability: a fundamental component of nursing practice. British Journal of Nursing, 9(9), 549-552. Milton, C. L. (2008). Accountability in Nursing Reflecting on Ethical Codes and Professional Standards of Nursing Practice from a Global Perspective. Nursing science quarterly, 21(4), 300-303.

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Accountability in Nursing

Article analysis, selected primary research article: apa format.

Battie, R., & Steelman, V. (2014). Accountability in Nursing Practice: Why It Is Important for Patient Safety. AORN Journal , 5 (1), 537-541.

Visual Representation

Accountability is a powerful practice that can support the needs of many patients. The practice also increases a caregiver’s contribution to his or her institution. This argument explains why “preoperative nurses and other practitioners should remain accountable for lifelong learning, patient advocacy, continuity of care, and welfare of their fellow caregivers” (Battie & Steelman, 2014, p. 537). The table below examines how the authors of the above peer-reviewed article applied the five major parts of a research study.

Assessing Whether the Evidence Presented Supported the Targeted Conclusion

The evidence presented in this article explains why nurses should support their organizations, patients, and communities. They should focus on the needs of their colleagues, patients, and health leaders. They should also work together in order to produce desirable results. They should also support the changing needs of their patients. Nurses should also embrace new evidence-based practices through lifelong learning (Battie & Steelman, 2014). Accountability is therefore something that should be taken seriously. The article supports the authors’ conclusion. Nursing should become a trusted profession that supports the health needs of underserved populations.

Ethical Issues

The study method used by the researchers did not result in any ethical issue. However, the discussion identifies various ethical considerations that should be taken seriously by nurses (Battie & Steelman, 2014). For instance, practitioners should respect their patients and promote various nursing principles. They should promote specific values such as privacy and confidentiality.

Type of Research Used for the Study

The researchers used a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) in order to come up with the best discussions. The authors used different evidences from various articles in order to address the targeted research question. The approach made it easier for them to come up with the best conclusion. The study approach presents useful practices, ideas, and strategies that can increase the accountability of preoperative nurses. The research method was appropriate because it delivered the targeted conclusions. The use of different study approaches could have produced similar results (Battie & Steelman, 2014). For instance, the use of case studies from top-performing healthcare institutions could have identified the best behaviors that can increase the level of accountability.

Literature Search to Evaluate Nursing Care

Evidence for nursing care.

Nurses possess powerful skills and competencies in order to support the changing needs of their patients. Proper leadership is relevant towards empowering, guiding, and motivating caregivers. The approach will equip them with new skills and evidence-based ideas. As well, nursing is changing rapidly than ever before. Medical technologies are also emerging frequently. Scrivener (2011) encourages nurses to become patient advocates. The individuals should also operate in accordance with various standards and principles. Ethical approaches can also improve the level of accountability (Goeschel, 2011). Such measures will eventually improve the quality of care availed to different patients and underserved populations.

Completed Matrix

[The completed matrix is provided in a separate document]

Review of Scholarly Articles

Annotated Bibliography

This article examines the relevance of accountability in nursing. The discussion identifies powerful practices that can increase the accountability of nurses. Such approaches include “lifelong learning, promoting organizational practices, and ensuring there is continuity of care” (Battie & Steelman, 2014, p. 539). Such approaches will promote patient advocacy. The authors also encourage future scholars to identify new practices that can improve the accountability of preoperative nurses.

Whose Job Is It, Anyway? The Nurse’s Role in Advocacy and Accountability. (2013). ISNA Bulletin, 1 , 6-10.

This article explains why healthcare remains complex. New changes emerge everyday due to technological innovations and Human Resource (HR) practices. Nurses should therefore not focus on the ideas gained in school. They should embrace new evidences and ideas in order to become competent providers of care. Technologies, human ideas, and innovations will continue to revolutionize the nature of healthcare (“Whose Job Is It,” 2013). New skills, workplace policies, better health practices, and evidence-based approaches will improve the level of accountability. The article encourages future practitioners to develop new nursing frameworks.

Goeschel, C. (2011). Defining and Assigning Accountability for Quality Care and Patient Safety. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 2 (1), 28-35.

The author has a wide experience in healthcare practice. According to the researcher, most of the deaths and injuries recorded in the United States are preventable. The current legal and regulatory measures have failed to produce positive results. That being the case, the idea of accountability can ensure more practitioners to focus on patient safety. The concept will result in fairness and empowerment thus promoting the best outcomes (Goeschel, 2011). The article encourages future researchers to identify new principles that can promote teamwork.

Scrivener, R. (2011). Accountability and responsibility: Principle of Nursing Practice B. Nursing Standard, 25 (29), 35-36.

The researcher identifies unique principles developed by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in an attempt to improve patient outcomes. Principle B is a powerful model developed with the aim of increasing responsibility and accountability. Practitioners should promote the best concepts in order produce positive outcomes. They should also “engage in practices that are in accordance with every ethical requirement” (Scrivener, 2011, p. 35). Future practitioners should embrace Principle B in order to address every gap affecting the level of accountability.

Middaugh, D. (2013). Accountability: Is There an App for That. MedSurg Nursing, 22 (3), 200-201.

Accountability is a critical strategy towards delivering the best health services. The author describes “accountability as the ability to embrace the legal and moral requirements of proper patient care” (Middaugh, 2013, p. 201). Nurse Leaders (NLs) should therefore create the best working environments. The approach will empower more nurses to “use critical thinking, make positive decisions, and synthesize knowledge” (Middaugh, 2013, p. 201). The author offers powerful incentives towards instilling accountability in every healthcare facility.

Muzio, L. (2013). RN Accountability and Responsibility for Client Care. SRNA NewsBulletin, 1 (1), 5-8.

The author is a nursing advisor who works in different healthcare settings. According to the article, nurses should remain responsible in order to produce the best health outcomes. Nurses should assess their patients in a professional manner. They should also focus on the best outcomes and nursing standards. They should also collaborate with other practitioners in order to offer positive care (Muzio, 2013). The article explains why future researchers should address the unique issues encountered by many Registers Nurses (RNs).

Rowe, J. (2000). Accountability: A Fundamental Component of Nursing Practice. British Journal of Nursing, 9 (9), 549-552.

Nurses should acquire appropriate skills in order to offer competent patient care. Many patients require excellent care from their practitioners. The nature of care should be effective, accurate, efficient, and competent. Nurses should therefore be aware of their competencies. Nurses should avoid certain malpractices such as negligence. Patients have unique rights that should be respected by all (Rowe, 2000). Nursing should always establish the best relationships between caregivers and patients. The concept of true professionalism should be embraced in order to promote accountability.

Ulrich, B. (2014). The Responsibility and Accountability of being a Registered Nurse. Nephrology Nursing Journal, 41 (3), 241-254.

A legal relationship exists between nurses and their patients. The scope of nursing defines the roles and responsibilities of every Registered Nurse (RN). Nurses should be aware of their legal and ethical responsibilities. They should focus on the scope of practice in order to provide the best care (Ulrich, 2014). Nurses should also be ready to work in teams and delegate various duties. Future studies should identify new ideas that can improve the level of intervention.

Kurtzman, E. (2010). A Transparency and Accountability Framework for High-Value Inpatient Nursing Care. Nursing Economics, 28 (5), 295-306.

Healthcare practitioners should focus on their roles and goals. They can improve the level of accountability by being transparent, passionate, and ready to improve the quality of healthcare. Nursing should therefore embrace new models that can advocate for the best practices. Medical institutions should implement better frameworks in order to support every health goal (Kurtzman, 2010). The researcher encourages future scholars to identify new frameworks that can measure, report, and empower more nurses.

Tran, P. (2015). Nursing Starts with a Caring Heart. The Alaska Nurse, 1 (1), 8-11.

Phi Tran has been practicing nursing for several years. The author examines how nurses are expected to deliver the best care and support to their patients. Nursing is something that should be treated as a calling. Registered Nurses (RNs) should practice their skills in different situations. They should also be ready to support other people’s needs. This practice should therefore be associated with a caring heart (Tran, 2015). The article encourages future practitioners to identify new practices that will eventually produce the targeted goals in healthcare.

Recommendation for a Practice Change

The arguments presented in the above articles encourage more practitioners to promote the best practices. The articles focus on the concept of accountability. Nurses should “promote the health needs of their patients, focus on the best organizational practices, and engage in lifelong learning” (Battie & Steelman, 2014, p. 539). Effective “workplace planning is also needed in order to improve service delivery” (Muzio, 2013, p. 6). These recommendations will improve the level of accountability and produce quality health outcomes.

Tools Used by the Researchers

The researchers used powerful study tools in order to present the best ideas. The use of systematic literature reviews made it possible for the researchers to come up with the best arguments and concepts. However, Phi Tran uses a narrative to explore the issues associated with accountability. These personal presentations explore specific practices that amount to accountability (Goeschel, 2011). The scholars examined various emerging issues and ideas in order to come up with a grounded theory for effective nursing. As well, it is notable that the researchers used similar tools. The authors focused on earlier publications, literature reviews, and analyses in order to produce the best discussions.

Could the Tools Have Affected the Results?

The study tools employed by the researchers did not affect the results. This is the case because accountability in nursing is something embraced by many practitioners (Ulrich, 2014). The study tools made it easier for the authors to come up with powerful concepts, practices, and ideas towards accountable nursing. The authors encourage medical practitioners to embrace evidence-based ideas.

Evidence Summary of the Articles

The above articles focus on the same issue. According to Kurtzman (2010), nurses have a huge job to transform health practice. Medical practitioners, nurses, and caregivers should embrace the best values in order to advocate for themselves. Lifelong learning is a critical strategy towards supporting the nature of nursing (Middaugh, 2013). Modern technologies and innovations will be required in order to improve the quality of nursing. New policies and frameworks will be essential towards promoting the best practices. Health Leaders (HLs) should also use new models to empower their nurses. Such incentives will eventually deliver the best results (Ulrich, 2014). The first criterion focused on the arguments and reviews presented in the ten articles. Such arguments presented powerful practices that can improve the level of accountability. The second criterion focused on the conclusions presented in every article. Such conclusions were combined in order to present the best evidence-based summary.

Recommended Nursing Strategy

The above articles offer powerful strategies and initiatives that can produce the best health outcomes. The most appropriate nursing strategy is the one that focuses on accountability. That being the case, accountability should be an ongoing process whereby nurses begin by improving their competencies and embracing evidence-based ideas. Such competencies will make it easier for them to promote patient outcomes, promote the best safety principles, and improve the level of communication (Kurtzman, 2010). The concept of accountability should therefore be implemented in every institution. This strategy will eventually make nursing an evidence-based practice.

Importance of Using Theoretical Models for Nursing Research

Theoretical models are critical whenever undertaking different researches in nursing. Such models can describe various events or trends. The “researchers in nursing can predict specific behaviors and understand how one phenomenon affects the other” (Tran, 2015, p. 9). Nurses can use such models to understand the major issues affecting their competencies. Such models will “make it possible for more researchers to identify new gaps between theory and practice” (Muzio, 2013, p. 6). The theoretical models will produce new concepts and ideas that can be used to improve the nature of nursing. Middaugh (2013) believes that nursing should be an evidence-based practice supported by ongoing studies.

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Accountability In Nursing Essay Examples

Accountability is one of the key concepts that fortifies the professional practice nursing. Accountability is said to be at the heart of nursing and on an overall scale, it helps in the improvement of nursing practice. The term has often been defined differently in different medical circles but in its most basic definition, accountability is simply a special phenomenon in nursing practice whereby nurses working in any caregiving setting take the credit for, are entrusted with, are blamed for and are also be judged within moral and ethical boundaries (Rowe, 2000 p. 550). This means that the nurse is answerable for any actions taken in any particular nursing situation. The nurse holds some liability in responding to various issues experienced in the course of nursing practice and understands that he or she will be held liable for these actions Therefore, accountability should hold the basis of all the actions in every clinical setting. A nurse should not respond in a particular way or take actions that she knows she might not be accounted for favorably (Rowe, 2000 p. 551). Accountability leads to enhanced quality of care and improves overall health outcomes as it entails taking actions that are in the best interests of both the patient and the nurse. To explore more on this issue, this essay will Shalof T’s book “A nurse’s story: Life, death, and in-between in an intensive care unit” to identify examples where the concept of accountability has been exhibited. Using the identified examples, the aim of the essay will be to show that when accountability is applied as part of professional nursing practice, it leads to improved health outcomes and also enhances the process of delivering care. In the book, “A nurse’s story: Life, death, and in-between in an intensive care unit, Shalof provides the reader with a vivid description of the everyday life of ICU nurses. Shalof, who is an experienced Canadian writer and a nurse describes vividly some of the issues and situations that nurses at the ICU go through and gives the reader an inside look at some of these situations. It is in some of these situations that the concept of accountability can be identified. Accountability In Nursing Essay Examples

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One of the examples where the concept of accountability is exhibited is where she is talking about a son who is unwilling to let his mother go even if the father is very aged and is experiencing multiple organ failure. The son is insistent that if need be, heroic measures be taken by the medical providers to cater for this mother (Shalof, 2004, chapter 3). This is in spite of the fact that these measures might just bring more suffering to the mother. Shalof exhibits great accountability on her part as she tries to explain to the son that at this point, medical interventions on his father would just bring him more suffering and it would be more advisable to let him go. Shalof is accountable because she knows that she will be judged on the actions she takes to ensure the well-being of the patient. In this case, ensuring the well-being of the patient means not allowing him to suffer anymore by stopping all medical interventions and letting him die peacefully. Therefore, this is one of the examples in Shalof’s book where the concept of accountability is vividly exhibited and described by Shalof herself in the course of her professional practice. The other example where the aspect of accountability is vivid is where Shalof (2004, chapter 8) is talking about a woman who is so desperate to take a sperm from her boyfriend who is brain dead so that she can get his child. This, in fact, seem to be a very bizarre situation, and any nurse would be overwhelmed on how to act. This situation however reveals the huge relationship that exists between accountability and ethics. Accountability In Nursing Essay Examples Accountability goes hand in hand with ethics and part of being accountable in the course of nursing practice entails being ethical. In this situation, Shalof acts in both ways because she understands the implications that might be associated with this action or how she might be judged if she allows this unethical action to take place. She is liable for how she responds and therefore, guide by accountability, makes the woman understand the consequences that might accompany this act. This is a case of the nurse being accountable for the both deceased patient and her grief stricken girlfriend. The other situation where the concept of accountability is depicted is where the nurse is faced with a very difficult task of relieving painful constipation by a cancer patient (Shalof, 2004, chapter 13). This is in itself a very difficult task and some nurses would obviously not even contemplate engaging in such an activity or helping the patient in this manner. However, this is something that affects the overall heath outcome of the patient and as the nurse assigned to the patient, Shalof is accountable for all actions meant to ensure that the patient gets better. Therefore, she takes full accountability in assisting the patient and facilitating his recovery process. Ultimately, all the actions taken should be in the best interest of the patient. An accountable nurse will be favorably judged if the can she takes are in the best interests of the patient (Milton, 2008, p.303). However, these actions might not resonate well with others, For example, in the case of the son who was unwilling to let the father go, the actions could have led to the development of a bad relationship between the nurse and the family member. In fact, the son referred to Shalof as the “angel of death” (Shalof, 2004, p. 92). However, since the actions are in the best interests of the patient, a positive relationship usually ensures between the nurse and the client, for example the mutual respect that emanated afterwards between Shalof and the cancer patient. This learning will hugely influence my future development as a nurse. I have learnt that no matter the kind of situation that a nurse is going through; accountability should take precedence. I have learnt all the actions that a nurse takes should take into consideration that these actions will later be judged, and the nurse will be personally liable for them. Therefore, I plan to take these aspects into deep consideration even as I advance with my nursing career. Ultimately, I plan to ensure that all my actions are in the best interests of the patient. Accountability In Nursing Essay Examples Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear to see that accountability is a fundamental concept in the professional practice of nursing. It refers to a special phenomenon in nursing practice whereby nurses working in any caregiving setting take the credit for, and entrusted with, are blamed for and are judged within moral and boundaries. Nurses are supposed to be accountable for every single action they take or in how they respond to various clinical situations that they encounter. References

Shalof, T. (2004). A nurse’s story: Life, death, and in-between in an intensive care unit. Toronto, ON: McClelland and Stewart. Rowe, J. A. (2000). Accountability: a fundamental component of nursing practice. British Journal of Nursing, 9(9), 549-552. Milton, C. L. (2008). Accountability in Nursing Reflecting on Ethical Codes and Professional Standards of Nursing Practice from a Global Perspective. Nursing science quarterly, 21(4), 300-303.

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116 Accountability Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best accountability topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on accountability, ⭐ simple & easy accountability essay titles, 🎓 good research topics about accountability.

  • Accountability and Outcome in the Counseling Profession A client involvement in the therapy process will determine the therapy outcome in addition to quality of the treatment choice. For a counselor, it is crucial to approach this process with honesty and responsibility in […]
  • Accountability of Equipment in Military And, the last task a commander has to do before the change of command ceremony is to account for all the property they had signed for and meet with the property book officer and the […] We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
  • Responsibility vs. Accountability in Nursing Responsibility is the criterion covering both the scope of nurses’ tasks and the approach taken to accomplish those. In a conclusion, both responsibility and accountability are the integral constituents of a nurse’s work.
  • Professional Accountability of Nurses Further, when it comes to the nursing process, an example of a nurse demonstrating professional accountability will be the proper usage of equipment, adequate documentation of the information related to treatment, and the correct administration […]
  • Pursuing Professional Accountability and Just Culture It is suitable to combine the quantitative and qualitative approaches to evaluate organizational culture since this ensures that the strength of the other adjusts for the shortcomings of one method.
  • Professional Accountability in Nursing According to professionals, the concept of professional accountability in nursing stands for the process of having full responsibility for one’s actions both to oneself and others.
  • Walker’s New Framework for Police Accountability The purpose of this paper is to give a detailed analysis of Walker’s new framework for police accountability, the model for understanding deviance, and body-worn cameras.
  • Feminist Accountability Approach Therefore, the feminist accountability approach involves the collective responsibility to fight social injustices regardless of gender and race. Therefore, integrating the global approach to social injustice promotes the aspect of universality and unity in promoting […]
  • Corruption and Accountability of Police Work In this regard, lack of strong and proper policies on misconduct and unethical behavior in the line of duty has helped to perpetrate the corruption of law enforcement officers in various sectors of their work.
  • Accountability in Hotel and School Management From a certain perspective, it can be stated that accountability involves not only taking responsibility for when actions result in adverse consequences but also the use of a moral and ethical framework in a decision-making […]
  • The Fast-Food Industry and Legal Accountability for Obesity The principle of least harm in ethics is closely associated with the fast food industry; this is mainly because of the basic fact that fast food increases chances of obesity to its consumers.
  • Organizational Accountability for Safety to Avoid Accidents NTSB investigators are tasked with the responsibility of determining the possible cause of the accident and then implementing appropriate measures that can be used to prevent future occurrences of similar incidents.
  • Responsibility and Accountability Management Management is an indication of power, where, managers have the authority to give orders to their subordinates and influence them to work according to their policies.
  • Liability and Accountability – Discussion Post Variations in the levels of legal accountability and responsibility have various advantages and disadvantages depending on the nature of the risks and vulnerability of actions and decisions undertaken by the professional.
  • Empowerment and Accountability in the High School Its personnel, teachers, and administration are not motivated to change anything or work efficiently, and students are not motivated to study and behave appropriately.
  • Private Firms’ Accountability to Their Customers By developing systems of control, motivation, and responsibility that compel organizations and the people, they serve to achieve ever-higher standards of performance at the workplace, in the classroom, in the playing area, as well as […]
  • Police Accountability and Community Relations Contrary to expectations, the working of overtime police officers and regular police officers seems to differ, as the former is more hostile to the community.
  • Journalistic Accountability and Financial Crash Through investigation of multiple sources, it is possible to see a rough outline of the relationship between the subject from the 20th century to the present.
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Marketing Process: Advertising Advertising is regarded as a vital type of information for medical service competitiveness due to the competitive nature of medicine and the firm establishment of practically all business sectors in the United States, presently deemed […]
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act: Privacy and Security Rules Violation Most cases present with the use of malicious malware to access protected data without the consent of the insurers and inappropriate use of that information.
  • Social Work Career, Professional Behavior and Accountability I have the desire to fight for human rights and social change, and I want to fight for justice in all corners to make society a better place.
  • The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the Medical Billing Process As of now, the disclosure and use of health information is safeguarded by a collage of state legislations that leave gaps in the protection of patients’ health records that are private and confidential.
  • Criminal Justice Agency Accountability and Liability The Act has set the “minimum pay for employees and the overtime pay has to be between 22 to 25% of the standard pay”.
  • Civil Society and Political Accountability in Samoa Also, one of the priorities in the political life of Samoa is the attraction of local communities and governments to the state governance system to ensure progress in all aspects of the country’s life.
  • The Importance of Accountability In some cases, there are some organizations where employees have a culture of timely and perfect deliveries, and this becomes the culture of the organization. As seen in the health sector, the employees and the […]
  • Accountability of Healthcare Organizations for Quality of Care Delivery Clinical governance was introduced to the NHS in the 1990s to address a series of concerns in quality and safety of healthcare, a response to conditions of increasing demand, consumer participation, cost pressures and litigations.
  • Accountability and Its Matter in the Healthcare Industry It must be noted that establishing proper performance standards is one of the steps necessary in measuring employee accountability within a healthcare setting since employees that reach and exceed such goals show that they hold […]
  • Accountability of Court Officials Therefore, just like the politicians and the government which is accountable to the citizens of the country, the judicial system is accountable to the citizens.
  • Police Accountability Analysis The policing strategies are supposed to agree with the expectations of the society in order to make both the police work effective as well as to enhance the relationship between the police and the community.
  • Accountability and Performance Measurement of Corporate Governance in the Public Sector of Saudi Arabia The aim of this paper is to analyze the accountability and performance measurement of corporate governance in the public sector of Saudi Arabia, and define all the possible positive and negative sides of the public […]
  • Implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 However, efficient recording and transmittal of essentially private information over the Internet and even proprietary networks posed a threat to the individual right to privacy of health and treatment information.
  • Saudi and Australian Accountability and Performance Measurement The public sector is becoming the focus of the private sector and the general public in the last few years because of the role they play in determining the general direction of the economy.
  • Accountability in Healthcare Organizations and Improving the Quality of Service This is true in view of the fact that the clients of a health care organization may not possess the knowledge to judge the technical quality of the healthcare service provided and the clients’ wellbeing […]
  • Accountability in Healthcare: Characteristics and Processes In case there is a lack of this specific concept in an organization, the quality of care decreases, patients become less satisfied with the treatment they receive, and the overall reputation of the facility may […]
  • A Critical Reflection of “Accountability in the Shadow of Hierarchy” by Thomas Schillemans The article by Schillemans addresses the emergence of the phenomenon of horizontal accountability in response to the accountability deficit of agencies.
  • Critique of “Accountability in the Shadow of Hierarchy” by Thomas Schillemans This essay is a critical review of the article titled “Accountability in the shadow of Hierarchy: The Horizontal Accountability of Agencies”.
  • Public Officers Responsibility and Accountability Public officers assume the sole responsibility to serve the interest of the public upon assumption of office. Public officers have a responsibility to protect the interests of the public.
  • Wise Judgment: Ethics, Accountability, and Human Conscience The man, now in a state of dilemma, does not know whether to blow the whistle and lose his job or just maintain a blind eye to his manager’s unethical acts.
  • Accountability System of an Elementary Educational Institution According to, a system of accountability that comprises of various sections of elementary education is very essential in the checking the level and quality of education that the students get in elementary school.
  • Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills – Modified In that regard, one of the factors that were mentioned in regard to the expansion of homeschooling was the ability to present the materials to students individually, and according to their abilities.
  • Moral Philosophy, Accountability and Responsibility The moral obligation of the firm has to address the needs of various stakeholders as well as the environment in which the firm operates, an initiative commonly referred to as corporate social responsibility.
  • Accountability Issues and Standards of Curriculum The results of these issues have been more frequent calls for a revision to, if not the entire removal of, the NCLB.
  • Accountability in the European Union For EU, it is important to keep independence in the accounting that it may be regarded as a cornerstone upon which much of the ethics peculiar to the institution is built.
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Issues The survey consisted of 20 questions and wherein they assessed the procedures in place for HIPPA compliance, the involvement of the Health Information Managers with regards to setting HIPPA policy, the incidents of confidentiality breaches […]
  • Accountability, Advocacy, and Collaboration in Care Management The need to control the outcomes may be a catalyst for a change and replacement of the reactive system – the one that merely responds to a crisis but does not necessarily pay attention to […]
  • Nursing Accountability and Responsibility Issues Responsibility is mutable and changes depending on the nurse’s work, while accountability is unchanging and defined in a variety of documents.
  • Interrelation and Interdependence of Freedom, Responsibility, and Accountability Too much responsibility and too little freedom make a person unhappy. There must be a balance between freedom and responsibility for human happiness.
  • Employee Trust, Responsibility, and Accountability To make sure that conduct in the workplace is compliant with the present Code of Ethics, both staff and the managing board members are assigned distinct roles. The Organization defines disrespect as a type of […]
  • Accountability and Mistakes in Clinical Practice According to the just culture concept, not all mistakes are the result of reckless actions. Second, the proper discussion of mistakes may reveal the shortcomings of the system.
  • The New World of Police Accountability However, to avoid misunderstanding and the incorrect assessment of certain situations, a monitor should have a law degree and working experience among the representatives of relevant agencies.
  • eBay vs. Bidder’s Edge: Liability and Accountability The means used here is that of deception: in which bidder’s edge pretends to be so philanthropic that it just offers the linking service to other organizations but in the process uses its server to […]
  • Higher Education Assessment and Accountability The primary issue of educational leadership in assessment and accountability is to understand what kind of work has to be done to improve student learning, how to prepare teachers for developing effective assessment, and how […]
  • Healthcare Organizations Accountability and Responsibility The only issue that Denis points out in his article is the unclear concept of goal-setting: to him, quantitative goals only reflect the volume of care. First, the author claims the efficiency of financial incentives […]
  • Inclusivity and Accountability in UW Advancement In light of the theoretical and practical relevance of these concepts, the present research has undertaken an effort to explore their impact in the context of organizational behavior within UW Advancement.
  • Police Accountability and Public Information Access The proposal to implement superior policies that have the potential to benefit the liberty and safety of community members can be a powerful step towards demonstrating the level of police accountability.
  • Police Accountability and Vollmer’s Reform Accountability is included in the form of a commitment to protect the rights of the people, partnerships and collaborations with communities, and the impartial enforcement of law.
  • Police Accountability and Community Policing The authors were trying to accomplish the cause of a rise of law enforcement misconduct that had been evident in various metropolitan cities leading to egregious human rights violations.
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act There is also a Security Rule that is also created to guarantee the protection of crucial information and provide specific safeguards that are needed to prevent the appearance of different complications.
  • Testing, Teaching, and Learning: Internal Accountability in Education I believe that the focus on systemness and the enhancement of internal accountability as the primary quality that will encourage learners to adopt the suggested behaviors is a legitimate strategy that is bound to contribute […]
  • Bureaucracy and Accountability in Higher Education They stress that the walkout situation is entirely new to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is also “one of a handful of faculty strikes around the country in recent years”.
  • Humanitarian Actions: Accountability and Effectiveness Realising the existence of this issue, this paper will discuss the current state of the evidence-base for the accountability and effectiveness of humanitarian actions.
  • Standards and Accountability in Early Education To enhance the impacts of education assessment and get to the very root of the issues it was decided to create special programs targeting the youngest learners, one of which is called head Start.
  • Criminology: Circles of Support and Accountability Such realities prompted establishment of a programme that sought to bridge disparities that manifested with regard to issues surrounding sex offences and restoration of justice in Canada.
  • Why Forest Sustainability and Accountability of Its Use Is Challenging Since the concept of sustainability is at the centre of this analysis, the understanding of the challenges that prevent the effectiveness of sustainable forest management depends on the grasp of the concept of sustainability.
  • Influence of Government Paradigms on Public Accountability: Public Administration and Network Governance The focus of public administration on adoption of mechanisms for ensuring that government is accountable to the client underlines the change of public administration systems from being bureaucratic.
  • An Analysis of Accountability in Traditional, New and Networked Public Management This essay is divided into four main sections: an initial section that will examine the theoretical aspects of public accountability, after which it will delve into the 3 models of public administration in which the […]
  • Citizen Participation in the Budgetary Accountability The citizen’s participation is highly regarded not because there are benefits linked to their full participation in the local and national matters, but it is supported because their increased participation can enhance the nature of […]
  • Implications of Privatising Public Utilities and Accountability Issues The responsibility of the government is to investigate and respond to the demands of the public. In a nutshell, the fundamental nature of privatising public utilities is to increase the participation of the general public […]
  • Institutional Accountability: Dispersion of Power and Delegation of Responsibilities Decentralization of power is manifested in a number of managerial practices in institutions like the delegation of the organization’s duties and responsibilities.
  • Accountability in Public Administration A consideration is also given to discuss the people whom public officials are accountable to, and the most effective means of ensuring a balance between the demands for accountability and the need to have high-performing […]
  • Public Scrutiny and Accountability: An Ethical Dilemma The idea of loyalty according to the governor meant that all the employees would have to portray his administration in the best light.
  • Assessment and Accountability Implementation This is because the teachers and the various assessors will be able to measure their own competencies and be able to review their instructional practices to bridge the gap between the achieved results and the […]
  • Accountability in Sports Management Accountability of FIFA would help in improving the management of football. This is due to the various complex factors that are involved in management of football.
  • Importance of Accountability: World War I It is clear from the beginning of this article, that the statistics on the World War I causalities indicates that the Germans suffered fewer casualties compared to their western counterparts, who are the French and […]
  • Importance of Accountability in Healthcare This paper discusses the importance of accountability in hospitals and the role of leaders in maintaining positive organizational culture in their facilities. Medical facility staffs need to be accountable in their actions; this will facilitate […]
  • Adaptation and Accountability in Local Government To enhance accountability, the local government of Kerara has enforced and strengthened all its laws and regulations that relate to the governance of the local authorities.
  • Shadow Economy: Voice, Accountability, and Corruption
  • Accountability and Subnational Tax Autonomy: When Do Politicians Lose Fiscal Interest
  • Institutional Work and Accountability in Public-Private Partnerships
  • Decentralization and Electoral Accountability: Incentives, Separation, and Voter Welfare
  • Citizens and Service Delivery: Assessing the Use of Social Accountability Approaches in the Human Development Sectors
  • Ethical Issues and Social Accountability in Accounting
  • Facilitative Reforms, Democratic Accountability, Social Accounting, and Learning Representative Initiatives
  • Decentralization, Corruption, and Political Accountability in Developing Countries
  • Education Reform and Accountability Issues in an Intergovernmental Context
  • Accountability and Adaptive Performance Under Uncertainty: A Long-Term View
  • Challenging the Performance Movement: Accountability, Complexity, and Democratic Values
  • Accountability and Ideology: When Left Looks Proper, Looks Left
  • Mass Media, Instrumental Information, and Electoral Accountability
  • Accountability and Democratic Oversight in the European Banking Union
  • Electoral Accountability and Corruption: Evidence From the Audits of Local Governments
  • Leadership Accountability and Ethics in Volunteerism and Volunteer Management
  • Agency and Employee Accountability in Cases of Negligence: The Legal Issues of Employee Credibility and Training
  • Allowance for Failure: Reducing Dysfunctional Behavior by Innovating Accountability Practices
  • Global Environmental Governance for Corporate Responsibility and Accountability
  • Accounting, Accountability, Social Media and Big Data: Revolution or Hype
  • Accountability and Corruption: Political Institutions Matter
  • Health Sector Decentralization and Local Decision-Making: Decision Space, Institutional Capacities, and Accountability
  • Accounting for the Bitcoin: Accountability, Neoliberalism and a Correspondence Analysis
  • Gender Accountability and Political Representation in Local Government
  • Balance, Accountability, and Responsiveness: Lessons About Decentralization
  • Accountability and Value Enhancement Roles of Corporate Governance
  • Business and Industry Standards and Vocational Program Accountability
  • Accountability and Local Elections: Rethinking Retrospective Voting
  • Communication, Transparency, Accountability: Monetary Policy in the Twenty-First Century
  • Accountability and the Fairness Bias in the Context of Joint Production: Effects of Bonuses and Opportunities
  • Governance and Essential Social Services: Ensuring Accountability in Service Delivery Through Profound Democratic Decentralization
  • Accountability Arrangements for Financial Sector Regulators
  • Delegation: Communication and Accountability, Ethical Decision-Making
  • Agency and Accountability: Promoting Women’s Participation in Peacebuilding
  • Diverse and Disparate: Regulation, Accountability and Market Forces in Education
  • Accounts and Accountability: Corruption, Human Rights, and Individual Accountability Norms
  • Economic Performance and Leadership Accountability
  • Accountability and Local Control: Response to Incentives With and Without Authority Over Resource Generation and Allocation
  • Big Decisions, Significant Risks. Improving Accountability in Mega Projects
  • Accounting for Managing Change in the Public Sector: A Case Examining Issues of Organizational and Social Accountability and Employee Resistance
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    Introduction. Accountability is one of the key concepts that fortifies the professional practice nursing. Accountability is said to be at the heart of nursing and on an overall scale, it helps in the improvement of nursing practice. The term has often been defined differently in different medical circles but in its most basic definition ...

  18. Responsibility vs. Accountability in Nursing Essay

    In a conclusion, both responsibility and accountability are the integral constituents of a nurse's work. Accountability involves giving the answer for all actions and considering medical ethics, while responsibility focuses more on resolving professional, educational, and administrative duties. The range of responsibilities usually depends on ...

  19. Accountability in Nursing Free Essay Example

    Nursing Economics, 28(5), 295-306. Healthcare practitioners should focus on their roles and goals. They can improve the level of accountability by being transparent, passionate, and ready to improve the quality of healthcare. Nursing should therefore embrace new models that can advocate for the best practices.

  20. Importance of Accountability in Nursing

    Importance of Accountability in Nursing. In health care, accountability has become a significant concern. Inside a medical facility, accountability has been a part of people's every move. Even in financial matters, accountability is also observed. It is also beneficial even on little things such as computing the costs for doctor's time ...

  21. Importance of Accountability in Nursing

    Importance of Accountability in Nursing. In health care, accountability has become a significant concern. Inside a medical facility, accountability has been a part of people's every move. Even in financial matters, accountability is also observed. It is also beneficial even on little things such as computing the costs for doctor's time ...

  22. Accountability In Nursing Essay Examples

    Accountability In Nursing Essay Examples. Accountability is one of the key concepts that fortifies the professional practice nursing. Accountability is said to be at the heart of nursing and on an overall scale, it helps in the improvement of nursing practice. The term has often been defined differently in different medical circles but in its ...

  23. 116 Accountability Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    Responsibility vs. Accountability in Nursing. Responsibility is the criterion covering both the scope of nurses' tasks and the approach taken to accomplish those. In a conclusion, both responsibility and accountability are the integral constituents of a nurse's work. Professional Accountability of Nurses.