Dual relationships and duty to care

[ShanHan]

Hi everyone. Given the differing opinions and misunderstanding I've encountered around dual relationships and nurses' duty to care, I've created a very brief survey (7 questions) to solicit feedback from nurses around what they believe their professional obligations are, as well as what is required of their employers. I would be greatly appreciative of the community's assistance in filling out the survey and sharing it with other nursing friends/colleagues. Thanks very much!

[h=4]1. Do you believe there is an absolute prohibition against nurses ever providing care to friends/family?[/h]yes, you can never provide care to friends/family

no, there may be times when a nurse is professionally obligated to provide care to friends/family

it's not black and white...it depends on the situation,

Other (please specify)

[h=4]2. Do you believe a community clinic should be able to refuse to accept clients based solely on family status (i.e. because a family member works there)?[/h]yes, it is never appropriate for clients to receive care at a clinic where a family member is working

no, refusing to accept clients who otherwise meet all the criteria that would be discriminatory

no, but appropriate policies should be in place to manage potential issues, i.e. conflict of interest, privacy, etc.

Other (please specify)

[h=4]3. Do you believe a community clinic can prohibit its sole outreach nurse from providing outreach nursing services to an outreach clinic solely based solely on family status (i.e. the nurse is related to the client)?[/h]yes, it is never appropriate for a nurse to provide care to friends/family

no, withholding outreach services on that basis when the client meets all the criteria is discriminatory

yes, but only if alternate arrangements are made to provide the same level of care

Other (please specify)

[h=4]4. Do you believe an employer has the right to impose policies that require a nurse to act in a manner that violates his/her Standards of Practice?[/h]yes, the employer has the right to impose policies as it sees fit

no, employers should not impose policies that require nurses to violate their Standards and Code of Ethics

Other (please specify)

[h=4]5. Are nurses obligated to act in accordance with employer policies that require him/her to act in a manner inconsistent with nursing Standards and Code of Ethics?[/h]yes, the nurse must always follow the policies of his/her employer

no, nurses are not required to adhere to policies that violate his/her Standards/Code of Ethics

no, but nurses are obligated to notify the employer when policies require him/her to act in a manner that violates his/her Standards and Code of Ethics

Other (please specify)

[h=4]6. Does the sole outreach nurse in a community health clinic have a professional obligation and duty to care for an outreach client - who is related to the nurse - when alternate arrangements have not been made to provide outreach services?[/h]no, nurses are never allowed to provide care to family/friends under any circumstances

yes, nurses' primary responsibility at all times is to provide safe, quality client care

yes because conflicts must always be resolved in the best interests of the client

Other (please specify)

[h=4]7. Do you believe a client has the right to decide whether an outreach nurse - related to an outreach client - assists with the provision of his/her outreach care when the client has consented to same?[/h]no, nurses cannot provide nursing care to family/friends under any circumstances

yes, the client has a right to determine who is involved in the provision of his/her care

it depends on the situation; ideally someone else would be assigned but only if available and if the same level of care was provided

Other (please specify)

[sailornurse]

Welcome to AN, I see this is your first post. But, This sounds like homework for say a Professional Nursing Roles class or Community Health class?

[ShanHan]

It was actually a very brief survey on SurveyMonkey but the format was edited by AllNurses for this post. They also chose the threat to post it under. It was not intended as homework but rather to solicit feedback from nurses in general to get perspective/feedback. It was much easier in the survey form

[joseyjo]

It was actually a very brief survey on SurveyMonkey but the format was edited by AllNurses for this post. They also chose the threat to post it under. It was not intended as homework but rather to solicit feedback from nurses in general to get perspective/feedback. It was much easier in the survey form

Why? For what reason do you need/want this feedback?

[ShanHan]

Hello Joseyjo. I think I've explained that but to elaborate further, I'm hopeful it may be helpful toward influencing positive change in practice. The responses provided on the original SurveyMonkey site remain anonymous if that's of concern.